Sheep May Safely Graze /
The garden at historic Terrace Station has serene vistas and beautiful wilder corners to explore in every season.
Discover the planted beauty that is Hororata’s historic Terrace Station
HUNDREDS OF MATURE TREES PROVIDE SHADE and shelter to the heritage homestead, gardens and home paddocks at Terrace Station near Hororata – the eldest, some nearly 150 years old, are the green legacy of John Hall (later Sir John) who purchased land soon after arriving from England in 1852. Other trees have been planted by current trustees and guardians Kate and Richard Foster, who bought the 540 ha family property and moved into the house in 1971.
Since then, as well as raising three sons, the couple has upgraded and modernised the farm’s infrastructure and established more shelter plantings; Kate’s particular focus has been to rejuvenate the beautiful gardens from their earlier overgrown state. She is a great-granddaughter of Sir John
Hall and Rose, Lady Hall, and grew up in the homestead with her three sisters and parents Godfrey and Peggy Hall. The garden continues to be a labour of love and she is deeply attached to it, noting in an email to me that ‘I have been away from my garden all day, so seeing your photos [of the plantings] will restore my balance!’
The homestead is one of the oldest of its kind in New Zealand, and has expanded organically from the three-roomed house which arrived pre-fabricated from Australia in the mid-1850s. An agricultural downturn in the 1880s prevented the building of a planned new house, and 11 significant alterations and additions were made to the original structure between 1860 and 1900. Additional bathrooms and woodburners were added in the 20th century, and the kitchen re-positioned. A continuous family presence since pioneering days has preserved a legacy of books, documents, furniture, pictures, farm buildings, heritage woolshed (constructed in 1869 from native timbers milled at Little River) and tools; plus records from Sir John’s political and horticultural life. He was active in provincial government, became New Zealand’s Premier from 1879 to 1882, and later was the prime political force for New Zealand women’s parliamentary voting rights. His presentation of petitions and arguments in favour were significant factors in the successful vote of 1893. Happily he was both a meticulous record keeper and prolific letter writer, and left deep resources to draw from.
Rose noted in December 1867 that ‘the house has been greatly enlarged since we left in April and would now make a truly comfortable home if my Honorable husband would only make up his mind to leave politics and stick to sheep, but it’s not in his nature to do so…’. Canterbury’s early prosperity came, as it was said, on the sheep’s back; and Rakaia Terrace Station was renowned for the quality and volume of its annual wool clip. Sir John took a close interest in the station’s livestock and crops, and in 1898 spoke to an agricultural conference about his ‘experiences as an early settler…on the windswept and originally treeless Canterbury Plains, who felt bitterly the want of shelter for his stock and crops, who for many years has been endeavouring to supply this want, and whose planting has been chiefly for this purpose... For nearly 50 years my lot has been thrown on some of the windiest
portion of our plains… I was told that the acclimatized sheep which I purchased had acquired the habit of holding on to the tussocks by their teeth: unfortunately I found this to be a delusion – they drove before the wind and rain as in a flat and unfenced country sheep will do, causing infinite trouble, confusion, and loss’.
Tongue-in-cheek as the image of strong-jawed sheep was, he also noted that ‘I by no means undervalue the importance of replacing for our successors in New Zealand the supply of useful timber which we are now so rapidly destroying, or even of plantings for ornamental purposes, and feel strongly that both should receive every encouragement. I have even planted a good breadth of Oak and other useful timber trees, and find the work most interesting’. Sir John’s trees and later plantings have significantly moderated conditions around the farm and homestead, and form the long-term structure of the garden. He continued to plant ornamental trees, including 60 of the now enormous Wellingtonias along one side of the entrance road, possibly to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897. A letter to John from a friend in England many years earlier mentioned dahlia seeds sent to New Zealand for him to plant, which suggests a lifelong interest in gardens and horticulture.
In 1853 John took over the lease to Rakaia Terrace Station (named for the north bank terraces of the Rakaia River) near Windwhistle, as the core of his future property; and in 1862 added the neighbouring Selwyn Station near Hororata, totalling just over 12,000 ha. By 1878 nearly all the run was freehold – however changes to land tax and other government legislation in the late 1890s led to the sale of most of the station prior to his death in 1907. Youngest son Godfrey retained the homestead block, called Terrace Station since then.
