Editing Timaru (section)

== 19th century onwards ==
[[File:Timaru Sacred heart Cathedral.jpg|thumb|[[Sacred Heart Basilica, Timaru|Sacred Heart Basilica]], built in 1911]]
[[File:TIMARU.jpg|thumb|View from bus station in Timaru]]
European settlement began with the construction of a [[whaling]] station in 1839 by the [[Weller brothers]] of [[Otago]] at Patiti Point, close to the present town centre.<ref>{{cite book |last=Entwisle |first=Peter |author-link=Peter Entwisle |title=Behold the Moon: The European Occupation of the Dunedin District 1770–1848 |year=2010 |publisher=Port Daniel Press |isbn=978-0-473-17534-4 |page=126}}</ref> A supply ship, ''The Caroline'', provided the name for a local bay. Later a sheep station, known as ''The Levels'', was set up on land obtained by the Rhodes brothers, and run by [[George Rhodes (farmer)|George Rhodes]].<ref name="DNZB Rhodes">{{DNZB|last=Pinney|first=Robert|id=1r6|title=George Rhodes |access-date=23 April 2017}}</ref><ref name="NZETC Timaru">{{cite book |author=Cyclopedia Company Limited |title=The Cyclopedia of New Zealand : Canterbury Provincial District |year=1903 |url=http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Cyc03Cycl-t1-body1-d7-d1-d1.html |publisher=[[The Cyclopedia of New Zealand]] |access-date=22 August 2015 |location=Christchurch |chapter=Timaru}}</ref> One of the earliest settlers was Captain [[Henry Cain]], who set up a store in 1857 on behalf of [[Henry Le Cren]] of [[Lyttelton, New Zealand|Lyttelton]], and Le Cren himself moved to Timaru in the following year.<ref name="DNZB Henry Le Cren">{{DNZB|last=Pinney|first=Robert |id=1l5|title=Le Cren, Frederic and Le Cren, Henry John |access-date=16 August 2015}}</ref>

Few lived in Timaru until 1859 when the ship [[SS Strathallan|SS ''Strathallan'']] arrived from England, carrying a party of 120 [[immigrants]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Strathallan |url=http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nzlscant/Strathallan.htm |access-date=15 August 2015 |publisher=Rootsweb}}</ref> Persistent land disputes arose between the Rhodes brothers and local government officials with the result that two townships were established in the port area, Government Town and Rhodestown. These eventually merged into a single community in 1868. Given this division, until recently none of the main north-south streets lined up. Stafford Street, which became the main thoroughfare, was formed along the early bullock wagon trail.

Following the loss of a number of vessels off the coast, the breakwater design by Engineer John Goodall was adopted and work started on the redevelopment of the artificial port in 1877,<ref>{{cite book |title=The Cyclopedia of New Zealand : Canterbury Provincial District |year=1903 |url=http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Cyc03Cycl-t1-body1-d7-d1-d4.html |publisher=[[The Cyclopedia of New Zealand]] |access-date=15 November 2019 |location=Christchurch |chapter=Timaru Harbour}}</ref> which eventually caused sand washed south down the Pacific shoreline to build up against the northern mole. This was the beginning of the extensive [[land reclamation]] around the Caroline Bay district, an area which is still growing today.

Timaru continued to expand during the 20th century, with much of the development taking the form of wooden colonial style [[bungalow]]s set in individual sections of land. [[Sacred Heart Basilica, Timaru|Sacred Heart Basilica]] was opened in 1911.