Clik here to view.
Nelson Provincial Buildings
These days, a glance along Nelson's skyline reveals our city’s prominent buildings; the Clock tower, the Rutherford Hotel and the Cathedral. Rewind one hundred years, however, and you would discover...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Madge Wilson of No.52 Russell Street
While researching the history of Russell Street, for use on a historical interpretation panel for the Nelson City Council, I met Madge Wilson on 3 April 2017, at her home. This story is written from...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Early Marlborough Settlers
An overview..There was plenty of opportunity for an able man (supported by an equally able wife) in the early days of a colony. All of the people listed below had their fingers in many pies: business,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Redwood Family
Farming, Racing and the ChurchHenry Redwood and early settlementThe Redwood family is remembered through place names in Nelson, Marlborough, and throughout New Zealand.It all began with Henry Redwood...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Early Renwick
Scottish town on the Wairau Plain Scotsman, Dr Thomas Renwick, was the ship's surgeon on the Thomas Harrison, which arrived in Nelson in 1842. He bought Dumgree in the Awatere in 1848, and the Delta...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The separation of Nelson and Marlborough
The separation of Marlborough from Nelson came about when the opinions of two very different groups, small-holders and large pastoral run-holders, were in accord, even though this was for very...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Blenheim, or The Beaver
The Wairau Affray in 1843 badly frightened potential European settlers of the Wairau and it was to be several more years before the Nelson settlers again began to consider the potential of the wide...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Joseph Ward
Diarist, runholder, forthright politicianBorn in Staffordshire in 1817, Joseph Ward arrived in Nelson in December 1842 with his parents-in-law Henry and Mary Redwood. He had married his cousin Martha,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Nelson Golf Club and the links course
A links course for the top of the SouthThe Nelson Golf Club (NGC) is one of the finest provincial golf courses in New Zealand. It has been in existence for 116 years and its facilities have been...
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.
Marlborough Sounds Whaling
For nearly 140 years, whales on their annual migration north were spotted by whalers from hilltop lookouts at the entrance to Tory Channel. Whale chasing boats then raced out to harpoon them and tow...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Trask Memorial Gates Queens Gardens
Francis Reuben Trask (1840 – 5 April 1910) was a 20th-century Member of the Legislative Council from Nelson, New Zealand and Mayor of Nelson. He also served on the Nelson Harbour Board from its...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Mayors of Nelson
Mayoral Memorial Walk Mayoral memories walk, Nelson City Council.Click to enlarge or download as PDFThis walk maps the early history of the Nelson City Council under the leadership of some Mayors who...
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.
Eileen Duggan,1894-1972, poet and writer
At one time, Marlborough-born poet, Eileen Duggan, was one of New Zealand's most widely acclaimed poets.1Eileen Duggan as The Spirit of Ireland in a school play Special Collections, The University of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Waimea River Stopbank
Stopping a wipe outBefore the building of the stop bank by the Nelson Catchment Board between 1957-63, floods were a major problem at the mouth of the Waimea River. The first stopbank was wiped out and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Nelson's Church Steps
The Church Steps - centre of the community"Meet you at the church steps" is often heard in Nelson and the steps, from the bottom of Trafalgar Square at its intersection with Trafalgar Street to the top...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Early colonial life in Nelson
Nelson’s early EuropeansWho were the first European colonists to Nelson? What kind of people were they?They were tough and inventive. Nelson’s first European houses were often built from little more...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Our Anzac losses - the Jackson family
So many Picton and Sounds families lost loved ones during World War I; four grandsons of the original James (Jimmy) and Emma Jackson were killed. Jimmy Jackson was one of the original Te Awaiti...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Maternity care in Nelson - Te Rangi
Te Rangi HospitalTe Rangi Hospital, where hundreds of Nelsonians drew their first breath, opened in 1915. The hospital was located on Collingwood Street, on the block between New and Halifax Streets,...
View Article