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Theodore Rigg and World War One
Theodore Rigg (KBE, 1888-1972) was highly regarded as Director of the Cawthron Institute in Nelson from 1934-1956. During World War One, as a Quaker, he devoted himself to philanthropic...
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46 Shelbourne Street
Marama, 46 Shelbourne Street, is built in the Carpenter Gothic style in approximately 1851. It has a Category B heritage listing. About the areaAlthough the house cannot now be seen now from the road,...
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Understories of Sacred Heart College
Experiences of attending school at Sacred Heart College, Nelson 1964 - 1967The old Convent Building, formerly in Manuka Street, included the attic floor called ‘The Granary’, now at Founders Park....
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The Picton volunteers
In early Pakeha settlement, the tradition of a voluntary military service was carried over from England, and a Volunteer Corps was formed in New Zealand, mainly because of the perceived threat from...
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Picton Cement Works
There was a time when Picton was a busy industrial town, with the fishing industry, sardine cannery, freezing works, railway workshops, whaling station within reach, wharves serving overseas shipping,...
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Picton's Anzac losses
Many Picton and Sounds families suffered losses during World War One. The original Jackson settlers lost four grandchildren. This is the story of two other families.The GodsiffsJohn Godsiff, known as...
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Curious Cove
Kahikatea Bay is named for the giant trees which once grew there, down to the shoreline.Aerial view of RNZAF recreation camp in Curious Cove. Defence Department imageThe land was first offered for sale...
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HMS New Zealand visits Picton
In 1913, Picton was visited by the largest warship that had ever come to New Zealand, the HMS New Zealand.HMS New Zealand visits Picton. Picton Historical SocietyOur country was very proud, as the ship...
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Picton and World War II
On 3 September 1939 New Zealand declared its involvement in a war that had begun in Europe. New Zealand was one of the first countries to join the war, for economic and security concerns, as well as a...
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Long Island Submarine monitoring station
Long IslandLocated 35 kilometres from Picton, Long island guards the entrance to Queen Charlotte Sound. It is the first marine reserve in the South Island and has a long history of fortification. To...
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Kupe and the Boulder Bank
The distinctive Boulder Bank protecting Nelson Haven, known to Māori as Te Taero a Kereopa or Te Tahuna a Tama-i-ea, was named to commemorate exploits during Kupe's visit to Aotearoa in about 1350....
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Tahunanui Reserve artworks
In 2007 youth were consulted on what youth facility they wanted to have included at Tahunanui Reserve when the Park area was upgraded. Rather than a skate park, they asked for a free BBQ area and...
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Awatere Road Rail Bridge 1902 to 2007
For over 100 years the bridge at Seddon over the Awatere River has carried road and rail traffic, a unique link on State Highway One. This all changed in October 2007 when the new road bridge...
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Searching for Metapere
It is now more than 15 years since Kate Mitchell published an account of the search for a Māori tupuna in the family, who turned out to be Metapere Kawhe, the wife of John O’Brian/O’Brien. Since then,...
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Wairau Bar midden
Kitchen midden found on the Wairau BarThis story is an edited version of an article written by Steve Austin, Chief Executive of the Marlborough Museum and published in Wild Tomato, 2008Today the Wairau...
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The Nelson Club
The Nelson Club, 61-65 Selwyn Place, is a Gothic Victorian purpose-built clubhouse, built approximately 1903. It has a Category 2 Heritage listing.The Nelson Cub was formed in 1874 and in December...
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Art and Architecture of Trafalgar Street, Nelson
Trafalgar Street in Nelson lost many of its historic, and iconic, buildings in the 1980’s. This was a time when there was a drive to modernise cities, and little protection or care for heritage...
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Nelson Heritage Homes
A key feature of the Nelson Heritage Festival, in 2018 and 2019, was the tour of some of Nelson's Heritage Houses, organised as a fundraising event for the Nelson & Tasman Cancer Society. Many of...
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Nelson Women's Club
The Nelson Women’s Club is formedOn Monday 26th July 1926, sixty ladies of Nelson gathered in the afternoon in the Haeremai Room of the building at 296 Trafalgar Street, Nelson City, on the site...
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Mary Caroline Bisley 1836-1917
Mary Caroline Bisley was born near Hamburg on 23 Dec 1836 and called Johanna Maria Karalina [Lina] Karsten . She emigrated to NZ with her parents from Germany on the "St Pauli" and arrived in Nelson on...
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