1874: Transit of Venus
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On December 9, 1874 an American observation party of 6 was led by Professor C. H. Peters to Queenstown. Time to observe the Transit of Venus across the sun and take photos! The scientist were very, very, well received by the community but no scientists were among them. No “formal” scientific “partnership,” as recently claimed. […]
Read more..March 25, 2025
1948: Helen Keller
By AHNZ
Famous deaf and blind social activist, Helen Keller, remains a role model for disabled people. She visited New Zealand in 1948 and visited deaf schools in Auckland and Christchurch. She also visited the house for idiots in Wellington (image left, featuring Prime Minister Peter Fraser.) Only a couple of days ago I was reading my […]
Read more..January 12, 2021
1882: Dye’s Slaughterhouse
By AHNZ
Dye’s Slaughterhouse, Kaukapakapa. Est. c.1882. An iconic road-side feature on SHW16….has now fallen. Cyclone Tam’s remnants in April 2025 took it out at long last after over 140 years. Back in the 1860s and 1870s the way to get stock in and out of the district was by accessing the Kaipara Harbour. It was once […]
Read more..April 18, 2025
1916: St George’s Bay
By AHNZ
An early aerial shot of Auckland Central from 1916, taken from a New Zealand Flying School aircraft. The harbor dredge is in the foreground of what was St George’s Bay. It has been reclaimed from the sea but was named after George Cooper, Hobson’s taxman. Behind we can see Albert Park (walled off?) and the […]
Read more..April 17, 2025
1817: Tohunga Jack
By AHNZ
New Zealand, by 1867, was out of its pioneering era and into a new time period AHNZ calls the Colonial Saeculum. There was a Crisis due to the withdrawal of the Gold Rushes and Maori Wars that we had now come out on the other side of. For now we were doing well as a […]
Read more..April 14, 2025
1893: Christchurch Savage Club
By AHNZ
The Christchurch Savage Club dates from 13 April 1893. A colonial off-shoot of the London Savage Club founded in 1857 by a group of authors, journalists and artists. A male social entertainment club for those with an interest in literature, music and art. However, this gentleman’s club was very different in that they were not […]
Read more..April 13, 2025
1965: V-Jet Day
By AHNZ
Today in history, 10 April, 1965, New Zealand entered the international V-Jet air cargo network. Scheduled jet services now ran with Qantas Empire Airways between Christchurch and Sydney using the Boeing 707. We called it “V-Jet Day.” “Commanded by Captain “Torchy” Uren and crewed by Kiwis Bob Bishop, Alan Williams, and Alan Gill, as well […]
Read more..April 10, 2025
1809: Te Pahi’s Rebuke
By AHNZ
Te Pahi, a Ngapuhi Chief has a fairly good reputation in early relations between the colony of New South Wales and New Zealand. He had been an honored guest in Governor Philip King’s house in Sydney over 3 months. His son, Matara, visited England in 1809 and met King George III. Samuel Marsden’s mission also […]
Read more..April 2, 2025
1965: TEAL Tiki
By AHNZ
Today in history, 1 April, 1965, Tasman Empire Airways Limited (TEAL) changed its name to Air New Zealand. These plastic Maori tikis used to be in high circulation decades ago, sort of like the little Pizza Hut pencils used to be. I think I just figured out where they came from after all these years […]
Read more..April 1, 2025
1880: Mount Eden Railway Station
By AHNZ
Today in New Zealand history, 29 March, 1880, the Mount Eden Railway Station opened on what was then called the Kaipara Railway. This and transformed the place. It used to be the outskirts which is why Mt Eden prison was put there. A huge ammunition factory was established in 1885. Mt Eden became highly populated […]
Read more..March 29, 2025
2008: Harawene Immortalised
By AHNZ
She was a little stray dog named Harawene very well known in her time. So much so that when she died in April 2008 the community put up a bronze statue. Fiona Cairns led the erection of a cairn topped with the statue (it’s ridiculous how often people’s names match what they do…) I stumbled […]
Read more..March 28, 2025
