The area known as Clarkville marks the centre of the ‘Kaiapoi Island’ district, so called for its situation between two equally large branches of the Waimakariri River, which met at Kaiapoi and continued out to sea. The main route to Clarkville from Kaiapoi is along Island Road. This is a legacy of the district’s early name which was changed to Clarkville in the 1880s, to honour Joseph Clark who donated land for the local school.

Because of its fertile land, Clarkville was a thriving agricultural area for well over 100 years. Many of the early farming families are remembered by road names in the district. These include Heyward, Giles, Maber, Coup, Clothier, Burgess, Bayon and Butcher. The cemetery at St Augustine’s Church is the resting place for members of many prominent local families. Names to be found include Dowdle, Vaughan, Wilson, Smith, Rice, Allen, Hassell, Rich and Holland.

Early settlers in Clarkville had to contend with the vagaries of the unpredictable Waimakariri River which often flooded the whole district. In the 1860s, farmers cut a new course for the river, choking off the north branch which was reduced to a stream and is now known as Silverstream. The river straightening was completed in 1930 when Wright’s Cut was constructed just north of the present day road and rail bridges.

There are no known archaeological sites to indicate Maori settlement on Kaiapoi Island. However they could have possibly used the area for hunting and fishing.

Early European settlement of the district included the issuing of a pastoral lease for 5000 acres of Kaiapoi Island in 1854 to William Smith, who disposed of it almost immediately to George Day. By 1866 there were 41 leased or freehold farms under crops in the fertile soil including more than 1000 acres in grain.

During the next 100 years, Clarkville was a productive farming district for crops and livestock, but in recent years its proximity to Christchurch has resulted in most of the farmland subdivided for lifestyle blocks. Some land is used for intensive horticulture and a handful of dairy farms remain. But the biggest proportion of Clarkville land now supports pets and hobby farms.

Clarkville (Kaiapoi Island), Historic Trail Brochure, Waimakariri District Council, 1999