Ashburton Attractions

We were pleasantly surprised to find how much there is to do and see in Ashburton. In the centre there’s a clock tower, which chimes every quarter hour. I’ve always loved a chiming clock, although I imagine it might be annoying for those who live or work nearby. Close to the clock tower is a statue of John Grigg, who was an early Pakeha settler in the area and a pioneer exporter of refrigerated meat. He and his wife Martha had ten children.

John Grigg statue

What interested me about this statue was the plaque added at the bottom which said that in 2014 his (and her!) descendants had gathered to celebrate his vision and lasting achievements. I felt some genealogical envy when I read this.

The town of Ashburton is named after Lord Ashburton, who was one of the members of the Canterbury Association, which had purchased a large tract of land in the South Island, lying between the Waipara and the Ashburton rivers, from the New Zealand Land Company, at ten shillings per acre.

In the middle of the retail area we found this antique postbox, still in daily use.

Vintage postbox

There are many attractive items on East Street, including a water feature.

Ashburton water feature

On Saturday morning there’s a Farmers’ Market in the West Street parking area, with craft stalls as well. We saw items for sale that we haven’t seen elsewhere – always the sign of a good market. To walk from West Street to East Street you need to cross the railway line where the signs say “Look out for trains”. I assure you we did look carefully before crossing.

In 2006 I spent three days at a Conference in Ashburton, but had no free time for sightseeing. This is the only other time I’ve stayed there. I’m sure there are more areas we could have explored, and maybe we’ll go again some time.

We liked our visit to Ashburton
there’s lots to see there that’s for certain