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, …

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 …