ExhibitExplorerMay 12

Orepuki or Aropaki History - Map & Index Key of the town's properties (1930s)

Orepuki or Aropaki History - Map and Index Key of the town's properties:

Black and White images, with a map and list of names (index) of Families & Businesses in the Orpepuki Residential Area, 1936-1939. The map was compiled in 1994 by the following ex-residents:
- Ferguson, John of Christchurch
- Fraser, Evan of Auckland
- Heath, Lloyd of Christchurch
- McQueen Alma (Ferguson) of Taupo
- Smith, Stan of Invercargill

NOTE: High Resolution Copies of this map are available by contacting us via this website as a comment, or email: [email protected]

There was also a list of businesses written by an early resident, which were there from when the Railway opened, written from their memory, entitled,
"Orepuki as I knew it" (but no author recorded), the list states there were:

3 Hotels:
- D'Arcy's Railway Hotel
- De Clifford's Masonic Hotel
- Wilson's Family Hotel

3 General Stores:
- Meredith's
- Garden's
- another of unknown name

2 Drapery Shops:
- Adamson's
- McGruer & Taylor

1 Millinery and Knick Knacks:
- Moncur & Stevenson

1 Newspaper, twice weekly:
- Orepuki Advocate

1 Chemist:
- Hutchinson

2 Butchers:
- McPherson
- Tielle

1 Cycle Shop:
- Shields

1 Boot/Shoe Shop:
- Cross

1 Bakery:
- Pope

1 Toys/Stationery/Jewellery Shop:
- Booth

1 Tearooms:
- Booth

2 Blacksmiths:
- Batchelor
- another of unknown name

3 Churches:
- Roman Catholic
- Presbyterian
- Anglican

1 Cheese Factory:

1 Sweets/Fruit Shop:
- Mrs Murray

1 Men's Hairdresser (open Evenings and Saturdays)
- Mr Booth

1 Bank Agency (open certain hours and days)
- National Bank Agency, operated out of Riverton Branch

We were very privileged to have Marjory Smith, author of 'From Goldfield to Fields of Green', deliver a wonderful donation of materials from her book to us. This consisted of the above map and key, along with many other maps of the earlier Orepuki town site, followed by Hirstfield, then Garfield and also maps of the surrounding areas of the district as well. If you are researching the area, be sure to call in to our Heritage Hub to see these, or contact us.

UPCOMING HISTORY:
We would also like to note here, that for our 3rd birthday of the Heritage Hub in October 2026, we are undertaking to create a display of early Orepuki - all 3 townships, and their varied histories, so if you can help with this by donating material, information, photos or other ephemera items, or most importantly if you can donate some time to voluntarily helping us put this display together, we would be very grateful. We are expecting this to be a permanent fixture and we will need people who can research, identify people and places there.

We would also like to thank and acknowledge Marjory A Smith, author of 'From Goldfield to Fields of Green', the Orepuki Story, which she kindly donated to our history library. The items shown here are also in that.

Hopefully this entry will be added to as more information comes to hand. If you or anyone you know has any more information or photos to share or accounts of the various Orepuki townships during the years, please do share this with us in the comments section. You can do this by making a comment in the space provided under the image page. Or you can make contact with us as per the archive front page.

Note: these entries are compiled with information provided by donors with the records, from locally reported news, from national and occasionally international reports in publications, from personal records made by the people themselves - such as their electoral enrollments, wills, war records etc., also from government and council held records such as births, deaths and marriages or cemetery information, and lastly, from community memories, such as those passed on by friends, family and contemporaries. It is not always possible to verify memories from others, so please let us know if you believe we have any incorrect information. If you believe that any public or personal record information quoted is wrong, if you can provide proof of any alternative fact to us in a document showing evidence of the correct details, that would be very helpful to us. Thank you.
Central and Western Murihiku Southland Archive via DigitalNZ

http://api.digitalnz.org/records/61452574/source

#OrepukiOrAropaki #WesternSouthland #Murihiku #Business #GarfieldAnd #Black

RobinNov 5, 2025

Yesterday I got to go to #TeHikoiMuseum which is one of the more detailed sources that @ExhibitExplorer uses. I highly recommend it.

