#dailyat6am, #fromtheroad, South Canterbury, Temuka, Wild Horses

The Great Temuka Fire of 1901

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Daily Photo –  The Gaulter & Sons Grain Store in Temuka

Just how the Gaulter & Sons Grain Store in Temuka didn’t burn to the ground in October 1901 is anyone’s guess. Considering a nearby fire destroyed most of the surrounding buildings but the grain store, is quite remarkable. It’s a bit eerie when you think about a timber structure, filled with dry grain dust and filled with flammable machinery, the places should have gone up like a box of matches! 

Originally built in the autumn of 1889 to provide storage and ease of access to the railway yards across the street, it’s a classic piece of “Kiwiana” and agricultural history that remains standing to this very day. The 1901 fire was discovered around 10:30pm on a quiet Tuesday night in a group of wooden buildings and spread quickly! It destroyed offices, storefronts, the retail portion of the site was heavily damaged and the loss of stock was significant. Yet the grain store survived and remained what it had always been: a busy, noisy, slightly chaotic place, with wagons coming and going, grain spilling, deals being struck, and, occasionally, people sleeping among the sacks.

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#dailyat6am, #fromtheroad, South Canterbury, Temuka, Wild Horses

Temuka’s Most Famous Resident

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Daily Photo – The Royal Hotel in Temuka

So on to Temuka, whose most famous resident was Richard William Pearse. Born in 1877 at Waitohi Flat, just eight minutes from the South Canterbury township, what makes him so remarkable is that nine months before Wilbur and Orville Wright achieved the world’s first sustained and controlled flight at Kitty Hawk on December 17, 1903, Pearse made his own attempt, albeit with a little less style and grace. Where the Wright brothers stayed airborne for a controlled 12 seconds, Pearse’s effort amounted to three seconds of uncontrolled jerking and bumping before crashing into a hedge. Nevertheless, it was an extraordinary achievement for a man working in near isolation, removed from society, tinkering away in a farm shed with little more than bamboo, tricycle wheels, wire, canvas, and a hand designed and built two cylinder combustion engine.

Aotearoa, South Canterbury, South Island, Travel, Wild Horses

Maybe South Canterbury?

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Railway track near State Highway 1

So, usually I’m pretty good at remembering where and when I was when I took a photo. It’s not often I can’t pinpoint an exact location, however this is one of those times. What I can tell you is that I was driving to Christchurch and somewhere beyond Timaru I stopped to stretch my legs. Spotting a walking track, I followed it and found myself under a bridge, with both railway tracks and a river next to me. It was fairly obvious from the surroundings that the river had recently flooded. This of course meant that I had to spend a lot of time avoiding puddles, something I wasn’t too successful at.

Aotearoa, Geraldine, Mid Canterbury, Orari, South Canterbury, Travel

Orari

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Racecourse Road – Buy 

Heading south from Christchurch, it was around Ashburton that I became curious what might be down some of the side roads that detour off State Highway 1. After crossing the Ashburton River, I then passed through the towns of Winslow, Hinds, Ealing and Rangitata before succumbing to temptation and near the town of Orari turned down Racecourse Road. From there, I discovered some Railway Tracks, a Trotting Club, a Golf Club and eventually the town of Geraldine which is referred to as one of New Zealand’s most underrated stopover destinations. It is also one of the few locations where you can see the native long-tail bat.

Aotearoa, Canterbury, South Canterbury

South Canterbury Farm Shed

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South Canterbury Farm Shed

I have to admit that there’s one thing I love discovering beyond perfect barbecuing weather, it’s old or abandoned houses, sheds or buildings. Whenever I’m driving somewhere, invariably I’ll find myself pulling over on the side of the road, next to an empty field that contains some time of derelict structure. When I’m with my family, this is usually accompanied with an audible groan from the rest of the car as it often entails waiting while I stare in amazement at the crumbling remains of a factory or homestead out of the car window. 

However, on this occasion, being the only occupant in the car I could stop wherever I wanted. And, that’s exactly what I did.