New Zealand's oldest existing farm buildings. This is a Category 1 Historic Place. The stable, storehouse, granary, schoolhouse and privy were built for whaler and trader Johnny Jones. He bought a whaling station in 1838, and when the supply of whales declined, established a farm at Matanaka in 1843 and became one of Dunedin's leading merchants.
ViewAn incorporated society is preserving a power station built in 1924. There are two functional 1,400 hp. British Polar K48M diesel engines dating from 1936 installed. The power station generated electricity regularly until the completion of the Cook Strait cable in 1965 and thereafter until 1992 it was used in a peak lopping role. There are occasional open days . See the website.
ViewAn accessible area (8 hectares) of lowland mixed podocarp forest. There is a 15-minute circular walk. Look for a giant totara, miro, matai, rimu and kahikatea and on the hill slopes lacebark, lancewood and five finger. There are many birds, including tuis, bellbirds, grey warblers and fantails.
ViewThe island is a relatively-unmodified island bird sanctuary, free of introduced animal pests, and with full public access. The island is inhabited by a number of native birds which are rare on, or have disappeared from, the mainland. In 1922 the island became the first scenic reserve in New Zealand. It sits in Patterson Inlet only 3km from Halfmoon bay (Oban). A knowledgeable local, Ulva Goodw...
ViewAfter many years of urban decline, in 2013 community of Otahuhu managed to convince the new Supercity Council to inject some urban design into the disused and misused Fairburn park area. The result, opened in late 2015, is a whole lot of everything. Perhaps most importantly a fittingly vibrant and engaging park-like setting for the celebrated David Lange Memorial, 2009 (see nearby places). In an...
ViewA fine centrepiece for the town, the result of a bequest, the gallery design was by a young New Zealander Donald Hosie who was conscripted in 1916 to fight in World War One and died in France at the battle of Passchendaele. (See the Historic Places link.) Lively special exhibits complement the permanent collection in this well established gallery. Gallery space was due to be expanded with a new...
ViewWhilst Governor Hobson may have moved New Zealand’s first capital from the Bay of Islands in 1841, his successors could not ignore the troubled North. Eight-five metres of the Albert Barracks Wall survive from a wall begun in the new capital, Auckland, in 1846 and completed in 1851–52 to counter any raid by anti-government Maori. It used basalt quarried from Mt Eden and, ironically, relied hea...
ViewImage Credits Te Papa; Macetown, Otago, NZ, 1876-1885, Clutha-Central Otago, by William Hart, Hart, Campbell & Co. Purchased 1943, Macetown, 1870-1880s, Otago, by Burton Brothers studio, Premier Gully - Macetown, 1870-1880s, Otago, by Burton Brothers studio. Historic alluvial and quartz gold mining area to the west of Cardrona, centred on the upper reaches of the Arrow River. An historic villa...
ViewRight here in old Cathedral Square will be built a grand five storey replacement for the city's former library which did not survive the 2011 earthquakes. Lofty design objectives may be realised here by a team of Architectus and Schmidt Hammer Lassen, who pull influences from the landscape and Ngai Tahu values, striving to re-energise Cathedral Square, which is missing a Cathedral and has reli...
ViewA telegraph cable was laid under Cook Strait as early as 1866. Where it came ashore at Whites Bay, the cottage which housed the telegraph station which operated there from 1867 to 1873 is still standing. It is fitted out as a small museum which tells the story of this important advance in communications within New Zealand. The adjacent beach has a surf club and is a picnic spot. This is the onl...
ViewAn easy to miss layby on the Featherston to Tauherinikau stretch of State Highway 2 marks the location of New Zealand's largest military training camp (1916 -1918) and a memorial of cherry trees to Japanese killed when the location was, in the second World War, a prisoner of war camp. A single cross marks a memorial to the one NZ prison guard killed in the same incident. There is an interpreta...
ViewTongariro National Park has its headquarters in the Whakapapa township. Tongariro was New Zealand's first national park and is a World Heritage area. It was created in 1887 when its three magnificent volcanoes, Ruapehu, Tongariro and Ngauruhoe, were gifted to the people of New Zealand by the Ngati Tuwharetoa. In 1993 Tongariro became the first property to be inscribed on the World Heritage List u...
ViewThis house is furnished with missionary period furniture and early tools. It is the second oldest standing building in New Zealand, having been built in 1832
ViewThe Victoria University of Wellington / Creative New Zealand Writer in Residence appointment is jointly funded by Victoria University of Wellington and Creative New Zealand. It has been created to foster New Zealand writing by providing the appointee with the opportunity to write full-time within an academic environment for the period of tenure. The International Institute of Modern Letters (II...
ViewAn elevated wheelchair accessible scenic walkway with five viewing platforms takes visitors into the delicate lake environment. (5 minutes) A place to break the journey on the trip to Milford Sound.
ViewWellington's premier food market is a fascinating place to visit even if you don't want to shop. It has been describe as "a farmers market, a boutique produce store, and a giant cheese wheel fridge with a fresh juice stall." Moore Wilson is perfect for picnic provisions, offering many of New Zealand’s finest foods including deli meats, fresh produce and bread. It boasts easily the best cheese ...
ViewSpurning the 19th Century predilection for neo-gothic Christchurch's Baptist community opted for a classical style more suited to the non-conformist style of worship for their handsome Oxford Terrace Church. Designed by Edward J. Saunders it was opened in 1882. The pediment was damaged in the September 2010 earthquake.
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