It tells the story of the history of the area, from both a Māori and Pakeha perspective, then a combination.

#Riverton #Aparima #Southland #Murihiku #AotearoaNZ

Central & Western Archive/GLAMJan 31, 2023

If you look at this photo from the 1980's and see the same scene today, you could be forgiven for thinking that not much changes on the Main Road through Tūātapere... but if you track the history of the buildings and various owners and businesses, you may be surprised to learn there have been quite a few over the many years:

#Tūātapere #WaiauDistrict
#Murihiku #Southland #Aotearoa #NZRuralLife
#IdyllicVillageScenes
#CentralAndWesternArchive

https://ehive.com/collections/202139/objects/1645607/tuatapere-history-old-main-road-shops-from-bridge-to-ferry-road-corner

Tūātapere History - old Main Road shops, from bridge to Ferry Road corner ; Var... on eHive

Photograph 1 of stores along Main Road, between Ferry Road & Bridge: A shops scene from Tūātapere's past, thought to be taken early 1980's. Information from donor states that, on the corner on the far right is Faulkner's store, they (being Bill and wife Jenny) took over from Ray Lawrence who had retired. Ray had run the shop on his own for some time as a menswear store, before that the business had been Souness & Lawrence. And in a much earlier time, this was McLeod's Tearooms, and much more besides in the years since). The Faulkner family, says Bill with wife Jenny had the above store about 78/79 into the early 80's at least, then they sold it to June Harpur, who was Bill Harpur's wife. However, we are not sure of all the owners or businesses on this site over time, so if you have any information or photos on these, please do share them with us so the community can find out their history. The above building on the corner of Ferry Road has since this first photo, been enlarged with a seating addition built on the side, which was for many years part of Yesteryear's Cafe, owned and run by Val & Helen McKay. It is now the new "Boundary Creek" Art Exhibition space, which opened late in 2022. You can see this building in other images shown here, under various ownership in photos 2 & 3. The next building in the centre is the old Post Office building, which is now and has been for some years, the home base of Country Corner Crafts, housing a craft co-operative which sells handcrafted goods. The old Post Office closed down after the Forest Service was wound up in the late 1980's, but I have not been able to find an exact date yet. If anyone knows this, please can they comment in the section below. Myself as a newcomer to the town of Tūātapere in 2006, I remember using the prior Chemist (I think Fraser's?) as the Post Outlet, but this too is now gone. Currently, (2023) Postal Services are run out of Chamber's Repair Service. And beside that on the far left, is the building that the donor recalls was a Toy & Gift Shop, owned/run by Ashley Mills (husband maybe Dave?), during the 70's or 80's. This store later became Murray and Erica Ottley's Second Hand shop which they have confirmed they owned during 1997 - 2002/3. It is interesting to note that this building is today in 2023, still being used to sell second hand goods as an "Arkwrights", but now under further new ownership. It also houses the local Radio Station as well. However, once again we are missing many years of ownership and businesses situated here on this site, so any information on those and further photos of any of these shops would be great, if you can share. And in comparison, check out the other photos in later years... Photograph 2 of stores along Main Road, between Ferry Road & Bridge: A shops scene from Tūātapere's recent past, taken during 2020 Covid. It shows Yesteryear's Cafe owned by the McKay's on the right hand side situated at the corner of Ferry Road, but with the previous For Sale sign in the window, after Helen closed down to retire, in what we believe was 2018. Then Country Crafts in the middle. We were told by the Country Crafts "girls" that during Covid was the best time for them at their co-operative craft centre, as many local people supported them and went in to purchase their gift needs instead of travelling elsewhere. Finally, the current (2023) Second Hand shop is at the left of the image. It is noticeable how few cars there were in the town during this time. Photograph 3 of stores along Main Road, between Ferry Road & Bridge: A shops scene from Tūātapere's recent past, taken recently in 2023. In this photo you can see the documented changes of both ownership and building use of the corner site on Ferry Road intersection, where McKay's Yesteryear's Cafe had operated for a long time. The newly upgraded building frontage can be seen advertising the recent takeover of this by Boundary Creek. The old Post Office, now Country Corner Crafts and advertising itself as a "Creative Arts & Crafts Centre" in the middle is showing its age and wear and tear, while the side wall of the still current Second Hand shop to the left, is also seen to have time taking its toll. There will be a lot more photos and information coming in the future on many old and existing local Tūātapere businesses. In the meantime, it would be wonderful if more people contributed memories, photos and other memorabilia to add to the story and history of these, for our collective community memories. If you can help us out with this, please comment in the section under this image, or make contact us. Thanks.

