Johnstoneville subdivision in Sumner. Several streets in Sumner are described as being in Johnstoneville subdivision going by the information on the library website. I couldn’t find any mention of the subdivision in Papers Past. I also checked Ancestry website with no luck. Today when I was looking for something totally different the name H B Johnstone popped up in connection with the road board in Sumner. I then looked at Papers Past and H B Johnstone was a solicitor in Christchurch and he lived on Fendall Town Rd. He was on the committee for the planned formation of a railway from Ferrymead to Sumner plus on the committee for the All Saints Church in Sumner. His full name was Harry Bell Johnstone and I had looked at him on Ancestry but dismissed him because he hadn’t lived in Sumner and and had died in Tauranga. Many of the family trees on Ancestry didn’t have him living in Christchurch at all. In 1870 he sold his house on Fendall Town Rd and moved out Oxford way. He was heavily involved in the Acclimatisation Society and he enjoyed fishing for salmon. I found his obituary in April 1894 and it mentioned that he had moved to Tauranga for his health. He owned several lots of land including 150 acres in Sumner. He had land out near Oxford and possibly land in Waimate. He still owned a large section of land in Fendalton and there were at least two articles about him refusing to sell this land when he was alive. All of this land was for sale after he died including the land in Sumner

Clark Street in Sumner – A street in the Johnstoneville subdivision. First appears in street directories in 1914

A small amount of information from the library website. I suspect that this street is named after a person but couldn’t find out who it was named after. There is nothing on Papers Past about the Johnstoneville subdivision. I checked Ancestry and cemetery data base for the surname Johnstone. I found loads of people with that surname but none had a connection to Sumner.

Edited to say that the street is probably named after Charles Clark a business associate of Harry Bell Johnstone. Harry Bell Johnstone owned 150 acres in Sumner but never lived in Sumner.

The earliest entry on Papers Past was about a foot bridge to be built in the street in 1905 and then there a house available for letting in 1909. Note Sumner was very much a holiday destination for people living in Christchurch especially from the wealthier suburbs.

In 1913 it was described as a new street running through the estate and the water and gas mains were already laid. The street was extended in 1913 with sections available. More sections were available in 1915 at £80 each. In the enlistment notices there was a Blythe Fletcher an artist who had enlisted. There isn’t a Wikipedia page for him but an art gallery has information about him. He was born in 1890 in Yorkshire and died in 1949 aged 59.

The footpaths were mentioned a few times and it was mostly complains. Sounds like they got muddy after it rained. The street received electric lights in 1923. several mentions of the street being flooded over the years. So many streets throughout New Zealand had the same name. The usual death notices. In 1989 there were lots of complaints about the noise from a skateboard ramp. The owner of the ramp said that it was a living sculpture. He had built it on his own property for the local children to play on. I don’t recall seeing a skateboard ramp on the street so it must have gone.

I walked this street yesterday after checking one of my geocaches in the area.

It is a pleasant tree lined street and the houses date from 1910 to 2019. They are a variety of styles and nothing too ugly. One of the houses from 1910 is a small cottage. There was another one that looked lovely but between high fences and trees I couldn’t get a photo of it. I wonder if they still get flooding as there is a drain / creek nearby.

Orchard Road in Harewood / Christchurch Airport – formerly Orchard’s Road. Named after Charles Samuel Orchard (1827- 1890). Orchard, a sawyer, emigrated to Canterbury with his wife, Jane, and their son, on the Cashmere in 1855. They settled in Harewood, where he worked at felling trees. They later moved to the Main North Road, then Kaiapoi and, finally, Ohoka. Orchard’s Road is first mentioned in The Press in 1874. First appears in street directories in 1936.

A small amount of information from the library website and I only found one mention of it being Orchard’s Rd and that was in 1874. Several Orchard’s Roads in North Canterbury and I suspect that they are named after the same person as he died in Ohoka. Most entries in Papers Past relate to the airport especially after the 1950s. There seemed to be lots of events involving aircrafts. In 1888 there was an ad from the Road Board about forming Orchard Rd near Harewood Church. In 1918 there was one ad and in 1933 there were two ads. In 1956 the MOW offered 12 acres of land suitable for grazing. A shingle pit opposite the airport was opened.

