Cashmere is a suburb which rises above the southern end of the city of

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

in New Zealand's

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

Geography

Cashmere is situated on the north side of the

Port Hills The Port Hills are a range of hills in Canterbury Region, so named because they lie between the city of Christchurch and its port at Lyttelton. They are an eroded remnant of the Lyttelton volcano, which erupted millions of years ago. The hi ...

, immediately above the southern terminus of

Colombo Street Colombo Street is a main road of the city of Christchurch, New Zealand. It runs south-north through the centre of Christchurch with a break at Cathedral Square. As with many other central Christchurch streets, it is named for a colonial Anglica ...

and approximately five kilometres south of the

city centre A city centre is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms exist in other languages, such as "" in Fren ...

. The suburb's location on the Port Hills offers it a commanding view over the rest of the mostly flat city. Cashmere's proximity to the rest of the Port Hills has also made it a favourite for recreation, with the upper reaches of the suburb dominated by

Victoria Park Victoria Park may refer to: Places Australia * Victoria Park Nature Reserve, a protected area in Northern Rivers region, New South Wales * Victoria Park, Adelaide, a park and racecourse * Victoria Park, Brisbane, a public park and former golf ...

with its multiple bike and walking tracks and connections to further tracks running the length of the Port Hills. Above Victoria Park is

Sugarloaf A sugarloaf was the usual form in which refined sugar was produced and sold until the late 19th century, when granulated and cube sugars were introduced. A tall cone with a rounded top was the end product of a process in which dark molasses, a ri ...

, a peak which is the location of a transmission tower used for local radio and TV stations. The

Ōpāwaho / Heathcote River The Ōpāwaho / Heathcote River lies within the city boundaries of Christchurch, New Zealand, and is fed from springs near Templeton Road, with a catchment area in wet weather extending as far west as Yaldhurst and Pound Road. It meanders around t ...

marks the northern extent of the suburb, flowing roughly along the base of the Port Hills.

History

Cashmere takes its name from Sir John Cracroft Wilson's farm in the area, which in turn was named after his birthplace of

Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...

(with Cashmere being the British spelling of that region at the time). Wilson briefly moved to Christchurch in 1854 from India by way of Australia, where he purchased 108 hectares of land to develop into Cashmere farm. Wilson built multiple farm buildings on the property, some of which persist to this day. In 1979, the house Wilson built for his Indian workers became a function centre known as "The Old Stone House". The building has been significantly damaged and restored twice, following a fire in 1971 and earthquakes in 2010 and 2011. In the late 19th century, the area around Cashmere began to be settled by Europeans. Homes began to be built in Cashmere in the 1890s, although informal church services were being held as early as the 1880s. In response to the growth of this congregation, land from John Cracroft Wilson donated land for a church, which was completed in 1908 and marked the parish's formal split from neighbouring Sydenham. At roughly the same time, the

Christchurch tramway system Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

was extended to include the area, with the previous Cashmere line being extended from the southern end of Colombo street to the future site of the

Sign of the Takahe The Sign of the Takahe is a neo-Gothic style historic building in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is currently leased from Christchurch City Council and run as a cafe, bar, and function centre. History Construction began on the building in 19 ...

. The tram line continued operation until 1954, with Cashmere gaining a reputation as one of the country's more well-to-do and refined suburbs in the process. This reputation continues to the present day, with the 2018 census showing that Cashmere has a significantly higher percentage of incomes over NZ$70,000 than the rest of Christchurch city.

Demographics

Cashmere covers . It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Cashmere, comprising the statistical areas of Cashmere West and Cashmere East, had a population of 6,453 at the

2018 New Zealand census Eighteen or 18 may refer to: * 18 (number), the natural number following 17 and preceding 19 * one of the years 18 BC, AD 18, 1918, 2018 Film, television and entertainment * ''18'' (film), a 1993 Taiwanese experimental film based on the sho ...

, an increase of 318 people (5.2%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 120 people (1.9%) since the

2006 census 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...