eHive
Central & Western Archive/GLAMJan 20, 2023

#OTD Looking back on today to 20 January 1915.

This day the rebuilt Yellow Bluff Bridge at Ōtautau opened, after it was washed out in previous floods and a temporary one was built.

Attached are images from NIWA that show the flooding from 1913 and the issues involved with that. The attached photo of the new bridge that was opened this day in 1915 was kindly donated to the Between River & Stream book project, by Ōtautau local Peter Gutsell.
#Ōtautau #History #Murihiku

Frédéric MaquinDec 27, 2022
Traffic jam.

|| 2019-11-30 | Slope Point, Southland / Murihiku, New Zealand ||

#road #roadtrip #newzealand #slopepoint #southland #murihiku #sheep
Central & Western Archive/GLAMDec 9, 2022
An article on the history of the forestry industry in #Tūātapere, at the end of #Highway99 from last century... Gosh it sounds a long time ago when you put it like that! Fascinating insights into rural community life and stubborn resilience. This archive was gifted with special thanks to the #HumpTrackTrust. Read full article .pdf here: https://ehive.com/collections/202139/objects/1610322
#SharingCommunityHeritage
#HistoryBelongsToEveryone
#WaiauDistrict
#Murihiku
#Southland
#Forestry
#Logging
#RuralCommunities
#NZRuralLife
Tūātapere history - A Journey to the end of Highway 99, magazine article: ; Met... on eHive

