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BELFAST – John McNeight Watt (1838 – 1892)
Puraekanui was living up to its name – even as late as the 1860’s – there was ‘plenty of bush’! Also known as the Styx and the Seven Mile Peg (the stretch of land from Belfast to Rangiora) amongst settlers, the area remained untamed until the early 1880’s. John McNeight Watt was born in Belfast, …
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HALSWELL – Edmund Storr Halswell (1790 – 1874)
Edmund arrived in New Zealand in 1841 as a member of the Management Committee of the Canterbury Association as well as Commissioner of Native Reserves. He was to protect the rights of the Maori during the development of the new colony. He took his new duty with great seriousness, studying and reporting on the way …
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REDWOOD – Thomas Herbert Preston (1824 – 1884)
Known to the Maori as Te Kete Wananga o Te Kopare O Iho, the swampy terrain made it perfect for food gathering. They would hunt the native rat, quail, grey and paradise ducks, shags and eels. Flax among many other plant life was also gathered from this area. Also flowing through the swamp was the …
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LINCOLN & SPRINGSTON – James Edward Fitzgerald (1818 – 1896)
“He grows more wonderful than ever, in dress and appearance. His hair is all brushed and shaved away from him face…he used to wear the most frightful long brown holland blouse, left very open, with a belt and turn-down collars…” And this was how Charlotte Godley (the wife of John Robert Godley – founder of …
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