Mary Muller Drive in Hillsborough – Named after Mary Jeanette Muller (1912-1995). Mary Muller was for many years the principal of Muller’s Transport in Port Hills Road. The road passes over the land where her business and her home were situated. Named in 2000.

A small amount of information from the library website. Mary Muller and her husband Arthur lived at 220 Port Hills Rd from 1966 and previous address was 214 Port Hills Rd in 1960 and 1963. It is quite likely that they lived at the same place but street numbers were changed. The business address was also 220 Port Hills Rd. Previous addresses were Aotea Tce in Huntsbury.and Norwich Quay in Lyttelton. Arthur Cable Muller died in 1974 aged 65.

Limited information on Papers Past but there was a death notice in 1953 when Mary’s mother died. Her parents were Bertha and Frank Bradburn. Bertha’s maiden name was Muller and I searched Ancestry website but couldn’t find a connection between Arthur and Bertha but the information on the Ancestry website was limited. I couldn’t find marriage details for Mary and Arthur.

At least two businesses here used the name Castle Rock. You can normally see Castle Rock from this street but couldn’t see it today as there was low cloud covering the hills. One business was Castle Rock Cafe and I was surprised that it was open on a Sunday.

Lock Crescent in Hillsborough – formerly Lock Place. Named because the name “Lock” is a family name that has been prominent in the area “in past years”. Named Lock Place in 2 April 2002. It was later extended to continue out to Chapmans Road, creating a “Crescent”. The name change was requested in 2006 by the developer, Rookwood Holdings, and three existing businesses in the street to reflect the physical change to the road.

A reasonable amount of information from the library website. I thoroughly searched the Ancestry website and couldn’t find anyone with the Lock name or even Locke name living in the area. The closest that I came to was a William Lock who lived on Wilsons Rd in the early 1900s. He was a shunter so he did have a railway connection.

This street is in a business area off Port Hills Rd and the French Bakery is on the corner of this street and Chapmans Rd. I managed to resist the temptation to buy anything at this business.

Brightlings Rd in Hillsborough – Named after John Brightling (1842- 1928). Brightling established a brick works there in 1893. First appears in street directories in 1980.

A small amount of information from the library website. Papers Past had an obituary for John Brightling in 1928. He arrived in Lyttelton on the John Templar in June 1866. He was a butcher by trade but after his arrival in NZ he took up a night soil removal contract. He also acquired a paddle steamer known as Avon Steam Packet. He built tramlines and he built the first tramline in Christchurch. He owned two brickworks and the Port Hills one closed in 1928. His other brickworks in St Martins closed in 1963. See Brickworks Lane about the St Martins one.

There was an article in 1974 about the proposed road and for it to be called Brightlings Rd. In 1985 Coca Cola plant requested that they get their water from Christchurch as the water from the Heathcote County wasn’t good enough. Coca Cola is still on this street. There seemed to be a lot of shipping containers on land on this street.

Caerphilly Place in Hillsborough- Named after Caerphilly, a town in the county borough of Caerphilly in South Wales. Developed post-1997.

A tiny amount of information from the library website and nothing that I can add about the name.

This street is in the business area that runs off Port Hills area and there was a footpath for me to walk on. It was businesses here and they all seem to deal with hazardous products.

Vaila Place in Woolston – Named after Vaila, one of the Shetland Islands of Scotland. The Thomson family emigrated to Stewart Island in the 1860s from Vaila. A descendant is a director of

the company that carried out the subdivision. Named in 2013.

A small amount of information from the library website. The name Vaila either means foreign isle or valley.

This street is in the Port Link Business Park and the area is still being developed. I was geocaching in the area and decided to walk a couple of streets. There is a new cycleway being built in the area.

Foula Place in Woolston – Named after Foula, one of the Shetland Islands of Scotland. Continues the theme of using names from the Shetland Islands for cul-de-sacs developed off Kennaway Road. Named in 2014.

A small amount of information from the library website. Foula means bird island and I had recently looked it up in my Dictionary of British Place Names because of a book that I had been reading.

I had been geocaching in the area so decided to walk a couple of streets. This street is part of the Port Link Business Park and the area is still being developed. There is also a new cycleway being developed in the area.

