Morgans Valley

Not one Christchurch citizen in a thousand could tell you much about Morgans Valley. Yet it was one of the first parts of Christchurch to be settled. It is one of the sunniest, prettiest and most tranquil spots imaginable; and it is barely 9 kilometers from Cathedral Square. The reason for its obscurity is that Morgans Valley has for a long period been privately owned and not signposted in any way.

An off shoot of Heathcote Valley, access to it was by a private driveway near the Heathcote RSA Hall. From J. S. Scott's homestead the drive led back through a white double gate and into a large warm gully backing into the south-east corner of Heathcote Valley. From out on the flat it was easily recognisable because of its large red farm buildings clustered under massive old bluegums. However, the valley has now been opened up by subdivision and is entering into a new and much more public phase in its history.

Name: The Valley took its name from Captain William Morgan, who arrived at Lyttelton on 28 August 1851 in command of the Canterbury Association's eleventh emigrant ship, the barque Bangalore, carrying 160 passengers. He liked what he saw of the settlement so much that he at once took up 50 acres east of the Bridle Path, returned to England and, in 1855, brought out his wife and children as immigrants in the New Era.

[After William Morgan died the farm was purchased by Richard May Morten, and following this, John Flinders Scott.] As the Scott family had owned the valley for about 90 years and done so much to beautify it with tree planting and shelter belts, it was granted naming rights. While the Valley they live in is still called Morgans Valley, the new 126.1-hectare reserve [previously owned by the Scotts is called the Scotts Valley Reserve and the main walking track through it, linking the Heathcote Quarry Park with the Bridle Path and the steep trail up to Castle Rock, is the Scotts Valley Track.

Aspect: Augmented by a useful network of walking tracks, this whole area with its dramatic skyline, rock faces, cliff lines and unencumbered open spaces is a priceless asset for hill walkers, rock climbers, geologists and botanists.

The Morgans Valley subdivision: Undertaken by the McFarlane Group property developers, [the subdivision] was completed in 2003 and consists of 67 sections. Many of these are now built on and this development, with its sheltered north-west outlook and splendid views of Christchurch and the Southern Alps, is regarded as one of the best residential localities in the city.

* Excerpts taken from: Gordon Ogilvie, Banks Peninsula: a cradle of Canterbury, published by Phillips and King Publishers, 2010