In 1964 a tourist hotel for Americans to be built on the corner of Memorial Ave and Orchard Road. It was a 10 acre block owned by the city council and a group of businessmen from Dallas had secured an option on the land.

In 1977 more land was required by the airport. The White Heron Lodge was mentioned plus Deep Freeze. The International Antarctic Centre was opened in 1992.

I looked at old maps and they are confusing. The earliest map that I could see this road on was in 1958 and it wasn’t where the modern Orchard Road is situated.

I walked this street a couple of weeks ago and at the Perimeter Rd end there is an old house which was possibly a club room or drinking place for airport staff. Airport parking is at this end as well. Cross the roundabout and there is more car parking plus SuDIMA Hotels and the International Antarctic Centre. I am fairly sure that the SuDIMA Hotel was a Covid isolation hotel during lockdown. Then there is the US Antarctic Program, Airforce and Air NZ buildings. A huge number of rental vehicle businesses along this road. From Wairakei Road onwards there are lots of businesses relating to rental cars and if you look at older street view it was mostly bare land here. Orchard Road from Harewood Road seems to have been only formed from about 2019 onwards. I remember when the Antarctic program was called Deep Freeze. I was amused by the business called UK Caravans as I decided that they might be a bit lost. I had an interesting encounter here as a bus driver stopped and asked if I wanted a lift to the airport. He seemed a bit bewildered that I actually wanted to walk the street. It isn’t helped by the fact that I prefer using a backpack rather than a handbag. I frequently get harassed by the fake homeless in the central city because of this.

Wyndham Street in Papanui – formerly James Street and William Street. Named after James William Horner (1855-1913). Re-named Wyndham Street. James’ father William Horner (1833-1905) was the first blacksmith in Papanui. James was also a blacksmith. James Street first appears in street directories in 1887. Re-named William Street in 1914. Re-named Wyndham Street on 24 May 1926 when 21 streets were renamed.

A small amount of information from the library website. Under James Street on Papers Past there were a huge number of entries as there were several streets with the same name including one in Linwood. There were several entries in 1885 about reforming and metalling the street. The footpath was also mentioned. In 1886 the residents requested that the Road Board take over the street. A few death notices for the street.

Under William Street there were birth and death notices plus ads. A few call to service and recruitment notices.

As Wyndham Street there were many death notices plus a few birth notices. Lots of ads and going by the ads there was a dairy farm and a dog breeder on the street. A few garden competition mentions. In 1941 the road was tar sealed. In 1955 there were tenders called for building a substation on the street. Also in 1955 there were tenders called for the demolition of old buildings on the corner of Papanui Rd and Wyndham St. These buildings must have been demolished as Papanui Holdings Ltd who owned vacant land here objected to it being zoned residential and were requesting that it be rezoned commercial. After 1960s most entries were ads for shops on this corner with mention of car parking available in the car park behind the shops with the entrance off Wyndham Street. In 1973 a shop called Haralds was mentioned and I think that they also had branches in the city and Sydenham. I frequently purchased fabric at Haralds.

I walked this street a couple of weeks ago and there are still shops at the Papanui Rd end of the street with a car park behind the shops. The MED substation is next to the car park. For some reason I didn’t take any photos when I walked this street so I took a screenshot from google maps of a house that dates from 1910. The houses here date from 1910 to 2018 with a huge number built in 1970s and 1980s. No I didn’t like the modern houses. This is another street that is straight in old maps but has a serious kink in the street by Mary Street intersection. Papers Past in the 1970s talked about the street to be widened and then this was followed up with the council changing it’s mind about this. It is obvious that the street wasn’t widened as it has been narrowed. Lots of plants and grass next to the footpath especially where it kinks by Mary Street.

Frank Street in Papanui – Named after Francis Edward Horner (1873- 1943). Francis Horner was a son of William and Mary Horner. At the time of his marriage in 1895 he was a storeman of Papanui. First mentioned in The Press in 1889. First appears in street directories in 1892.

