Clik here to view.
The Town that Wilkes Built and a Lucky Escape from Friendly Fire
Richmond - the town that Wilkes BuiltThe firm of W.E Wilkes is synonymous with house building in Richmond. The company built many of the major buildings in Richmond and at one time built an average of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
John Sylvanus Cotterell 1819-1843
Surveyor, settler, explorer If John Cotterell had not been killed, in the Wairau Affray, at the tender age of 23, it is likely he would have become a person of some standing in early colonial society....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Murchison
Emerging from the bushThe discovery of gold and the search for grazing land were the initial driving forces behind the establishment of the township of Hampden, which later became known as Murchison.1...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Settlement in Stoke
Stoke was once a swampy area with numerous small streams. When Maori arrived in this area, it was a wetland with numerous streams draining water from the hills to the sea. Covered with flax and raupo...
View ArticleClik here to view.
John Ribet of Hope Junction
John Ribet 1835-1890. From France to Kawatiri : Mine Host of the Hope Junction HotelRibet was born in France in 1835, and baptised into the Roman Catholic Church as Jacques-François. He was a man of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Glenhope Pioneers
The pioneers of the Hope Valley are commemorated by a memorial at Glenhope.The small rock cairn was originially erected by the Owen Women’s Institute in 1935, close to Korere on the Nelson-Murchison...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Nelson College - a boys' eye view
There was much speculation amongst the boys when word got out in 1881 that Nelson College’s governors were considering establishing a ‘Ladies College’. “This has caused quite a flutter of excitement to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
School Bugs
Regular users of the Nelson Railway line (closed since the 1950's) included Nelson secondary school students from Stoke, Richmond and the countryside. They were called “school bugs”, named for their...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Takaka's Second and Third Libraries
The Council building on Commercial Street. The library was housed in a dark and small office on the right hand side of the door.On 3 June 1947 the matter of establishing a library service was once...
View ArticleClik here to view.
East Takaka Library
1. Library Return for Upper and East Takaka in 1876.Land was surveyed for the East Takaka library in the early 1870s by Charles Lewis. He set aside a small corner section of his property, for the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Beginnings of Library Services in Golden Bay / Mohua
Public libraries in New Zealand were set up not long after European settlement began in 1840. Recognised as the first library in the country was the one which opened in Wellington in May 1841. Not long...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Nelson's Botanical Reserve
The Botanical Reserve was set aside by the New Zealand Company in 1858 for public use. The area comprises two distinct parts, the playing field on the corner of Milton and Hardy Streets and Botanical...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Nelson essentials - water and sewage
‘Bright pure water’ and sewageNew Zealand’s early cities reeked of rotting rubbish, dead animals and excrement, and water sources were often contaminated. By contrast, Māori settlements were hygienic,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Brook Valley Nelson
The Brook Valley has been integral to the development of Nelson since the early days of European colonisation. From 1868 it was the site of the Nelson water supply reservoir. Chromite was mined from...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Protecting Nelson Haven
Public pressure and commonsense saved Nelson HavenA large part of Nelson Haven might have been ‘a place of sprawling ribbon development’ on reclaimed land at Wakapuaka, if a group of Nelson people...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Maitai Dam
Pre-dam schemesThe Maitai River was first considered for water supply in the 1930s. At this time the Brook Scheme (commissioned in 1867) was unable to meet demand.Rather than proceed with the Maitai,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Nelsons Ditch
The Ditch - Nelson's original drainworksThe last time Trafalgar Street had major drain works was almost 150 years ago, when the original drain was laid, replacing the infamous ‘Ditch'.Bell, Francis...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Roding Valley waterworks
Since its official opening on the 30th October 1941, the Roding waterworks scheme has supplied water to both Nelson City and Richmond. The scheme consists of a low dam and a 2.68 kilometre pipeline...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Piki mai
The hilltop overlooking Whakatü is known to Mäori as Pikimai, which translates as ‘climb hither'. Piki mai was a staging point for the pakohe (argillite) industry, the nearest quarries being in the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Mary Lafrentz
1992-1995Tasman District Councillor Mary Lafrentz 22 March 1994. Nelson Provincial Museum, Nelson Mail Collection: C28826.I was approached by the late Elaine Taylor, a Waimea County Councillor and Kate...
View Article