The area was exactly as it is called – marshy and boggy lands, named after peaty soils.

The struggle to turn this swampland into productive farmland was a major undertaking.

The land was in very rough condition and had to be drained and stumped before any crop could be harvested.

It had been reported that, for example, horses had to have their feet padded to prevent them being stuck and swallowed up in the bog.

It is said that Polish settlers introduced onion production and vegetable growing into Marshland.

It is a legacy of those forefathers, who through ingenuity and hard work, created this valuable asset to the city.

Impelled by sheer determination and hard work, they brought that land into a state of cultivation and the gardens they are today, produced fertile soil and farming suburb of Christchurch.

Coming from districts in East Prussia, they were familiar with similar vegetable growing conditions so from small domestic parcels, they had grown increasingly larger crops for more commercial purposes.

The earliest growers of cabbage, carrots, onions and potatoes sold the produce through the hotels and other Christchurch settlements.

Soon after the increasing production sought new markets throughout the whole New Zealand.

Market gardens, dairy farms and orchards were established and proved to be very profitable.

Marshland Road became the highway to the markets and stables of Christchurch. Carrots for example were needed in great supply for the Addington and Riccarton stables, creating huge demand.

Nowadays, Marshland is still a farming and gardening oasis 6km north-west of Christchurch centre.

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