The Story of Christchurch, New Zealand

THE STORY OF CHRISTCHURCH, N.Z. JOHN ROBERT GODLEY, The Founder of Canterbury. THE STORY OF CHRISTCHURCH NEW ZEALAND. BY HENRY F. WIGRAM. CHRISTCHURCH: PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY THE LYTTELTON TIMES Co., LTH I91B. 430 PREFACE. The story of the foundation and early growth of Canterbury was first told to me, bit by bit, more than thirty years ago, some of it by men and women who had actually taken part in the founding of the settlement, and shaping its destiny, and some by late-comers, who had followed closely on the heels of the pioneers. There were many people then living who delighted in talking of their strenuous life in the pioneering days, " when all the world was young," and in telling of events which are now passing into silent history. Many of the stories I heard then are still vivid in my memory, little episodes illustrating the daily life of a community which had to do everything for itself survey, settle, stock and till the land, build its own roads, bridges and railways, form its own religious, educational, political and social institutions, and construct its own local government. It is no wonder that coming from the valley of the Thames, where the results of centuries of civilisation had come to be accepted as the natural condition of nineteenth century existence, I found the contrast interesting and inspiring. My wife and I were received with the kindly hospi- tality so typical of the time and country. Amongst our immediate neighbours at Upper Riccarton were many old settlers. Mr. C. C. (now Sir Charles) Bowen, his brother, the Rev. Croasdaile Bowen, Mr. Leonard Harper, Mr. T. W. Maude, Mr. H. P. Lance, and others. Amongst them, Sir Charles Bowen and his family were our nearest neighbours and kindest friends. Sir Charles had come to Canterbury in the "Charlotte Jane," in 1850. He had been private secretary to Mr. Godley 472350 UVM.W PREFACE. had sat in the Provincial Council, been Provincial Treas- urer, a member of the House of Representatives and a Cabinet Minister. Probably there was no man then living better qualified to tell the story of Canterbury. He told it to me, not in connected narrative, but in frag- .ments spread over many a fireside chat, and I was able to supplement it with other fragments obtained at other hospitable hearths. I have endeavoured, in the chapters which follow, into a connected to do so to weave the fragments story ; I have had to make a careful examination of existing records, and have been led much further afield than I originally contemplated. I found, for instance, that the story of the foundation of the city was too intimately associated with that of the province to be kept separate. Similarly I found that the story of the Church of Eng- land, its Bishop, its College and its Cathedral, was inter- woven with those of the city, especially in the early days. I have been tempted, here and there, to stray out of bounds and write of the West Coast Gold Fields, the find of Moa bones at G]enmark and at Waimate, the work of the Acclimatisation Society and other topics, but on the other hand I have found it unfortunately necessary to omit much good material, which does not touch on the main thread of the story. I would like to have referred to some of the philanthropic and helpful social organisations that have been established in Christ- church, to the work accomplished by the Presbyterian and Nonconformist Churches, and to some of the men who took an active part in social improvement, but I have found it impossible, in a single volume, to afford space for the purpose. It is difficult to adequately acknowledge the general and cordial assistance I have received, not only from old settlers, but also from many persons connected with the various institutions referred to in the narrative. I wish especially to tender my thanks to Mr. Johannes C, PREFACE. Andersen, formerly of the Christchurch Land Office, and now of the General Assembly Library, in Wellington, for most valuable information regarding many of the old records. I have only to add that what I have written is to the old settlers and their families I addressed mainly ; hope, too, that the story may incite others to take pride and interest in the history of their city, but my chief hope is that these pages may meet with the kindly approval of those who have helped to make Canterbury what it is. HENRY F. WIGRAM. Park Terrace, Christchurch, N Z. FOREWORD. CHRISTCHURCH, THE CATHEDRAL CITY OF NEW ZEALAND. It is a far cry from the ancient cathedral cities of the Old Land, hoary with years and traditions, to a busy colonial town, raised in little more than half a century, in the midst of a tussock-covered plain. Yet, as the years roll by, something, perchance, of the stately repose of Salisbury, or of Chichester, may attach itself to our Cathedral City of the South. The story of its beginning is a story of the high resolves and great achievements of earnest, religious men in the early Victorian age. They dreamed of a new settlement to be peopled by sons and daughters of the Church of England, a chosen band, to pioneer the cause of religion and education in the vast unoccupied territories of the Southern Seas. In imagina- tion, no doubt, they saw something of the future of these unpeopled lands, the teeming population to come, and the danger that in the struggle and turmoil of colonisation some of the better attributes of civilisation might be left behind. How far the dream of this little band of pilgrims was realised, how far their noble ambitions were fulfilled, we shall see as we proceed, but whether there has been success or failure, the glow of inspiration still remains, and beyond the plain, no longer a sea of tussock, we yet may see the snowy mountains in the distance. The ambition of the dreamers was to plant a Church of England settlement in a new land; its leaders, the its rank and file best the Church of England could send ; selected members of that Church, and there were to be FOREWORD. special endowments for religious and educational pur- poses. The first reference to the proposed settlement is found in the annual report of the New Zealand Company, in 1843, and there can be little question that the suggestion emanated from the fertile mind of Edward Gibbon Wake- field. For some years the idea lay dormant, but it was quickened in 1847 by the meeting at Great Malvern of Mr. Wakefield and John Robert Godley. Fate, destiny, Providence, call it what you will, was present at that meeting, but for which this story would never have been written. Mr. Godley left Great Malvern with a new ideal for his life's work. Gifted above most men, and fired by intense enthusiasm, he gave his best to the new cause. Personal magnetism, strong character, social influence and the gift of language, enabled him to gather round him a group of influential men, and the Canter- bury Association was formed. Captain Thomas was sent out to select the site for the new settlement. The Association was singularly fortunate in its choice of this officer, for he proved both far-sighted in his selection and staunch in his opinions. The selection itself has been justified by the test of more than sixty-five years of experience and expansion, and it is now interesting to recall that Captain Thomas adhered to his choice in the face of the powerful influence exer- cised by Governor Sir George Grey in favour of an inland site in the Wairarapa. Then came the sailing of the pilgrims, a story of strength and purpose, of effort and achievement, in- tensely interesting, but difficult for us who, "like Ariel, post o'er land and sea with careless parting," to fully understand and appreciate. Giant steamers, cables, wireless telegraphy, railways, motor-cars, and air craft obstruct our view. We are as far removed from the Port Cooper of 1850 as was the England of that day from the period of good Queen Bess and Sir Walter Raleigh. FOREWORD. The pilgrims who set sail in September, 1850, in ships of 700 to 800 tons needed stout hearts. They were to make their home in a distant country, of which little was known, and the horror of the Wairau massacre and similar tragedies must have been fresh in their minds. Undismayed by the perils and hardships that beset their path, they set out in high hope to subdue the wilderness and to realise their dream, taught by the successes and warned by the failure of earlier pioneers in other lands. Their destiny was in their own hands; they were still to remain under the old flag, but were to have self-government, and with it the priceless boons of greater individual freedom and wider opportunity that were possible in the overcrowded countries of Europe. Apart altogether from its religious aspect, the central idea of the new settlement naturally attracted courageous, self-reliant, and thoughtful men. Thence it is, that, although Christchurch is no longer exclusively a Church of England city, its people of all denominations are proud of its history, and still do honour to those sturdy pilgrims who made its first chapters and did much to mould its later ones. CONTENTS. Page. CHAPTER I.-1839-1844 ... ... 1 The New Zealand Land Company, founded by Edward Gibbon Wakefield Selection of site for Nelson settlement New Zealand Company's proposal to found Scottish and Church of England colonies Mr.

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