Cashmere, New Zealand

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Suburb:	Cashmere
City:	Christchurch
Island:	South Island
Surrounded by:
to the north	Somerfield, Beckenham
to the east	Huntsbury
to the south	Port Hills
to the west	Westmorland

Rising above the southern end of the city of Christchurch in New Zealand’s South Island is the suburb of Cashmere. It is situated on the north side of the Port Hills, immediately above the southern terminus of Christchurch’s main street, Colombo Street. Five kilometres south of the city centre, a commanding view of the city can be had from Victoria Park, at the upper end of the suburb. Above Victoria Park is Sugarloaf, a 496m peak, which is the location of the 119m transmission tower for local radio and TV stations.

Cashmere takes its named from Sir John Cracroft Wilson's farm which originally occupied the present suburb. Wilson was born in India and named his farm after Kashmir. (Cashmere is an early British spelling of Kashmir.) The house Wilson built for his Indian workers is today a function centre known as The Old Stone House.

One of Christchurch’s best known buildings, the Sign of the Takahe is located in Cashmere. Dame Ngaio Marsh's former house in Valley Rd is a museum run in her memory.

Schools include Cashmere Primary School and Cashmere High School.

The Cashmere Club is home to many local sports groups including rugby, soccer, bowls, badminton, darts and squash.

The Canterbury Ring Laser facility is located in the Cracroft Caverns, an underground bunker complex built during World War II.