Race to the Tea House (Canterbury) Traditional Cache
Race to the Tea House (Canterbury)
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(micro)
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ACCESS to cache site:
General public access - 24 hour pedestrian access but vehicle access available only during work hours, Sunday Market; Racing & other special event days may incur admission charges. Nearby is a small moat or race of water with fountain so please be careful if bringing young children.
RICCARTON PARK
The Canterbury Jockey Club, formed in Nov 1854, held its first meeting at what is now the Riccarton Racecourse in 1855.
To mark the Club's Golden Jubilee, the Tea House, a wooden pavilion style Edwardian building sited at the west of the Grandstands on a landscaped area surrounded by a moat, was built in 1903.
The Tea House is a reminder of a time when women were not allowed to attend the refreshment rooms in the grandstand where alcohol was served. Most racecourses in NZ had a tea house for women race attendees who could watch the races, place bets in their own area, and of course drink tea. The Tea House at Riccarton Park became less popular and fell into disuse by 1970's and a state of disrepair. A Charitable Trust was formed in 2003 to undertake the $800,000 restoration of the Tea House which officially re-opened as a function venue in Nov 2008, in time for NZ Cup & Show Week.
I have watched the progress of this restoration and landscaping program over the years from what was once a massive overgrown derelict dump site and feel it is worthy of a cache.
Let's have a drink to that! Raise your cups ! & Have a cuppa tea ! ALL WELCOME !
The cache is slightly smaller than a film canister containing only a logsheet. BRING PEN to sign log. Please replace cache very carefully.
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)