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, …

Ted “Froggie” D’Auvergne (1906 – 1941)

The first time I heard about Ted d’Auvergne was from the comedian Billy Connolly during his New Zealand tour so I was chuffed to come across the story again as it was a great one. “Froggie” as his mates would call him, was born in Rangiora in 1906. His french ancestors arrived in Akaroa in …