20 October 2009

Plenty of Peninsula events in Beca Heritage Week

Lyttelton and Banks Peninsula are proving popular hosts to events in this year’s Beca Heritage Week which runs until 26 October.

Seven of the events over the next week will be happening on and around the Peninsula, offering a great choice of walks, talks and exhibitions.

Highly regarded historian Professor Geoffrey Rice will celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the Port with a series of lectures at the Lyttelton Port Company on the Port of Lyttelton in Peace and War.  Topics include warship visits, harbour defences as well as the Port’s role in handling Canterbury’s imports, exports and passengers.

A Christchurch Gondola ride is the starting point for a Port Hills walks next Saturday and Sunday.  A ride to the top station is followed by a moderate 60-75 minute narrated walk around the Crater Rim Walkway, learning about Christchurch’s incredible history from early Maori legends and conflicts, to European settlement, war and more.

The Lyttelton Unanimity Masonic Lodge, formed in 1851, is offering tours next Saturday, Sunday and Monday, and at the Magazine Bay Torpedo Boat Museum there will be demonstrations and a documentary film.

Ngai Tahu and New Zealand Historic Places Trust representatives will next Saturday lead a guided walk of Onawe Pa on the Onawe Peninsula. The distinctive teardrop-shaped peninsula provided a strategic position of defense for Ngai Tahu during the northern raids of Ngati Toa in the 1830s.

Margaret Copland will bring stories of historic Lyttelton to life in her tour of the township on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Taking on the character of former gaol matron Eliza Reston, Copland provides a glimpse into Lyttelton’s past in peace and war – from conscientious objectors to the 1918 flu epidemic. For a look into the lives of soldiers from the Little River district, visit the Coronation Library at the Little River Domain next Monday to view  their honour boards and a collection of their photographs.

And take part in a weekend of festivities at Stoddart’s Cottage this coming weekend. The historic cottage in Diamond Harbour will be the scene an exhibition, a sharing of wartime memories, a film evening and a Victoria afternoon tea.

The aim of Heritage Week is to raise awareness of the part Christchurch and its citizens have played in both peace and conflict, to celebrate important anniversaries and to recognise how this has shaped the city and its heritage.

More information on all the events during Beca Heritage Week can be found in the festival booklet, available at Christchurch City Council libraries and service centres and a selection of cafes throughout Christchurch and Banks Peninsula, and on the website at www.heritageweek.co.nz
ends

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