Kaiapoi Museum photos

• 

  Kaikanui Flood

  In 1855 William White built the hotel on the corner of the present day Ohoka Road and Peraki Street, the main road of that time. White held the licence from 1857-63 and again 1866-67. In 1893 the hotel was destroyed by fire and replaced by the pictured building. At this point the name was changed from Kaikainui to Kaikanui. This hotel in turn was burnt down in 1939. To retain the licence, beer was sold in a small shed on the North Road (now Williams Street). The present Kaikanui Tavern was built on that site. Photograph by Douglas Jones.
• 

  J Byron, Bootmaker

  J Byron's boot and shoe business was at 34 Charles Street opposite Trousselot Park. Was later the site of G Yellowlee's coalyard.
• 

  Kaiaopi Co-operative Stores

  The Kaiapoi Co-operative Stores Company Ltd, General Merchants. The store was in High Street, now occupied by Blakeleys of Kaiapoi 117-119 Williams Street. The Wylie family were the proprietors for many years.
• 

  Kaiapoi Freezing Works

  Taken in 1917, the mutton killing board with the beef department on the left. Workers pictured from left to right are: Walter Dunn, Solomon Paikin, Ernie Reeves, Bill Logan, Clem Attewell, Chris Wilson, Jim ---,Chris Parsons, Bill Freeman, Jim Walker, Arthur Grimmer, Joe Young, Bill Chaney, Fred Neale, Ernie Dixon, Fred Clarke, Jack Taplin, W. Hulle, Herman Barret, -- Dixon. The NC Sheepfarmers Freezing Company was formed in 1915 and the Works in Bowler Street opened in 1917, and closed in 1991.
• 

  Johnston's Temperance Hotel

  There had been a hotel near this site in Charles Street since the mid-1850s. By 1908 it had become Johnston's Temperance Hotel and Penrith Boarding House. The present kindergarten and clock tower on the site was opened in 1954 as a Kaiapoi District World War II memorial.
• 

  Kaiapoi Port

  Kaiapoi Port in 1911. "SS Kairaki" on the left and "SS Wootton" on the right. Both were owned by the Kaiapoi Shipping and Trading Company. "Kairaki" was lost in a storm off Greymouth in 1914, and "Wootton" stopped visiting the port in 1915.
• 

  Kaiapoi Railway Station

  Kaiapoi's first railway station c1880. The line from Christchurch had opened in 1872 and this station was near the Williams Street railway crossing. There was also a stationmaster's house and the crossing keeper's house. This station was replaced in 1904 by a new impressive George Troup designed station and situated further down the line. The building was no longer used after 1986 and fell into disrepair. A portion was badly damaged in 1975 during a gale and dismantled. A group of local people formed a Trust to purchase and restore the station.
• 

  Ohoka Homestead

  Ohoka Homestead, 25 Jacksons Road Ohoka, built for Joseph Senior White ("Bully" White). White had a mysterious background, but after arriving in Kaiapoi in 1858 he prospered as a businessman with stores in Kaiapoi and Saltwater Creek. He bought land in Ohoka, built what is now the service wing, and lived there while acquiring more land in the area. He eventually owned a total of 405 hectares. The main house completed in 1875, is an imposing two-storey homestead of triple brick with stone dressings.
• 

  Pines Beach Golf

  "The Pines," named after wilding pines became established when trees had been planted to stabilise the sand dunes. The area had been vested in the Kaiapoi Borough Council, and an Act in 1922 allowed the Council to lease out sections. The first baches began appearing after that. The miniature golf course was constructed about 1923 by the Hopkins family, one of the first bach owners. The section was sold in 1933 and more baches were built on the site.
• 

  Scow

  The auxiliary scow "Ngahau" of 76 tons unloading fat lambs for the freezing works at Kaiapoi 30 March 1933. The landing was situated east of the present coastguard building.
• 

  A Johnson, Tailor and Outfitter

  Alfred Johnson had arrived in Kaiapoi from England with his three brothers, six sisters and mother in 1871. His tailoring and outfitter business for men and women was at 192 Williams Street (formerly Cookson Street. This business was typical of a number of shops along this street c1900.
• 

  Kaiapoi Woollen Manufacturing Company Ltd

  The Kaiapoi Woollen Manufacturing Company was formed in 1878. The photograph is of the turning point in the Cam River where ships came to load cargo c1900. The bridge on the main road through Kaiapoi opened to allow the ships to travel upstream to the mill.
• 

  Kaiapoi Woollen Manufacturing Company 1880

  The Kaiapoi Woollen Manufacturing Company Ltd was formed in 1878 and became known world wide for its woollen goods. The mill closed in 1978 and the building now houses a number of small businesses.
• 

  SS Wootton

  Wheat and potatoes waiting to be loaded on the Kaiapoi Shipping and Trading company owned SS Wootton at the Kaiapoi Port in 1908.
• 

  Kaiapoi Borough Council Chambers

  These chambers were ready for occupation in 1889, replacing the previous chamber which had burnt down. Designed by Messrs England, Seager and Mathews of Christchurch it was built by Salfeld and Son. The gentlemen in the doorway are thought to be the Mayor J H Blackwell, and the Town Clerk C H Wright. This building was demolished to make way for the present Service Centre and Library.
• 

  Kaiapoi River and Mandeville Bridge

  The Kaiapoi River (formerly the North Branch of the Waimakariri) was one of the main reasons for Kaiapoi to be sited where it is. It became a flourishing port and ships could travel upstream as far as the Woollen Mill to load goods. The Mandeville footbridge in the background was constructed in 1874 to allow school children to walk to the nearby Kaiapoi School. At that time it reached as far as Charles Street to bridge the swamp on the riverbank. Also in the background between the spans on the left is the original Cure Boating Club's boatshed and ramp.
• 

  Scott Rose Garden

  Scott Rose Garden pictured about 1931. The Rev. W.B. Scott, the Kaiapoi Methodist Minister, H. Trousselot and others had formed a Beautifying Society in 1922, and the garden was the result of one project to clean up the swampy banks of the river. The nearby Mandeville Bridge reached from Raven Street to Charles Street. In later years the garden was redeveloped nearby, but still retained Scott's name and the reclaimed area became Trousselot Park. The bakery in the background is now a private residence.
• 

  Kaiapoi School

  Kaiapoi School in Hilton Street was built in 1874. The building was cold and poorly drained because the floor level was below the street. It became a district high school 1903-1920 and was replaced by the present Kaiapoi Borough School further up the road in 1930. The building and site was handed over to the Kaiapoi Borough Council and was used as a community center known as the Borough Hall. It was destroyed by fire in the 1950s.
• 

  Kaiapoi Swing Bridge

  The Provincial Government had this bridge built in 1863. It was wooden, single lane, and swung around in the middle to give allow ships to travel upstream, thus the name `Swing Bridge'. The Pier Hotel is in the right background. The bridge was replaced by an iron bridge in 1885 and that in turn was replaced by the present day traffic bridge.
• 

  Bank of New Zealand

  Because of the immense amount of business transacted in the only banking institution in Kaiapoi at that time, this imposing chamber was built in 1882, replacing the 1862 building. It was the first in the town to be erected in brick and stone. The emblem of the bank was carved in the stone above the front entrance and may be the only one still in existence. Because of flooding in the town the architect wisely placed the building at an elevation of about three feet from the ground. The BNZ moved to new premises in Williams Street in 1988.