Like his great-granddaughter, Sir John was deeply fond
Photographs from 1896 of the garden’s Victorian heyday show an abundant mix of natives and exotics, contained within a neat formal network.
of the property, saying that ‘it sustains my soul and governs my politics’. He was involved in the smallest details of the garden, for example leaving written instructions to ‘dig up and plant out violets which are now too thick. Put a good few under the trees and if there are any to spare, along the walks in the plantation’. The plantation, which was first planted in 1865 with oak, ash, sycamore and elm trees, has become Richard and Kate’s 15 ha wild woodland. Separate from the homestead garden, it has extensive areas of violets whose scent travels far and wide. Bluebells arrived in the 1980s, and drifts of snowdrops first brought from Homebush near Darfield in around 1975 have also naturalised among the trees.
Looking back from the homestead towards this tall mass of mainly deciduous trees, with its distinctive ‘grazing line’ caused by stock browsing the lowest branches, there’s a sense of sheer scale that the 18th-century landscape architect Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown would have appreciated, as the plantation sweeps along a curving terrace and down towards the driveway. We benefit from Sir John’s foresight: he knew that the trees would reach maturity for the enjoyment of later generations.
Photographs from 1896 of the garden’s Victorian heyday show an abundant mix of natives and exotics, contained within a neat formal network of grass walks, four garden rooms, and long vistas out to the farm. The photographs show how a sense of maturity and enclosure has already developed within the framework of large trees after 40 years. Contractor, shearer and skilled gardener Thomas Barson is considered to have been the guiding hand in the layout, planting and maintenance of the garden during this late Victorian period, and would have worked closely with Sir John to achieve these impressive results.
During the 1930s and ’40s labour for the garden was reduced, and although Kate remembers her mother had help with maintenance and continued planting many flowering shrubs including pink, white and apricot flowering quince Chaenomeles, by the early 1970s much of the area remained overgrown. The Victorian layout was still perceptible among the trees, and ‘once we started clearing the undergrowth I
The plantation, which was first planted in 1865 with oak, ash, sycamore and elm trees, has become Richard and Kate’s 15 ha wild woodland.
could start to see the defined plan of it – the four rooms, defined by laurel hedges’. The eastern side of the homestead garden is anchored by four large trees planted in the 19th century: elm, sycamore (one tree species whose seedlings are ruthlessly culled!), Portuguese laurel, and hornbeam. A medlar, Judas tree, celery pine and Ginkgo biloba are also in the mix.
Terrace Station has a natural sequence of colour and display through the seasons, reflected in the timing of open days: snowdrops and hellebores (August); primroses and violets (September); bluebells and trilliums (October) and aquilegias, peonies and roses (November). Drifts of colour and beautiful foliage can be found in every season; this effect takes careful planning, and persistent division and transplanting of perennials and bulbs: primulas, hellebores, snowdrops (divided ‘in the green’ just after flowering), grape hyacinths and bluebells. Kate and volunteers appreciate the generous proportions of garden beds among the historic trees, and the restful effect of mass planting in one or two colours. This is not a garden which strives for attention, and is all the better for it. There are wild corners to explore, and interesting seedlings can be preserved for transplanting later.
There are quantities of attractive tree bark to admire, particularly during winter and early spring when low sunlight falls on the massive trunks through bare branches. It’s also quite a tactile experience as the spongy cinnamon surface of Wellingtonia Sequoiadendron is quite different to smooth grey English beech Fagus. ‘Operation Tree Trunks’ – thoughtful pruning to reveal their character – has successfully made them features of the garden. The couple’s son John prunes lower branches up to the height of his cherry picker, and trims all the hedges. Kate does the lion’s share of hands-on gardening, typically 15–18 hours a week, including time for reflection while guiding the ride-on mower.
Terrace Station has experienced severe drought and snowstorms, floods and gale force winds, and the September 2010 earthquake had serious consequences. Timber structures did flex and move to some extent, but not brick chimneys, or the contents of the homestead which were literally thrown into confusion. Following structural repairs in 2011, more extensive maintenance was tackled, and many fittings and fixtures were restored and improved. The homestead and garden together are survivors, well-founded and secure – a cherished family and heritage environment welcoming all visitors.
This is not a garden which strives for attention, and is all the better for it.