. There were 2,394 households. There were 3,198 males and 3,255 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.98 males per female, with 1,206 people (18.7%) aged under 15 years, 1,017 (15.8%) aged 15 to 29, 3,084 (47.8%) aged 30 to 64, and 1,149 (17.8%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 92.4% European/Pākehā, 4.4% Māori, 0.8% Pacific peoples, 5.3% Asian, and 2.4% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities). The proportion of people born overseas was 24.9%, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people objected to giving their religion, 55.9% had no religion, 34.6% were Christian, 0.3% were Hindu, 0.5% were Muslim, 1.0% were Buddhist and 2.2% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 2,274 (43.3%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 411 (7.8%) people had no formal qualifications. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 2,658 (50.7%) people were employed full-time, 990 (18.9%) were part-time, and 120 (2.3%) were unemployed.

Buildings and infrastructure

Two of

Harry Ell Henry George Ell (probably 24 September 1862 – 27 June 1934), commonly known as Harry Ell, was a Christchurch City Council, Christchurch City councillor and a New Zealand Member of parliament, Member of Parliament. He is famous for his conserva ...

's rest houses, the

and the

Sign of the Kiwi The Sign of the Kiwi, originally called Toll House, is a small café and shop at Dyers Pass on the road between Christchurch and Governors Bay. It was built in 1916–17 by Harry Ell as a staging post and opened as a tearoom and rest house. It has ...

, are located in Cashmere. Both are Category I heritage buildings. Dame

Ngaio Marsh Dame Edith Ngaio Marsh (; 23 April 1895 – 18 February 1982) was a New Zealand mystery writer and theatre director. She was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1966. As a crime writer during the "Golden Age of Det ...

's former house in Valley Road is a museum run in her memory. It is registered by

Heritage New Zealand Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga (initially the National Historic Places Trust and then, from 1963 to 2014, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust) ( mi, Pouhere Taonga) is a Crown entity with a membership of around 20,000 people that advocate ...

as a Category I heritage item. Princess Margaret Hospital, built in 1959, was once thought to become the main hospital of Christchurch, but it was too far from the central city. The Cashmere Club is home to many local sports groups including rugby, soccer, bowls, badminton, darts, squash and small bore rifle shooting. The Canterbury Ring Laser facility is located in the

Cracroft Caverns Cracroft Caverns, also known as the Cashmere Caverns, are a series of large chambers in the hill of the Cashmere suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand. Constructed secretly during the Second World War in response to the Japanese threat, they were i ...

, an underground bunker complex built during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Christchurch Adventure Park Christchurch Adventure Park is an adventure park in the Port Hills of Christchurch, New Zealand. Built by the Canadian company Select Evolution, it had its opening function on 16 December 2016. The 1500 holders of special passes could ride from ...

is a mountain bike park that opened in December 2016.

Education

Cashmere Primary Te Pae Kererū is a full primary school for years 1 to 8 with a roll of students. It opened in 1900 as Port Hills Aided School and moved to the current site in 1905. The name changed to Cashmere School in 1907. Te Kura o Huriawa Thorrington is a contributing primary school for years 1 to 6 with a roll of students. It opened in 1958. Both schools are coeducational. Rolls are as of

Notable residents

Ursula Bethell Mary Ursula Bethell (pseudonym, Evelyn Hayes; 6 October 1874 – 15 January 1945), was a New Zealand social worker and poet. She settled at the age of 50 at Rise Cottage on the Cashmere Hills near Christchurch, with her companion Effie Pollen, ...

(1874–1945), poet * Fanny B. Cole (1860-1913), national president of

Women's Christian Temperance Union New Zealand Women's Christian Temperance Union of New Zealand (WCTU NZ) is a non-partisan, non-denominational, and non-profit organization that is the oldest continuously active national organisation of women in New Zealand. The national organization began ...

Ruth Dyson Ruth Suzanne Dyson (born 11 August 1957) is a former New Zealand politician. She was a Labour Party Member of Parliament from 1993 to 2020. She represented the electorate from the election to 2020. She also held a number of senior offices i ...

(born 1957), politician *

Norman Hardie Norman David Hardie (28 December 1924 – 31 October 2017) was a New Zealand climber who was one of the climbers on the 1955 British Kangchenjunga expedition who first reached the summit of the 8,586-metre (28,169 ft) mountain, the third- ...

(born 1924), mountaineer *

(1895–1982), world-renowned crime writer who lived in 37 Valley Road from 1907 until her death * T.E. "Tommy" Taylor (1862-1911)], politician * John Cracroft Wilson (1808–1881), Member of Parliament

References

External links

Cashmere Primary SchoolCashmere squash clubThorrington Primary School
{{Banks Peninsula Suburbs of Christchurch