High Street.....

.....late afternoon as business for the day draws to a close.

The two-storied building towards the left is the 'Johnson's' building. It housed the first shop in Rangiora to be lit by electricity. Built in 1896 by local builders Boyd and Keir, for its first tenant, G F Smith the draper while Johnston's engineering business was located at the rear of the premises. John Johnston was a blacksmith and the second Mayor of Rangiora.

Over the years the building has had a wide variety of businesses operating from it, Self Help grocers, The Public Trust and the Victoria Street Café. It is currently tenanted by Rangiora Coffee Culture. The building is still owned by Johnston's descendants, who, with the cooperation of the Historic Places Trust and the Rangiora and Districts Early Records Society, have restored the building.

The Johnston's building was given Landmarks status at a ceremony held on 29 November 2002. It has a Historic Places Trust Category II registration AND survived the earthquakes :)


Tuesday......a cool pleasant day with a cloudy sky late this afternoon. Autumn drawing to a close but still providing some colour down the street.


Another backblip......we are entering the frustrating stage of being without a computer, one day it's fine the next it's back in the shop, so bare with me as a few backblips go up.