the COKER's Family Hotel was opened in 1879
A MUST READ on the history behind the Coker's Hotel which was built by John Etherden Coker (1831-1894), second husband (of 3) of Lizzie Westwood (1826-1910)
... the above link describes John Etherden Coker as "a flashy man, (who) carried a riding crop and wore close-fitting cords, top boots and top-hat. A notorious would-be hotel entrepreneur and perennial bankrupt, he could now, with his handsome wife and her even more handsome fortune, put his past behind him. The couple moved to Wellington where 'Johnny Coker, the most experienced of bonifaces and most genial of hosts', became licensee of the Occidental Hotel. In 1878 the pair returned to Christchurch. On one of his wife's sections John built Coker's Hotel which soon became famous for the quality of its service. The newspapers enthused: 'Wherever the white man has established civilization, one has heard of Coker's Hotel. All the celebrities have sojourned within its hospitable portals'. One guest was Rudyard Kipling. His short story 'Mrs Bathurst' (read the full short story at that link) centres round an attractive hotel employee though the author has used literary licence and transported her locale to Auckland"

Visitors to Christchurch in NOV 1892 staying at the White Hart Hotel
NAME & PLACE of RESIDENCE

Mr W. ACTON-ADAMS, Christchurch
Mr & Mrs ANSON, Perakei

Mr A. W. Dillon BELL, Dunedin
Mr Elliott BARTON, Hawera
Mr J. B. BIRNEBAUME, Wellington
Mr H. K. BETHUNE, Wellington
Mr C. BIRD, Dunedin
Mr John BLAIR, Dunedin
Mr BOOTH, of ?
Mrs Edward BOUCHER, England
Mr Thomas BOUCHER, England
Mr T. S. BOUCHER, England
Miss BOUGHEN, Dunedin
Mr J. F. BUCHANAN, Little River
Mr BRETT, Auckland
Mr A. R. BROWN, Melbourne
Dr & Mrs BURBURY, Oamaru

Mr E. H. CAMERON, Waimate
Hon J. CARROLL, of ?
Mr W. CHING, Auckland
Dr CLEGHORN, of ?
Mr & Mrs W. L. CLIFFORD, Nelson
Mr E. CLISSOLD, Makikuku
Mr E. F. CLULEE, Timaru
Mr F. H. COURAGE, Amberley
Mr & Mrs Hugh COUTTS, Stratdord
Mr T. COVERDALE, Christchurch

Mrs DALGETY, Grasmere
Mr J. W. DAVYS, Timaru
Mr de MAUS, Dunedin
Mr F. Fleming DOUGLAS, Waimate
Mr C. H. DOWDING, Westerfield
Mr M. DRIVER, Dunedin
Mr J. A. DUTHIE, Dunedin
Mr James DUTHIE, Milton

Mr W. EVANS, Timaru

Mr W. FINLAY, Wellington

Mr GEORGE, Makihihi
Mr H. GERRITSEN, London
Mr GODLEY, Wellington
Mr R. GRAY, Dunedin
Mr E. E. GREGORY, Marlborough
Mr A. GRIERSON, Manchester

Mr HANNAY, Wellington
Mr HARCOURT, Waikato
Mr J. E. HENRY, Palmerston North
Mr HERRING, Alford
Mr Malcolm HOLMES, Oamaru
Mr HOOK. Timaru
Mr & Mrs HUTCHINSON, Wellington
Mr J. HUTCHISON, Dunedin

Mr & Mrs H. JOHNSON, Berwick
Mr C. D. JONAS, Wellington
Mr JONES, Timaru

Mr Thomas KEIR, Dunedin
Mr & Mrs KENNEDY, Wellington
Mr George KETTLEWELL, Bradford, Yorkshire
Mr H. B. KIRK, Wellington
Mr & Mrs J. H. KITCHEN, Melbourne

Mr A. G. LEEDS, Napier
Mr Etienne LELIEVRE, Akaroa
Mr W. S. LINDSAY, Timaru
Mr W. LIVINGSTONE, of ?
Mr & Mrs F. LOGAN, Napier
Mr C. J. LONG, Wellington
Mr A. H. LOWE, Hororata

Mr R. MacCAULEY, Oamaru
Mr W. E. MacKAY, Wellington
Mr J. R. MacKENZIE, Pomahaka
Mr D. MacFARLAND, of ?
Mr S. MacKENZIE, Timaru
Mr T. MacKENZIE, CLUTHA
Mr J. P. MAXWELL, Wellington
Mr E. MARTIN, Wellington
Mr MASON, Dunedin
Mr J. McKERROW, Wellington
Mr D. McLAREN, Timaru
Mr & Mrs McLEAN, Wellington
Mr T. McWHIRTER, of ?
Mr John MARSHALL, Auckland
Mr H. J. MILLER, Oamaru
Mr J. R. MITCHELL, of ?
Mr W. MOORE, Dunedin
Mr MORRIS, Dunedin
Mr MURCHISON, Lake Coleridge

Mr P. C. NEILL, Dunedin
Mr NEWBOLD, Napier
Mr & Mrs NURSE and child

Mr & Mrs OATWAY, Dunedin
Mr M. C. ORBELL, Geraldine

Mr A. PARK, Tasmania
Mr P. PATTALLO, Dunedin
Mr PEARPOINT, Geraldine
Mr W. J. PHILLIPS, Timaru
Mr J. PIERSON, Melbourne
Mr T. PINCKNEY, Akaroa
Mr Robert PRICE, Napier
Mr A. C. PRINGLE, Timaru

Mr W. H. L. QUILTY, Napier

Mr R. H. RHODES, St Andrews
Mr Timaru RHODES, Timaru
Mr & Mrs RIDDFORD, Hawera
Mr W. H. RODNEY, Timaru
Mr ROLLITT, Ashburton
Mr ROSS jun., Dunedin
Mr & Mrs D. RUTHERFORD, Leslie Hills
Mr & Mrs E. S. RUTHERFORD, Picton
Mr J. RUTHERFORD, Albury

Mr J. R. SCOTT, Dunedin
Mr SCROOPE, England
Dr SMITH, of ?
Mr J. M. SMITH, Dunedin
Mr W. G. SMITH, Makikihi
Mr P. SPRING, Wellington
Mr & Mrs J. STEPHENSON, Dunedin
Miss STEPHENSON (2), Dunedin
Mr J. W. STOTT, Dunedin
Mr J. A. SUTTERS, Oamaru

Mr & Mrs TONKS, Hawera
Mr B. TRIPP, Orari Gorge
Mr J. M. TRIPP, Orari Gorge
Dr TWEED, Ashburton
Mr A. TURNBULL, Wellington
Mr TURNER, Mount Peel

Mr UPTON, Chertsey

Dr WAIT, Oamaru
Mr F. WALDEGRAVE, Wellington
Mr WALFORD, Ipswich
Mr J. WATSON, Oamaru
Mr James WILSON, Dunedin
Mr R. WRIGHT, Hunter
Mr WRIGHT, jun., Dunedin

Mr Samuel YOUNG, Dunedin

see also, the guests in Christchurch 1892, at the:
? TERMINUS Hotel
? WARNER's Hotel
? WHITE HART Hotel

PHOTO
COKER's HOTEL Manchester street, Christchurch (1898)
... taken from the site Christchurch City Libraries