A small amount of information from the library website. The earliest entry that I found on Papers Past was in 1889 when a new house was being built. In 1894 there was a house for sale. In 1900 at least two people were fined for allowing horses to wander at large. Between 1901 and 1905 there were sections for sale and in 1905 the residents requested that the Road Board take over the road. In 1924 the residents were complaining about the state of the street. From 1909 onwards the Masonic Hall was mentioned occasionally. I managed to find out more information about the Masonic Hall and in 1890 W Horner donated the land for the building of the Hall. In the 1920s there were lots of complaints about the lodge members parking in the street.

In 1923 the details of a new church were discussed and that the church would be built in brick. This church was demolished after the earthquakes. In the 1920s there was a firewood business on this street.

Lots of social notes over the years plus birth and death notices. The garden competitions occasionally mentioned. From the 1970s onwards many of the death notices related to funerals at the church.

In 1933 a fire at the Papanui Timber Company was quickly put out. This company was at the corner of Papanui Rd and Frank Street. In 1986 a new Motor Inn called The Elms Motor Inn was to be built where the Papanui Timber Company used to be.

Francis Edward Horner lived on Church Street which is now Bellvue Ave. In 1911 he was fined for allowing cattle to wander at large but nothing else on Papers Past for him.

I walked this street a couple of weeks ago before visiting Age Concern. I started at the Papanui Rd end where there is a Presbyterian Church and Community Centre called The Village. The buildings are very different to the original brick church as they look like they are made from corrugated iron. There is a Lilliput Library here and I had a chat with someone from the Community Centre here. They used to have a problem with someone taking the books and trying to sell them. Opposite the church is the Hotel Elms. Then there is a very interesting looking building called BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha and I worked out that it used to be the Masonic Hall. A tennis court belonging to a school and then it is houses. The houses date from 1915 to 2024 and were a mixture of styles. I ended up looking at maps for this street as it has a couple of kinks in it. Going by the maps it used to be a straight street but the council made it into a living street. I had to be careful when crossing the street where it kinks as it didn’t feel overly safe. Thankfully not much traffic.

Gambia Street in Papanui – formerly part of Loftus Street. Named after the HMNZS Gambia. HMNZS Gambia, launched in 1940, was New Zealand’s largest cruiser. It saw active service with the British Pacific Fleet during World War II. A Papanui war memorial street. First appears in street directories in 1946. Source: Papanui Heritage Group

A small amount of information from the library website. Very little on Papers Past as it was mostly ads, garden competitions and birth and death notices. Nothing about it being a memorial Avenue or the name change.

I checked old maps and from 1912 to 1941 it was Loftus Street and the street was straight. The map for 1958 shows it as Gambia Street and it is no longer a straight street. There is a kink in the street at the Frank Street intersection and it no longer lines up straight with Loftus Street. I have reread my write up for Loftus Street and I didn’t mention the street change in that write up.

I walked this street on Tuesday morning before my interview at Age Concern. I have put forward my name to be a Companion Walker.

There is a house here from 1920s and a couple from the 1930s but they didn’t stand out. Most of the houses here date from 2023 onwards and we all know my opinion of ugly modern houses.

Bellvue Avenue in Papanui – formerly Church Street. Church Street first appears in street directories in 1887. Re-named Bellvue Street in 1926 when 21 streets were re-named.

A small amount of information from the library website. The entries that I found on Papers Past all said that the name change was to Bellvue Avenue. I did find one entry where someone suggested Bell Street. No reason given for the name and I wondered if it related to the bell tower at the nearby church.

So many Church Streets in Christchurch that it was impossible to get much information. I tried narrowing by search by including the suburb name but had no luck as there was another street with a similar name nearby.

In the 1920s there were complaints about drains. In 1929 it is proposed to have an entrance to St James Park from this street and the subway under the railway lines is mentioned. I checked old maps and it looks like the street ran from Papanui Rd to the railway lines and from about 1930 onwards it was extended to St James Ave with the pedestrian walkway under the railway lines connecting the two halves. The pedestrian walkway was replaced in 1976 and it was widened in 1933 plus roses planted. In 1931 the new Plunket rooms were opened by Sir Truby King. In 1954 the new kindergarten was almost completed. The vicarage was mentioned in the 1950s and I looked on google maps to see if I could see the vicarage but it was down a long driveway. In 1959 there was ads for the render for the building of a Post and Telegraph depot. Personally I would love to have seen the elephant race in 1966 and apparently there were three elephants being raced and the riders were possibly local councillors. There was a wee note in 1977 in something called Reporters Diary about the first Papanui Town Hall having been on the corner of Papanui Rd and Bellvue Ave ( Church Lane). Church Lane is actually further down Papanui Rd past Merivale Mall. I looked at Papers Past and googled and couldn’t find anything about this. When I get time I will have another look for information about a town hall.

