Orton Bradley Park is a forest park of some with its entrance close to the south shore of

Lyttelton Harbour / Whakaraupō Lyttelton Harbour / Whakaraupō is one of two major inlets in Banks Peninsula, on the coast of Canterbury, New Zealand; the other is Akaroa Harbour on the southern coast. It enters from the northern coast of the peninsula, heading in a pred ...

in New Zealand. It is managed as a not-for-profit private enterprise with a board of governors appointed by local communities and a chair appointed by the

Government of New Zealand , background_color = #012169 , image = New Zealand Government wordmark.svg , image_size=250px , date_established = , country = New Zealand , leader_title = Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern , appointed = Governor-General , main_organ = , ...

History

The area of the park was first established as one of the earliest agricultural estates on the

Banks Peninsula Banks Peninsula is a peninsula of volcanic origin on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It has an area of approximately and encompasses two large harbours and many smaller bays and coves. The South Island's largest cit ...

. Dr Thomas Richard Moore bought 50 acres of land in 1852 on which he built a substantial cottage. By 1858 he had acquired a further 150 acres and converted the cottage into dairy. Rev Reginald Robert Bradley, who had arrived from

Kirkby Stephen Kirkby Stephen () is a market town and civil parish in Cumbria, North West England. Historically part of Westmorland, it lies on the A685, surrounded by sparsely populated hill country, about from the nearest larger towns: Kendal and Penri ...

in England bought the Moore estate and added further land so by 1866 he possessed some 1600 acres. In 1892 Orton Bradley himself came into the estate on the death of his father. He had an interest in forestry and, what would now be called, ecology. He planted a wide range of native and exotic trees to try and determine the types of trees that would thrive in the dry maritime conditions of the Banks Peninsula. Many of the trees remain, including some specimens of

Eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including '' Corymbia'', they are commonly known as euca ...

lining the entrance drive, some of which are reputed to be amongst the largest in New Zealand. Bradley died in 1943 when the whole area, which at that time amounted to 1612 acres 2 roods 29 perches, was passed to a trust for the land to be used for the benefit of the people of New Zealand, but which also allowed two cousins, Alec and Roy Anderson, to retain a financial interest until their deaths. The trust at that time consisted of a number of mayors of nearby local authorities, the curator of

Christchurch Botanic Gardens The Christchurch Botanic Gardens, located in the central city of Christchurch, New Zealand, were founded in 1863 when an English oak was planted to commemorate the solemnisation of the marriage of Prince Albert and Princess Alexandra of Denmar ...

, the chairman of the Automobile Association of Canterbury and the president of the Canterbury Horticultural Society. In 1972 the trust membership was updated by a New Zealand law to reflect the changes in local authorities and the changing socio-economic status of the area, with the new chair appointed by the Governor General of New Zealand.

Modern use

The park is open to the public throughout the year and it provides a wide range of walks including a substantial part of one of the ascents of Mount Herbert / Te Ahu Pātiki. A camp site is provided and a range of semi naturalised gardens. A number of listed buildings remain on the site including a

flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. Textiles made from flax are known in ...

mill and

leat A leat (; also lete or leet, or millstream) is the name, common in the south and west of England and in Wales, for an artificial watercourse or aqueduct dug into the ground, especially one supplying water to a watermill or its mill pond. Othe ...

, barns a cafe and reputedly the oldest stone building in Canterbury.

References

{{coord, -43.65647, 172.70604, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:NZ, display=title Banks Peninsula Parks in Canterbury, New Zealand