Johnson's Fishponds, the Aquarium at 105 Clarendon Terrace, Opawa [ca. 1900].
In 1875 Andrew Mensal Johnson (d. 1916) established a fish hatchery and aquarium at Opawa, on the south bank of the Heathcote River, calling it Troutdale Farm. It became popular as a picnic grounds until it closed in the early 1930s. For further information about Johnson and his work see:
- Men of mark of New Zealand / Alfred Cox. Christchurch : Whitcombe & Tombs, 1886;
- Birds, beasts & fishes : the first hundred years of the North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society / R.C. Lamb. Christchurch : North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society, 1964;
- The naturalisation of animals & plants in New Zealand / G.M. Thomson. Cambridge [England] : University Press, 1922.
Do you have any photographs of Opawa? If so, feel free to contribute to our collection.
Kete Christchurch is a collection of photographs and stories about Christchurch and Canterbury, past and present. Anyone can join and contribute.
- Visit Kete Christchurch
- View more Picturing Canterbury posts
Johnson's Fishponds, The Aquarium At 105 Clarendon Terrace, Opawa
Add a comment to: Johnson’s Fishponds, the Aquarium at 105 Clarendon Terrace, Opawa: Picturing Canterbury