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The origins of the names L1 and L2 of waterways in and around Lincoln
Description
TitleThe origins of the names L1 and L2 waterways in and around Lincoln
DescriptionThe origins of the names L1 and L2 of the two spring-fed waterways in and around Lincoln, which run to Te Waihora (Lake Ellesmere) begin in 1849, when the chief surveyor for the province of Waitaha Canterbury, Thomas Cass, surveyed the Lincoln area following the signing of Kemp's Deed in 1848 between the Crown and Ngāi Tahu iwi.
Cass placed the first fixed survey mark, known as a 'trig point' or 'trig pole' ('L No. 1') thus marking the central creek that runs through Lincoln, around which the township was surveyed. It was known in 1863 as 'No. 1 gully', recorded as being 'twenty feet deep, having a beautiful stream of clear and delicious water running rapidly at the bottom'. (The Press, 20 June 1863, p.6).
The name L1 is found in official LINZ records from July 1902, as confirmed in 1974 by then-chief surveyor, R. A. Innes in The Press. It is also known as the Liffey Stream, valued by generations of Lincoln residents as a place of recreation and industry (the Lincoln Mill operated here from 1867 to 1920).
The L2 waterway, which joins the L1 one kilometre south of Lincoln, was likely to have been named in the same way. It is now known as the Ararira|L2 River, and starts at the edge of Lincoln township, with spring and water race fed base flows. It also takes stormwater flows from Lincoln and Springston on its way to Te Waihora over flat farmland via an extensive network of drains, and two wetland areas, Yarrs Flat and Tārerekautuku/Yarrs Lagoon, one of the largest freshwater wetland habitats remaining in the low plains of the Selwyn District.
The Ararira|L2 has been shaped by agricultural land use and farming practices as well as drainage requirements: the river has been straightened in its lower reaches. It is considered to be good
habitat for trout and is a popular fishing river as well as being a subject for active water monitoring and riperian native planting initiatives in an effort to improve the health of Te Waihora.
DescriptionThe origins of the names L1 and L2 of the two spring-fed waterways in and around Lincoln, which run to Te Waihora (Lake Ellesmere) begin in 1849, when the chief surveyor for the province of Waitaha Canterbury, Thomas Cass, surveyed the Lincoln area following the signing of Kemp's Deed in 1848 between the Crown and Ngāi Tahu iwi.Cass placed the first fixed survey mark, known as a 'trig point' or 'trig pole' ('L No. 1') thus marking the central creek that runs through Lincoln, around which the township was surveyed. It was known in 1863 as 'No. 1 gully', recorded as being 'twenty feet deep, having a beautiful stream of clear and delicious water running rapidly at the bottom'. (The Press, 20 June 1863, p.6).
The name L1 is found in official LINZ records from July 1902, as confirmed in 1974 by then-chief surveyor, R. A. Innes in The Press. It is also known as the Liffey Stream, valued by generations of Lincoln residents as a place of recreation and industry (the Lincoln Mill operated here from 1867 to 1920).
The L2 waterway, which joins the L1 one kilometre south of Lincoln, was likely to have been named in the same way. It is now known as the Ararira|L2 River, and starts at the edge of Lincoln township, with spring and water race fed base flows. It also takes stormwater flows from Lincoln and Springston on its way to Te Waihora over flat farmland via an extensive network of drains, and two wetland areas, Yarrs Flat and Tārerekautuku/Yarrs Lagoon, one of the largest freshwater wetland habitats remaining in the low plains of the Selwyn District.
The Ararira|L2 has been shaped by agricultural land use and farming practices as well as drainage requirements: the river has been straightened in its lower reaches. It is considered to be good
habitat for trout and is a popular fishing river as well as being a subject for active water monitoring and riperian native planting initiatives in an effort to improve the health of Te Waihora.
Connections
CollectionRyelands Pond on the Liffey Stream (L1) in LincolnPlaceLincolnMore InformationRead more about the naming of L1 in The Press, 14 September 1974Read this 1863 description of Lincoln stream running from 'trig pole 1'Read about the work by Living Waters to build the health of the Ararira L2 riverRead more about the L1 creek and the Ararira L2 river in the 2008 Lincoln Structure Plan of Selwyn District CouncilView the Black Map of Lincoln on Canterbury Maps websiteRead more about the catastrophic impact of Kemp's Deed on Ngāi Tahu iwi
PlaceLincolnMore InformationRead more about the naming of L1 in The Press, 14 September 1974Read this 1863 description of Lincoln stream running from 'trig pole 1'Read about the work by Living Waters to build the health of the Ararira L2 riverRead more about the L1 creek and the Ararira L2 river in the 2008 Lincoln Structure Plan of Selwyn District CouncilView the Black Map of Lincoln on Canterbury Maps websiteRead more about the catastrophic impact of Kemp's Deed on Ngāi Tahu iwiAttribution
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The origins of the names L1 and L2 of waterways in and around Lincoln. Selwyn Stories, accessed 18/07/2026, https://selwynstories.selwynlibraries.co.nz/nodes/view/7100