Riding the rails . . . Christchurch tram tracks

Trams support our rugby team – The Crusaders

 

I used to think my mother was so brave when, holding my hand, she stepped out into the middle of Colombo street to board the tram. I was excited and scared at the same time. A few years ago I took my mother on a tram trip – in the restaurant car: she was delighted with the silver service and delicious meal.

Baby of the fleet – 411 came from a Sydney, Australia, Tram Museum

Seems my family history with trams goes back even further as I have a tattered photo of my maternal grandfather laying, or repairing, tram tracks in the mid-1930s: a photo that had appeared in the Christchurch Press. It’s only a few years ago that I always had an annual pass for the tram as, living in the inner-city I rode the tracks frequently – especially if it was raining or I was carrying my groceries and vegetables.

The KiwiTravelWriter becomes world-famous in the Tram Clippings newsletter

Trams removed were  from Christchurch’s streets in the mid-1950s, but returned in the mid-90s, mostly as a tourist attraction – back then, and during  my travels on this trip, even as a local I enjoyed hearing the history of places we passed. Unlike many places around the world,  taped commentary are played: here the drivers, or motormen as they are correctly called, speak freely about the city’s history and add their own personal touches. I hope this never changes as it makes these tours unique and personal. A travel writing friend of mine, Roy Sinclair, has been a tram driver here and provided historical context for the other drivers – he also tells me that the training is comprehensive.

It appears trams are simple vehicles, with a control to go, and a brake to stop, however, learning to drive them smoothly is not always easy, nevertheless it seems there are bonuses with the job. I recall one who used to recount his 15 minutes of fame when he co-starred with Kate Winslet in the 1990’s film Heavenly Creatures. As he said, ‘three days of work and I made it onto the film for about three and four seconds!

During an All Blacks game the flags fly

These motormen come from a range of backgrounds including; an economics professor, musicians, school principals, bank managers, and of course Roy Sinclair, an author.

On my most recent trip back to Christchurch (February 2016) I was a guest of Welcome Aboard with a combo ticket to travel on the tram, gondola, punting and the delightful, and informative Caterpillar Tour in the Botanic Gardens – all of which will appear in another blog. Now, let these photos tell the story of our trams.

Passing The Arts Centre

Prams and pushchairs travel on the front

Larry Day (left) Ian Wilson and Roy Sinclair before

Slowly through the roadworks

End of the line by the Strange’s building

Tram 152 passes the Christchurch City Gallery

The workshop is pristine

Beautifully restored and maintained woodwork

Plastic sheep seats block the way

Travellers ride the rails

Motorman happy with his job

Old and young enjoyed the workshop opened day

For some history about Christchurch trams see this library website

NOTE: This is one of a series of posts about Christchurch. See this recent post about the 2010/11 quakes – an elephant in the room and one about Christchurch as it is.

 

Thank-you to Breakfree On Cashel for hosting me during part of my stay in the city – I will be writing a small blog about that soon

 

Christchurch: nearly a Gothic Revival UNESCO World Heritage Site

About two months before the September 2010 quakes, a Christchurch mayoral candidate, Jim Anderton, said if he became mayor he would push for Christchurch to have World Heritage Status for the city’s unique Gothic Revival buildings. It appeared that no city in the world had a more complete collection of Gothic revival buildings of such high quality and so well-preserved.

I attended a meeting, in the Gothic Arts Centre, to hear about such a proposal. He said, “these Victorian buildings date back to the 1850s and, as a group, are of enormous international significance. They represent the outcome of the furthest migration of any group of people in human history.” Apparently, Canterbury was the last and most successful of the colonisation schemes of Edward Gibbon Wakefield.

Anderton continued, “They are more than bricks and mortar, they are at the heart of our city and remind us every day of those pioneers searching for a better world on the other side of the globe.” I left the meeting having decided to vote for Jim because of this proposal.

Repairs and strengthening are well under way

Early European settlers of course bought their values with them and expressed some of that in their architecture and appreciation of open spaces – which was also happening in New York where Central Park was just being established too.  [interestingly, and nothing to do with the meeting or the Gothic buildings, I believe the land which became the Botanic Gardens was given to the city by the Scottish Deans brother’s – they wanted a barrier between them, and Riccarton, and the new English arrivals – I’m sure many of the local tangata whenua would have liked the same.]

