Highlighting Kaiapoi and Rangiora is a project we’ve developed in collaboration with Waimakariri Libraries. It recognises that, while we might be called ‘Christchurch Archaeology Project’, we also hold lots of data about sites in Christchurch’s hinterland, including Kaiapoi and Rangiora. To share the stories of these places more broadly, we had Rosa Opie, a UC PACE intern, working with us for the first half of 2025. For her internship, Rosa had the fun of diving deep into the histories of two archaeological sites in Kaiapoi.

Rosa enjoyed the work so much that she’s carried on volunteering for us - thanks, Rosa! And not just that, she’s curated an exhibition for us. This will be on display at the Kaiapoi Library – Ruataniwha Kaiapoi Civic Centre from 8 October, as part of the Christchurch Heritage Festival.

The exhibition’s called The Fizz and Floods of Family Life and delves into the lives of two families who lived on Raven Quay in the 19th century - including the soda water manufacturing Milsoms, hence the ‘fizz’ in the title! There’ll also be a talk at the library on 30 October.

With thanks to our excellent friends at Underground Overground Archaeology for hosting Rosa, and to Waimakariri Libraries for all their support and enthusiasm.

Banner image: G. Jackson, Ōtautahi Christchurch archaeological archive.