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The Ohoka Community
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The
settlement of Ohoka was founded in the mid 1800s as a mill town, the
school in 1868. In the latter part of the 1800s, Ohoka was a thriving
place with over 200 pupils at the school, a large hotel and many shops.
With the demise of the mills after the turn of the century, and a subsequent
move into the city for many families, Ohoka became a quieter place. Many of the
farms continued to prosper and grow, however, and Ohoka maintained itself as a
small village, with the garage, hall and school at its centre.
In recent years, Ohoka has become a haven for families from every walk of life (from
throughout New Zealand and abroad) who are drawn to its lush scenery, historic
gardens and homes, and availability of land for development into blocks for
 farming, boutique vineyards and other lifestyle pursuits. While many enjoy the
convenience of working and shopping in Christchurch (only 25 minutes away),
Ohoka has a strong community of its own, connected by sport clubs (which
include rugby, touch, tennis, bowls, soccer and others), garden groups,
churches, the garage at the centre of the village, and of course, the school,
which is a major hub for young families. While Ohoka has grown quickly in
the last decade, its population increasing by 50%, it has been planned growth,
and well done, and Ohoka retains its semi-rural feel with small country roads,
walking/riding paths, farm land, views to the mountains, and unspoilt beaches
nearby.
Ohoka
also retains some of its history (with Ohoka Hall still used by local
residents for dances and parties as well as sporting practice) and much of its
charm, with its old farmsteads and towering, century-old oaks, elms and maples.
However, it has grown with the times and acknowledges the needs of the future.
Things such as its strong community groups, a community newsletter, and
the active community at Ohoka School will see that its future as a desirable
place to live is assured.
Ohoka is a
community of substance. Recent work attempted to identify that which makes the
community what it is. You can see and comment on the high level headings here.
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Ohoka: A school with history
As written for the community newsletter by Sue Allison.
The children
of the early colonial settlers in Ohoka were educated in a house in Bradley’s
Road (then Smith’s Road). This aptly named “Temporary School”, set up in
a two-storey brick building owned by the Bradley family, was established in
1862 and was school to just a handful of children.
On 30 June
1868, a proper school was officially opened on a site in Flaxton with a roll of
22 children. It was named the Flaxton Side School and stood on about an acre of
land near the junction of Main Drain Road, Flaxton Road and Threlkelds Road.
(The original concrete trough can still be seen today.) The wood and iron
building had room for 40 pupils in a single classroom with a porch. A four-room
house was built nearby for the caretaker.
 Around
1873, with the district flourishing and Ohoka the home of a flax mill, wool
wash and thriving village, a building on the present Jackson’s Road school site
was used to teach senior pupils from the Side School. This was known as Flaxton
School.
In 1877, the
Flaxton Side School was closed and a school built on the Jackson’s Road site in
Ohoka (then Wetheral). The school was known as the Flaxton Main School. It
started with a roll of 94. The principal was Mr Goodeve, with his wife and a
pupil teacher, Miss Eliza Sealy, his assistants.
Records show
that the name Ohoka School was officially adopted in 1909, with Mr George
Gilling as principal.
A report
dated 1923 stated that the workload of the two teachers employed at that time
was too arduous, there being 78 pupils at the school, but that would ease when
the roll grew to 81 at which time a third teacher would be
employed.
In 1926, the
school was burnt down in a dramatic overnight fire. Most records of the Flaxton
and Ohoka Schools were destroyed. All that was left of the school was the bell,
which we still use. After the fire, a new two-room school was built and these
classrooms still stand.
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