The Tuia Mātauranga GeoTour is about having fun discovering the history of Aotearoa New Zealand by finding sites of significance in local communities from early Pacific voyaging and migration, European settlement to present day. The interaction between people, and people and the land have provided a rich history that the GeoTour invites you to explore.
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Planning for the arrival of settlers through the Canterbury Association, a jetty and immigration barracks were built in Lyttelton. The barracks could only hold 300 people yet there were 700 or so that arrived in December 1850 aboard four ships; the Charlotte Jane, the Randolph, The Cressy and the Sir George Seymour. The buildings lasted only 17 years before they were demolished. They were only ever intended as a short term stay area and most colonists quickly moved out, building A-frame huts or erecting tents, or making the difficult trip up and over the Port Hills via the Bridle Path to Christchurch. Other barracks were erected in Christchurch for later colonists so the need for the Lyttelton one passed.
Now there is a plaque marking the site of the Lyttelton barracks. It is a short walk up the street from the Pilgrims Rock which is on the corner of Oxford Street and Norwich Street. Pilgrims Rock marks the arrival of the first four ships. At this point the passengers were ferried in smaller boats from their ships to the jetty. For a time the barracks were a busy place and the centre of culture with at least one ball held there, plus a library as each boat brought about 2000 books each with it. Church services were held there also. Christchurch's most well-known independent school, Christ's College, began in the barracks in mid 1851. It is the oldest private education facility in New Zealand.
To be able to complete this Geotour and receive your special geocoin, remember to take a note of the codeword on the log book of the cache. This will need to be recorded in your passport which can be downloaded from here. If the passport is unavailable for any reason just keep a note of the codeword and try again later.