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Sir Thomas Picton (1758-1815) and the naming of Picton
Lawrence, Thomas Sir: Portrait of Lieutenant General Sir Thomas PictonClick image to enlargePicton was originally called Waitohi, or Waitohi Pa. It was named by the local Māori, the Te Atiawa, who...
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Jens Hansen
Jens Hansen. Photo by Mr Jan Zeman (supplied by the Hansen family)Click image to enlarge“Nihil sine labore" was the Latin motto inscribed on the road sign outside renowned jeweller Jens Hansen’s first...
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Wreck of the 'Penguin'
The worst shipwreck in New Zealand, during the 20th century, happened in Cook Strait and was of the regular passenger ship taking people from Picton to Wellington. SS Penguin passing through French...
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Robert Ellis and Brightwater's electricity
The flourmill and millpond at Brightwater, about 11 years before it was purchased by Robert Ellis.Ellis Street in Brightwater is named after Robert (Bobby) Ellis "a man of considerable mechanical...
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Antonio Wett
BackgroundAntonio Wett was an early resident of Nelson, arriving there in about 1866. In the following 44 years, until his death in 1910, he married, had a family and worked as a fisherman in and...
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W.E. Wilkes Ltd
Builders in Richmond for 90 YearsWilliam Edward Wilkes. Mayor of Richmond Borough 1917-1923.The firm of W.E. Wilkes is synonymous with house building in Richmond but it all began in a much smaller way...
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Albert Rainbow Tuffnell
One of Richmond's early entrepreneurs, Albert Tuffnell played an important role in both business and local government in the Richmond borough.Albert Rainbow Tuffnell (Richmond Borough Council)Click...
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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...
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Queen Street in Richmond
Queen Street is the long street that runs through the heart of Richmond, from the foothills in the east, to the Waimea River in the west. As the commercial centre of Richmond, Queen Street has...
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The Ghost of Tophouse
Tophouse HotelClick image to enlargeI am the new owner of Tophouse, since September 2007, and have researched the history of Tophouse and have found that apparently we have a resident Ghost!The "Ghost"...
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Dumont d'Urville's Tasman Bay Odyssey
On a windless day, the view of Tasman Bay from the ridge leading to French Pass seems enchanting but harmless. The battalions of rocks fringing the southern tip of D'Urville Island, and even the Beef...
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Kokowai
Kōkōwai (red ochre), obtained from clays rich in iron and aluminium silicates, was highly prized by Māori; depending on chemical composition, reds, oranges, yellows and browns were produced. Onekaka...
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The Regulus and Port Kembla
The Regulus was built in 1907 by Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson of Newcastle on Tyne for the Westport Coal Company, based in Dunedin. She was a vessel of 584 tons, and was purchased by the Anchor...
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The Nelson Volunteer Fire Brigade
The early years from 1858-1868The history of Nelson's early Volunteer Fire Brigade is difficult to trace. The earliest reference dates to September 18581 , when a meeting was planned to organise a Fire...
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Lily Robertson and the Nelson Lighthouse
My Life by Lily Robertson (1878-1956)Nelson Lighthouse Excerpt from the Lighthouse by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, from Lily's diary.Click image to enlargeMy birthplace was at the home of my...
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Hampden Street School
Hampden Street School 1868 - 2009: The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same Walking around Hampden Street School today, it is hard to imagine what it must have been like over 140 years ago....
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24 Ngatitama Street
Sunley House, 24 Ngatitama Street is a two storey Victorian Villa, built approximately 1890. It has a Heritage Category B listing.About the AreaSituated on the corner of Hampden Street East and...
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Nayland Pool
The school, the pool and the boilerThe close relationship between Stoke’s Nayland Park Pool complex and Nayland College could be said to have started with a chat over a drink in the Nelson City Council...
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Nelson School of Music
A Unique VisionWhen Nelson's European settlers wanted music, they had to make it themselves. By 1852, the small Nelson community, then numbering more than 2000, had formed a short lived Philharmonic...
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Ring out those bells
The name of Edward Edridge will always be associated in Nelson with Wai-iti School and the company of bellringers he established there in the 1880's. Born in Westrip, Stroud in 1849, he trained as a...
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