Over three decades many Gothic revival buildings – built in local grey stone – and none of which were exact copies of the English versions . This and the scale as well as the use of timber, started a city with its own characteristics, not a replica of what they’d left.

The Canterbury quakes (2010/11) of course put this UNESCO proposal on the back burner, however, many of the proposed sites consist of the most significant 19th century public buildings associated with the founding of the city have not been demolished because of the quakes: these include Christchurch Cathedral, (although still under review) the Canterbury Provincial Council Buildings, (the only complete surviving examples of government buildings from the provincial period of colonial society in New Zealand) and the former Canterbury University, previously Canterbury College and now the Arts Centre, and both are now being restored and quake-proofed.

The Canterbury Museum had received a lot of quake strengthening work and it suffered minimal damage during the quakes.

Council Chambers

The 1865 Council Chambers is internationally recognized as an outstanding example of High Victorian Gothic architecture, and on a personal level, is where my first book launch was held and is on the list to be restored, as is the old Presbyterian Trinity Church which for many years has been a restaurant.

St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church (now at Rangi Ruru School), built in a simple, and wooden, Gothic style in the late 1800s: my parents, grandparents, and many more of my ancestors  married in this church – a reminder that not all Christchurch settlers were English.

Other inner-city Gothic buildings surviving the quakes include Christ’s College, and sort of surviving, the facades post office in the square and the former A.J. White’s building in High Street.

Not in the city, but Gothic nevertheless, was a prosaic Gothic building, the old Addington Prison which is now backpacker accommodation known of course as the Jailhouse! Naturally, with my ‘colourful’ background, I have history here too – having picked up people there, who were no longer guests of the state, and have stayed in the backpackers.

*See recent posts about the quakes – an elephant in the room and one about Christchurch as it is.

 

Tram heading for museum – as it still does!

Cloisters Gallery. Arts Centre: poster re my photographic exhibition “Searching for Buddha”

Kate Sheppard memorial behind the Council Chambers

Square pre quake

Tram outside Arts Centre

Jailhouse

The square from top of cathedral

Mix of stone and wood – Provincial Chambers

Riccarton House – home of the Scottish Deans brothers

Provincial Chambers fences of while quake damage is repaired

Steel holding the Council Chambers building until repairs can be done

First inner city hotel to re-open in Christchurch!

Rendezvous Hotel Christchurch, formerly known as The Marque Christchurch, will be the first of the central city hotels that closed following February’s quake to re-open its doors.

It was Christchurch’s newest hotel before the quake and it is on track to re-open on March 1, 2012 – just in time for the Ellerslie International Flower Show.

The hotel occupies levels 1 to 15 of the Pacific Tower building on Gloucester Street, opposite New Regent St and adjacent to Cathedral Junction, and has needed only minimal structural repairs.

“We’re really excited about being able to welcome back guests to the hotel and being able to help inject some life back into the CBD,” says the hotel’s general manager Brad Watts.

“As the earthquake recovery work gathers pace there will be a lot of people in Christchurch on business who are looking for safe, convenient and hassle-free accommodation. All our 171 rooms and suites have easy-to-use free high-speed broadband access for up to a specified limit, iPod docking stations, as well as a desk and a comfortable ergonomic chair, and laptop-sized room safes. A full concierge and valet service will also be offered.

“Free internet is available in our business centre. In addition to our well-appointed guest rooms, the hotel has a smart restaurant, great bar, a choice of small meeting rooms, and a gymnasium.”

Mr Watts says the re-branding of the hotel follows the Rendezvous Hospitality Group’s decision in October to transfer its assets into one Rendezvous brand.

The state-of the-art 22-storey building in which the Rendezvous Hotel Christchurch stands was only completed in 2010 and it was engineered in structural steel to the highest specifications so that it would withstand full capacity earthquake events.

“Apart from cracking in the internal plasterboard walls and external cladding, which are not structural, the hotel has come through all the quakes but has been closed because of its place within the cordoned CBD,” Mr Watts says.

“We’re delighted that situation is soon to change and looking forward to getting back to doing what we do best – providing quality accommodation and great service to our guests.’’