37-658: The First Four Ships refers to the four sailing vessels chartered by the Canterbury Association which left Plymouth , England, in September 1850 to transport the first English settlers to new homes in Canterbury , New Zealand. The colonists or settlers who arrived on the first four ships are known as the Canterbury Pilgrims . Edward Gibbon Wakefield and Irish-born John Robert Godley ,
74-638: A Bridle road over a saddle in the Port Hills behind Lyttelton, which was formed by Gollan's road gang. While Thomas and Jollie had named the street of the three towns after the Bishoprics of England, Ireland and the Colonies, the road over the saddle simply became known as the Bridle Path because riders had to dismount and lead their horses by the bridle over the steepest portion of the path near
111-690: A Commission appointed by the Canterbury Provincial Council recommended completing the road to Sumner. Both examined various options, including road and railway tunnels, and the Commission devised a new, and easier road line, which involved a short tunnel under Evans Pass but avoided the difficult ground that involving blasting hard volcanic rock. The Council even passed enabling legislation in July 1855 to facilitate acquiring land for road construction. By 24 August 1857 road construction
148-504: A fleet of small ships were prepared to undertake the journey despite the risks involved. Sometimes vessels would remain in port for days awaiting the right conditions rather than risk this journey. Even so, many a colonist lost all their worldly possessions when a boat capsized or was wrecked. Shipping fees were exorbitant, sometimes costing as much to ship goods across the Sumner Bar to Ferrymead as it did to ship them from England. Before
185-535: A lead. Charlotte Godley , in a letter written between 10 February and 3 May 1850, reported there was a pathway over the hills to the Dean's farm that her husband and Captain Thomas rode over when they first visited Lyttelton, on 12 May 1850. She wanted to see the plains too and persuaded another passenger who had already been to the top to show her the way. She reported they found a " very good, though steep, path to
222-538: Is placed at the top of the Bridle Path next to the Summit Road . The foundation stone for the memorial was laid by Lilian Priscilla Wakefield, the granddaughter of Edward Gibbon Wakefield , on 16 December 1939. The shelter was designed by Heathcote Helmore . The memorial was unveiled on Saturday, 14 December 1940, with hundreds in attendance. There are a total of seven commemorative stone seats placed along
259-539: The Bridle Path is a legal road between Lyttelton and Ferrymead. It was originally constructed as a way for the first Canterbury Association settlers to traverse the Port Hills that surround Lyttelton and take horses, cattle and sheep from the port to the land they would settle on the Canterbury Plains. The path was too steep to ride horses all the way, so riders had to dismount and lead their horses by
296-821: The Cape of Good Hope and had to reef those sails. By the end of summer the colony had been joined by settlers from the Castle Eden , which arrived on 17 February 1851, and then the Isabella Hercus on 1 March. Between March 1851 and early May 1853, a further 22 shiploads of settlers had arrived from England. By then the colony had an estimated population in excess of 3,000. (This figure may be an under-estimate because various lists of passengers didn't always agree, there were also ships arriving from Australia with both passengers and animals, movement within New Zealand
333-516: The Fair Tasmanian on 2 July 1849, including architect and civil engineer Henry John Cridland as Superintendent of Works, as well as Donald Gollan as Works Overseer, and assistant surveyor Sydney Scroggs. On 12 August 1849, they were joined by assistant surveyor Edward Jollie and Thomas Brunner as Clerk of Works. During the following six months, Jollie surveyed and drew up town plans for Lyttelton, Sumner and Christchurch as well as laying off
370-536: The Sumner Road over Evans Pass was opened to light traffic in 1858. Originally, the road over Evans Pass was intended to be completed by the time the first settlers arrived but the Canterbury Association ran out of money. John Robert Godley had the road work stopped, and only had enough time to cut a rough Bridle Road once obtained further funding. It is referred to as a bridle path because
407-614: The sloop HMS Fly in December 1848. A quick but thorough exploration of the plains left them in no doubt that they had found an ideal site for Canterbury. With Thomas's suggestion, Governor Grey and Bishop Selwyn decided to site the Canterbury Settlement in this area rather than in the Wairarapa. With Godley, Thomas and his companions set about arranging immigration barracks and the other necessary infrastructure for
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#1732780127484444-400: The Bridle Path; most of these were built for the 1950 Canterbury centenary celebrations. Hastily constructed in late 1850, just in time for the first Canterbury Association settlers to use, it was the most direct way to travel from the port to the new settlements on the plains on the northern side of the Port Hills . Although very steep, it was the primary means of traversing the hills until
481-506: The Bridle Path; most of these were built for the Canterbury centenary celebrations in 1950. A Wayside Memorial Cross was erected in 1856, at the request of Charlotte Godley, to mark the site of a small spring where she rested and drank the water. The first cross was made of white stone cross and erected near a water-tank on the path, but by July 1857 it had fallen over and was in pieces. The cross, having been vandalised numerous times,