Sullivan Ave in Woolston -Formerly Richardson Street. Named after John Richardson (1847?-1927). Re-named Sullivan Avenue. Named after Daniel Giles Sullivan (1882- 1947). Richardson was the first mayor of Woolston when the borough was created in 1893. Richardson Street is first mentioned in the Star in 1884 and first appears in street directories in 1906. Re-named Sullivan Street in 1929 because of confusion with Richardson Terrace. Sullivan was a French polisher, trade unionist, journalist and politician. He was a city councillor 1915-1923 and 1925-1931, and the mayor of Christchurch 1931-1936. He was also Minister of Industries and Commerce, also Railways, in the first Labour Government 1935- 1949. He had opposed having the street named after him.

A reasonable amount of information from the library website.

Papers Past had a large number of death notices. There were also birth notices and in the 1920s many were born at Nurse Belcher’s nursing home. Miss I Belcher in 1928 joined the staff at New Plymouth Girls High.

In 1911 there was a letter of complaint to the editor about people saying that the street is in Opawa whereas it is in Woolston. I actually found more entries under Opawa rather than Woolston. In 1910 there were ads for new houses and sections. When the street was renamed Sullivan Ave there was a discussion about changing Richardson Terrace to Sullivan Terrace but this was rejected and Richardson Street was changed to Sullivan Ave. In 1929 there was a petition from residents complaining about the new name.

The houses here cover every decade from 1910 to 2020 with a huge number having been built between 1910 and 1920. At Ensors Rd end there is Ara Institure of Canterbury Woolston Campus. I really enjoyed walking this street because of the lovely older wooden villas and the quirky gardens. There was also a plaque to Daniel G Sullivan. I took a huge number of photos.

Skylark Lane in Woolston and nothing on library website. The houses here were built in the 1990s and I was a bit surprised that there were 13 houses here. I only walked a very small part of this lane as it just felt like it was a driveway to a couple of houses.

Tabart St in Woolston – Named after Francis Christopher Tabart (1830- 1901).Tabart was the mayor of Hokitika 1869-1877. He later moved to Opawa and became an auctioneer and general merchant in Christchurch. First mentioned in The Press in 1909 when “five fine building sites facing Tabart Street” are advertised for sale. First appears in street directories in 1911.

A small amount of information from the library website and nothing that I can add about the name of the street. Not a lot on Papers Past or Ancestry website about Francis Tabart.

Papers Past had sections for available in 1909 and 1913 and they were described as being part of the Opawa Estate. Several birth and death notices. In 1917, 1920, 1935 and 1942 there was grazing land available. In 1922 there was a section available that overlooked the Technical Hostel grounds.

There was a huge number of houses from 1910s and 1920s but sadly many of them looked rundown. A few looked in reasonable condition. I went to Woolston Primary School for one year and used to travel by bus from Lyttelton to go to school here. I have this memory of knowing someone who lived on this street but can’t remember his name. I am going to have to hunt up school photos from my year at the school.

Whittington Ave in Woolston – formerly Rhodes Street. Probably named after Whittington, a small village near Worcester. Rhodes Street first appears in street directories in 1908. Whittington Avenue is first mentioned in The Press in 1909 in a report of a meeting of the Woolston Borough Council.

A small amount of information on the library website and I couldn’t find any evidence that it was previously called Rhodes Street. I checked Papers Past and old maps. The street is also possibly named after a family with the surname Whittington. There were at least three families with that surname who lived in the area.

Most entries on Papers Past are about the residents in the area wanting a pedestrian crossing across the railway line. These entries were between 1909 and 1927 and the Railways declined their requests every time. The Technical College was mentioned occasionally. There were sections available between 1913 and 1929. Someone owned kennels called Roimata Kennels on this street in the 1930s. Most of the entries for 1976 were about a murder on this street and it involved a rather messy love triangle.

There were some lovely older wooden villas on this street and there is also Whittington Avenue Reserve on this street. I would be concerned about parking and noise if I lived here. There was broken glass in the reserve area.

Edited as I found out that the street was known as Rhodes Avenue at the same time that it was known as Whittington Ave. So Rhodes St was a mistake by the library. As Rhodes Avenue there were the same articles about the residents wanting a pedestrian crossing across the railway lines. The land was subdivided in 1904 and the owner Mr Schauman completed the forming of the streets and then requested in 1905 that the council take over the streets when they have been completed. In 1913 the Technical College sold off land on Rhodes Ave so that explains the sections that were available in 1913