Te Koraha
After Rhodes returned from his tertiary education in England, he purchased 9 acres (3.6 ha) of land in Merivale, setting himself up for having a family and demonstrating his ambitions. He called the property Te Koraha, which is Māori for 'the wilderness'. Development started in 1884, when he had cottages removed and stables and a coach house built. Construction of the homestead, designed by Armson, Collins and Harman, started in 1886. It was enlarged in 1894 and became a centre of the social life of Christchurch.
Many important people stayed at Te Koraha, including Governors George Grey and Lord Islington. During his mayoralty, the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York were given use of Te Koraha while they stayed in Christchurch. Later in 1901, Robert Falcon Scott stayed there prior to leaving on the Discovery Expedition.
Upon Rhodes' death, the house passed on to his son Tahu, who sold it. It was leased by Rangi Ruru girls' school, who used it as a boarding house until 2002, when it became their administration building. Extensively damaged in the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake, the building was restored and reopened in July 2012.
Read more about this topic: Arthur Edgar Gravenor Rhodes