518-695: The Governor, came down the coast in Her Majesty's sloop of war Fly to welcome their arrival. He and Lady Grey left before the arrival of Cressy . John Robert Godley was also at Lyttelton to meet the settlers. A marble plaque in Cathedral Square in Christchurch lists the names of the Canterbury Pilgrims , as those who arrived on the first four ships are known. Canterbury Association Too Many Requests If you report this error to
555-554: The Moorhouse Tunnel in 1869 rendered this means of communicating between Lyttelton and Christchurch largely obsolete. During the 1930s, the Bridle Path was reformed by the Public Works Department. The Summit Road was also opened in 1938, providing easier access. The Bridle Path became a Historic Area on 6 April 2001. The path remains a popular walking track today. At a meeting that re-established
592-565: The Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.237 via cp1104 cp1104, Varnish XID 204302703 Upstream caches: cp1104 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 07:48:47 GMT Bridle Path (New Zealand) The Bridle Path is a steep shared-use track that traverses the northern rim of the Lyttelton volcano connecting the port of Lyttelton with
629-560: The Women's Branch of The Citizens' Association held on 29 November 1938, Miss Mildred Trent suggested that, as a centennial gift, a memorial to the pioneer women in Canterbury be erected at the intersection of the Bridle Path and the, then, recently opened Summit Road. The memorial was envisaged to take the form of sheltered seats and would be Canterbury women's contribution to New Zealand's centenary celebrations. The proposal met with unanimous approval. The Canterbury Pioneer Women's Memorial
666-553: The bridle over the steepest parts, hence the name. The lower sections of the historic pathway have become sealed roads bearing the name Bridle Path Road in both Lyttelton and the Heathcote Valley. The steeper part between the ends of the road remains a walking track to this day. In January 1851, the Lyttelton Times observed: Today, the Bridle Path walkway commences at the end of Bridle Path Road which runs up
703-608: The city of Christchurch in the South Island of New Zealand. It is a popular walking and mountain biking route. The track ascends from the port itself to a height of 333 metres (1,093 ft) before descending again via Heathcote Valley to Christchurch. At the summit, next to the Summit Road , is a stone shelter with covered seats that is a 1940 New Zealand centennial memorial to the Pioneer Women of Canterbury. There are also seven commemorative stone seats placed along
740-533: The end of 1851, enterprising businessmen had formed an insurance company and were offering to insure goods just for this journey. At the beginning of 1851 the Bridle Road also connected to a westward leading footpath that ran along the crater rim and then descended a ridge to footpaths that led to Riccarton as well as Christchurch. That path was just passable by cattle or horses at walking pace though considered easy for pedestrians or sheep to negotiate. Little
777-627: The ends of the walk. At the summit, where the Bridle Path meets the Summit Road, is the Canterbury Pioneer Women's Memorial as well as a visitors car park. Both the Crater Rim Walkway and Stan Helms Track meet the Bridle Path at the car park. All these tracks can be wet and slippery in winter and the city council advises walkers to proceed with caution. While dog-walking is allowed, dogs need to be kept on
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#1732780127484814-614: The guiding forces within the Canterbury Association, organised an offshoot of the New Zealand Company , a settlement in a planned English enclave in an area now part of the Wairarapa in the North Island of New Zealand. The inaugural meeting of the Canterbury Association took place at 41 Charing Cross, London, on 27 March 1848. The meeting passed a resolution "that the name of the proposed settlement be "Canterbury" and
851-625: The hill from near the Lyttelton portal of the Road Tunnel. The path ascends to the top of the ridge and traverses the crater rim and the Summit Road before descending to near the Heathcote portal of the Road Tunnel in the Gondala carpark. The track is a 2.4 km long walk that ascends to the 333 metres (1,093 ft) high summit takes about an hour to walk in one direction. The number 28 Lyttelton/Rapaki bus can be used to connect between
888-495: The journey in steerage , some having assisted passage. Like their employers, the emigrants included devout Anglicans selected to help build a community founded on religious virtues. Each ship carried a chaplain , a doctor and a schoolmaster, and included in the cargo was a printing press, a library of 2,000 books, a church organ and several pre-fabricated houses in sections. Cabin passengers paid £42 and cheaper berths were £25, whilst steerage passengers paid £15. Sir George Grey ,
925-496: The line of road between Lyttelton and Sumner that Cridland had devised. Gollan and the labourers meanwhile constructed a jetty at Lyttelton, formed roads and constructed other engineering works while Scroggs surveyed the road line from Sumner to Christchurch. However, when Godley arrived in April 1850 he stopped all work on account of lack of funds. In November 1850, Godley was able to secure further funding and Thomas had Jollie survey