On Tuesday I had an appointment at Age Concern and I parked on this street and walked to my appointment. It is a nice quiet street between St James Ave and the railway pedestrian walkway with nice houses. Once you go through the walkway there are more houses plus there are still Plunket Rooms here. The houses were a mixture of styles and the oldest dates from 1890. At the Papanui Rd end there is still a kindergarten plus an entrance to the RSA. There are also shops at the Papanui Rd end. It was a pleasant street. Outside one house there were chalk drawings on the footpath and a notice on a fence saying that there was chalk in the letterbox for doing chalk drawings.

The South Island Methodist Orphanage and Children’s Home was opened in April 1914 on Chapel Street with 6 children residing there. It was built to hold 30 children but was expanded to be able to take 60 children. I did find an article which said that was set up in an existing house on the property. Most articles were about donations to the home and I hope that they liked eggs and jam. In 1934 the new Art Deco looking building was opened at 91 Harewood Rd. It sat on a site of 12 acres. At the jubilee in 1964 a tree was planted and Mrs J Hodgson who was one of the first girls in the home cut the jubilee cake.

The home went under several names in the media and was known as Papanui Children’s Home and Papanui Orphanage. In 1968 it was purposed to built flats for the elderly at the site being used by the Wesley Geriatric Home. From this article I got the impression that there was still a children’s home at the property and that the rooms were reconfigured into family units. The children’s home was closed in 1987 and in 1991 The Sandcastle Children’s and Family Unit was opened. Sadly this didn’t long as it was destroyed in an arson attack in 1992. This information was on a website about Methodist Homes and I couldn’t find any news articles about it. In 1996 the buildings were demolished and the Wesley Retirement Village to be built. In 2015 the Wesley Home was demolished and a new one built.

I managed to find one photo of one of the buildings that I was allowed to download. I found a second photo but it wasn’t in a format that I could download. The second photo was amazing as there were three huge Art Deco looking building on a massive section of land. A lovely set of what looked like ironwork gates.

Marble Wood Drive in Papanui – Developed in 1997 on the former site of the South Island Methodist Orphanage and Children’s Home which had opened in 1914. Suburban Estates developed the subdivision in a joint venture with the Methodist Mission.

A small amount of information from the library website. Nothing in Papers Past even with the newspapers now going up to 2001.

The houses here were built in the 1990s and 2000s and I was surprised that the valuation website said that there were only 29 houses here. I doublechecked with google maps and the houses are at one of the street while there is a reserve and a retirement home at the Harewood Rd end of the street. The houses here are huge with some nice looking gardens. The Orphanage covered about 12 acres and the subdivision was created on this land.

I entered this street from a walkway leading from Harris Crescent. I had been geocaching in the area. I couldn’t believe the size of the houses here. The footpath is on both sides of the street and there is two places where there is a tree in the middle of the road. One is at the end of the street where the walkway entrance is and the other is next to the entrance to Mission Lane. That one creates a roundabout effect and after doing some research on the orphanage I actually wonder if this tree is the Jubilee tree planted in 1964. This end of the street has March Wood Reserve on one side and the Wesley Care Retirement Home on the other side. Looking at google maps you can see that the retirement home covers a huge amount of land.

Mission Lane in Papanui – Named by the developers, Suburban Estates and the Methodist Mission. The name acknowledges the Christchurch Methodist Central Mission’s administration of the former South Island Methodist Orphanage and Children’s Home which had opened in 1914 on this site. Named in 1997.

A small amount of information from the library website. Nothing on Papers Past even though it now goes up 2001.

A tiny private lane with large houses that were built in 1990s and 2000s. There was a footpath but I only walked a few metres along it as I sometimes feel uncomfortable walking such lanes as they feel like driveways.