1973: ‘Canterbury swelters’ 160
The hottest temperature ever recorded in New Zealand was in Rangiora on February 7, 1973, when it was a scorching 42.4 degrees. In Christchurch’s Botanic Gardens on the same day, temperatures hit 41.6 degrees.
The front page of The Press the next day was dominated by news that a fire had destroyed five houses on Clifton Hill. ‘‘Canterbury swelters’’ was a secondary story.
Nor was it framed as good news.
‘‘Christchurch poultry farmers lost thousands of birds in the heat, fire services were stretched to the limit, men walked off the job at three freezing works and a glassworks near Christchurch in protest against the high temperatures in which they were working and many Canterbury secondary schools gave their pupils the afternoon off.’’
The Press was preoccupied with the birds, estimating that 26,000 had been killed, ‘‘and this number is expected to rise with the addition of many birds apparently fatally crippled by the heat’’.
Also, ‘‘some producers saved stock by hosing down, but others lost more than two-thirds of their flocks, and are considering giving up their farms’’.
Besides the fire on Clifton Hill, there was a huge blaze in the
Ashley Forest: ‘‘A 500-acre stand of young Corsican pine was swept by fire.’’
Post Office workers finished work early, offices went unattended and railway tracks buckled in the heat, The Press said.
On the plus side, ‘‘hotels reported excellent business, and a considerable demand for icecold bottled beer and for drinks with ‘lots of ice’.’’ The city’s swimming pools were packed.