962-609: The name of the chief town be "Christchurch"." The Canterbury Association sent Captain Joseph Thomas as chief surveyor and leader of the Association's preliminary expedition. With his two assistants, Thomas Cass and Charles Torlesse (a nephew of Edward Wakefield), Thomas was sent to select, survey and prepare for the proposed settlement. They arrived at New Plymouth aboard Bernicia on 2 November 1848, destined for Wairarapa . Bernicia called at Nelson where Thomas
999-444: The path was mostly formed, except for a small portion near the summit where they had to dismount and climb to the top over rough stones and rocks. Heavy goods were usually shipped from Lyttelton to a dock at Ferrymead, but this was a hazardous journey as the sailing ships of the time needed to make an open sea journey between Lyttelton and Sumner Bay and then cross the Sumner Bar under favourable wind, sea and tide conditions. However,
1036-609: The path, which was intended to be 8 feet (2.4 m) wide when complete. On the Heathcote Valley side, the path descended to the valley floor and then ran around to Ferrymead, at which point a ferry crossed the Heathcote River mouth at the head of the Estuary, where it met with the then still incomplete "Sumner Road". The estimated cost of constructing the road was about NZ£ 300 as of January 1851. When Charlotte Godley travelled over this Bridle Road in early December 1850
1073-527: The road to cease and the workforce was retrenched. A Bridle Road was surveyed in November 1850 by Edward Jollie at the direction of the Chief Surveyor, Captain Thomas , after John Godley , Agent for the Canterbury Association , managed to obtain funds to continue surveying and road building. A contract road gang operated by a Mr. Hughes and supervised by works overseer Donald Gollan formed
1110-545: The settlement at Port Cooper and the new Christchurch. Port Cooper had been named after the proprietors of the Sydney whaling and trading firm of Cooper & Levy . but he chose the name Lyttelton after Lord Lyttelton of Hagley, a member of the Canterbury Association, and Port Levy 's name was never changed. An initial survey having been completed in early 1849, Thomas went to Wellington and arranged contracts for further surveyors and labourers. Thirty-five arrived on
1147-539: The summit. Randolph , Cressy , Sir George Seymour , and Charlotte Jane together carried an estimated 790 passengers. In addition, about another 60 worked their passage on the ships or deserted and disembarked. The first of the vessels, Charlotte Jane , landed at Lyttelton Harbour on the morning of 16 December 1850. Randolph followed that afternoon. Sir George Seymour arrived on 17 December, followed ten days later by Cressy on 27 December. Cressy had taken longer because she had sprung her foremast south of
First Four Ships - Misplaced Pages Continue
1184-452: The top " and a " very fine " view of both the harbour and the plains. At that time, the road to Sumner was still being constructed but had reached a point where heavy blasting was required to get past some precipitous bluffs. Although a footpath had been formed along the route for the road-builders to use, that was so steep in places that ropes needed to be used to get past the bluffs. Shortly afterwards, John Godley ordered further spending on
1221-429: The track was so steep and narrow in places that riders needed to dismount and lead their horses by the bridle. The path was considered unsuitable for a fully loaded cart or dray. The track is a legal road, so may be used by motor vehicles, such as trail bikes , though this is regarded as a nuisance. There have been attempts to change the legal status from road to park since the 1970s. Originally called Bridle Road ,
1258-415: Was done to develop this westerly walking path until the early 20th century when the Summit Road was built. By 8 November 1851, a refreshment stall had been set up at the summit. The fate of this enterprise is not recorded. Between 1851 and 1854 nothing much was done to provide a better means of communication between the port and the plains. Both a "Select Committee" of the "Society of Land-Purchasers" and
1295-436: Was sufficiently advanced that Superintendent Fitzgerald was able to navigate his "dog cart" all the way from Christchurch to Lyttelton to "open" the road, although it took until January 1858 for the road to be open to light traffic. In 1862, New Zealand's first telegraph line between Christchurch and Lyttelton was constructed following this route, opening on 1 July 1862. The opening of the Christchurch to Lyttelton Railway via
1332-584: Was told by settlers of unexplored plains stretching north and west of Banks Peninsula . The surveyor's interest was aroused, so they proceeded to Wellington where Thomas wrote to Bishop George Selwyn saying he intended to head to Port Cooper (present-day Lyttelton ) to inspect this area. The three, along with Sir William Fox (the newly appointed principal agent to the New Zealand Company) and five survey hands, arrived in Port Cooper aboard
1369-477: Was unrestricted, and ships also stopped at other New Zealand settlements before or after visiting Canterbury, but immigrants were registered at their first port of entry.) The "colonists", who travelled in the relative luxury of the cabins, included those men and their families who could afford to buy land in the new colony. Some of these settlers' families remain prominent in Christchurch to this day. "Emigrants" included farm workers, labourers and tradesmen, who made
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