Tūātapere history - A Journey to the end of Highway 99, magazine article. First photo is a .jpg of the front cover, the next two items are .pdf's of the actual article, broken into two parts to fit the files on here: A brief history taken from the body of this very in-depth archived article (please click on image of record to see more details) is the origins of and the current Tūātapere district and township, immediately prior to the 1988 announcement that the NZ Forestry Service would now be discontinued. The town was built on the back of the Timber Industry, with 30+ mills once working the bush around of the township. So it was a big blow when most closed. In 1909 the railway had descended on the fledgling town and its citizens after those milling bush along the southern coast continued to push onwards and westwards, eventually reaching the place which had been called Drummond's Ferry. It was named for ferryman Bob Drummond who operated the punt here in the days before a bridge was put over in 1915. In the years between the two world wars, this allowed new settlement to take place on the river flats over the bridge on what is now "Half-Mile". The article has an overtone of despondency with occasional highlights of positivity from some, who ultimately say they will never give up. Looking back on this old article in hindsight, it becomes apparent that Tūātapere has indeed kept going and even 'risen from the ashes' of these dark times. In the current day, we have not only had some resurgence in forestry, but there is a large farming sector, thriving hospitality venues, art studio's, international tourism, other businesses, also the Hump Track which is about to become Aotearoa NZ's latest Great Walk and much more. Residents today (2022), include those new to town from further afield, who find the "hole in the bush" a peaceful place to live life. Sometimes it is good to be reminded of how we can overcome hurdles and make great on such an array of achievements. However, we need as a town and community, to also celebrate and appreciate the years of hard times our forebears, other leaders and residents of the district underwent and lived through, leading to what we all enjoy here today. Where we are now is truly a history of resilience, reliance on each other and reaching forward, and we can be truly proud of us. So that residents and descendants can find any material relevant to their lives, I have made a list of most of the people and places mentioned in the article below - but you will have to read it as an attached download to be able to find the exact references. Where possible I've included page no's. Page 61 (Highway 99 sign): - Conservation - Forests - Logging - Native Beech - Rogernomics - Timberlands Page 62: - Aluminium Smelter - Cooper's Corner - Dalgety's - Lind, Clive - Farmers/Farming - Foveaux Strait (Te Ara a Kiwa) - Hydro Lakes - Invercargill (Waihōpai) - McKenzie Basin (Te Manahuna) - Milling - Murihaka (note - should be Murihiku) - Port Craig Timber Company - Riversdale - Southern Alps (Te Tiritiri-o-te-moana) - Southland Times - Tīwai Point - Tūātapere - Turner, Michael - Western Southland - Wrightson's Page 63: - Beaches - Beech Forest - Bridges - Cemeteries - Centre Island (Raratoka) - Depression - England - Escape Reefs - Farmhouses - Fiordland - Fishing - Flax - Foveaux Strait (Te Ara a Kiwa) - Graveyards - Longwood Ranges - Mills - Pig Island - Pioneers - Port Craig Timber - Princess Mountains - Railways - Riverton - Scotland - Sea - Snow - Stewart Island (Rakiura) - Te Waewae Bay - Viaducts Page 64: - Ambulance - Britonia Theatre - Butcher - Boundary Creek - Cemetery - Chemist - Coffee shop - Discount Food Store - Electrician - Fire Brigade - Fire Station - Four Square - Fraser, John - Gold Rush - Grocers - Lindsay & Dixon - McNay, Dave & Pam - Motor Garages - National Bank - Orepuki - Pipe Band - Plunket - Post Office - Presbyterian Church - Pubs - Railway - RSA - Rugby - Sawmillers - Shale Mining - Southland Farmers Co-operative - Stationer - Stockyards - Swedes - Timber Merchants - Timber Milling - Town & Country Club - Tūātapere - Waiau Hotel - Waiau River - Waiau Star - WTCC - WW2 Page 65: - ACCESS training schemes - Craft Co-operative - Education - Farming - Fiordland - Forestry Headquarters (old) - Half Mile - Information Centre - Johnston's Mill - Library - Motel - Motor Garage - Police Station - Pub - Sheep - Shell Fuel - Speights Beer - Southland Polytechnic - Swedes - Swimming Pool - Takatimu Mountains - Timber Industry - Tūātapere - Waiau College - Waiau River - Waiau Valley - Wild Pork - Work Development Society (later the Resource Centre Society Inc) - Wrightson Dalgety Page 66: - Baldwin, Wendy - Blackmount Community Centre - Chemist - Cyclone Bola (as a strange aside, I was living through this as a child!) - Concert Pianist - Fraser, John & Isabel - Fundraising - Garrett, Betty - Gutsell, Dorrie - Invercargill (Waihōpai) - Link & Chain Editorial (old local newspaper) - LINK programmes - Motel - Officer, Dianne - Orepuki Community Centre - Orepuki & Districts Health Day - Otago University - Pharmacist - RSA Lounge - Rugby - Southland Polytech - Southland Times - Till, Maurice - Tūātapere Work Development Market - Waiau Amateur Wrestling Club - Waiau College - Waiau Community Theatre - Waiau Hotel - Waiau Star - Waiau Town & Country Club - WTCC - Weight Watchers Page 67: - Badminton Club Nights - Barker, B - Barrett, Barney - Birch Street - Combined Axemens Athletics & Cycling Reunion - Conservation - Corfield, Phil (Entertainer) - Doctor - Elder, Dr Eric - Entertainment - Farming - Flower arranging - Games Evenings - 'Girls can do anything' - Glynn, Mrs D - Information Centre - Māori Language Classes - Native Timber - Ohai Coal - Orange Hall - Pioneering - Plunket Rooms - Primary School - RSA - Scottish Country Dancing - Sheep - Social Netball - Social Services - Southland Community College - Tūātapere Library Committee - Tūātapere Maternity Hospital - Tūātapere Presbyterian Hall - Unemployment - Waiau Garden Club - Waiau Hotel - Waiau Tourism Group - Waiau Town & Country Club - Weightwatchers International - WTCC Page 68: - Chainsaw Instructor - Corporatisation - Cricket Teams - Dean Forest - Department of Conservation - DOC - Exotic Timbers - Exploitation - Families - Feltex - Firefighting - Forestry Contractors - Forest Service - Government jobs - Half Mile Road - Industry - Japan - Kennedy's Mill - Lindsay & Dixon - Log-scaling - Longwoods - Muldrew, Graeme - Native Timbers - Oil Exploration - Papatotara - Paynter Corporation - Petrocorp - Pruning & Thinning - Rowallan - Rural economy - Seismic Work - State Forests - Suddaby, Haydn - Sutton, RR (Invercargill) - Timberlands - Tūātapere - Unemployment - Work Development Society (later the Resource Centre Society Inc) Page 69: - Alton Valley - Department of Conservation - DOC - Deer - Economy - Environment - Families - Forestry Corporation - Forest Service - Lindsay & Dixon - Muldrew, Graeme - Orepuki - Pine Cones for sale - Pubs - Redundancy - Rowallan Forest - Sawmills - Southland Beech - Southland Times - Templeton, Gary - Tūātapere - Unemployment Page 70: - Alabaster, Gren (principal at Waiau College) - Animal Drenching - Axemen - Beech Trees - Bush - Bushmen - Bush Robin (Kakaruwai) - Central Timber Co. - Corporatisation - Cricket (sport) - Cutting Rights - Debt ratio - Douglas, Roger - Downturn - Elder, Dr - Electric Fencing - Evans, Joe - Export Markets - Families - Farmers - Farming life - Fertiliser prices - Fiordland (Te Rua-o-te-moko) - Forests - Forest Service - Groveburn Sawmilling Co. - Labour Party - Lindsay & Dixon - Māori Landowners - Mechanics - Miller, Fred - Mills - National Party - Otago/Southland - Princess Mountains - Rowallan - Salaries - School leavers - Schools - Southland Farmers Co-op - Southland Promotions - Southland Timber Co. - Staff - Tapanui - Templeton, Gary - The Hump - Timber/Joinery Companies - Truckers - Tūātapere - Tūātapere New Year's Day Sports - Tūātapere Sawmilling Ltd. - Unemployment - Virgin Bush - Waiau College - Waiau Sawmilling Page 72: - ACCESS training - Accountancy - Bursary - Bush - Community College - Department of Conservation - DOC - Duck Shooting - Dunedin (Ōtepoti) - Farmer's Co-op (Southland) - Farming - Farm Labouring - Fishing - Hunting - Invercargill (Waihōpai) - Jesson, Adin - Jobs - Lincoln (Agricultural College) - Mills - Orepuki - Park Management - Parties - Peek, Rawyn - Pubs - School leavers - Scrub Cutting - Social Welfare - Sport - Teaching - Te Anau - Templeton, Alexia - Tūātapere - Unemployment - Waiau College Page 74: - Bateman, Murray - Builders Supplies - Carrier - Coal Train - Domestic Disputes - Draught Beer (DB) - Dunedin - Farmers - Forestry - Freight - Invercargill (Waihōpai) - Hairdressing - H&H Buses - Hampton, Brian - Holt Park - Housekeeping - Invercargill Rugby Park - Lillburn - Longwoods - Machinery - Mail - McCarthy, Winston (Sports Commentator) - McNay, Dave (publican) - Netball - Ōtautau - Ōtautau Hotel - Pharmaceuticals - Pies - Police - Probation - Pub - Reported Crime - Riverton (Aparima) - Rugby - Rural Delivery - Sheep - Sheep Stealing - Shop Supplies - Southland Sports Trust Cup - Southland Times - Spare Parts - Springboks - Tong, Gary (Constable) - Tūātapere - Unemployment - University - Videos - Wallace County Council - Wheat Page 76: - ACCESS Training - Adams, Gerard - Baldwin, Wendy - Bluff (Motupo- hue) - Bulmer, Steve (Rugby) - Chemist Shop - Chinese Cooking - Chip Mill (wood) - Christchurch (Ōtautahi) - Committees - Cowan, Gary (Rugby) - Department of Conservation Premises - Diack, Irene - Drinking - Farmers - Firewood - Fraser, John - Freight - Gore - Hay Contracting - Holt Park - Invercargill (Waihōpai) - Isolation - Lambing - Lands & Survey Department - Lincoln (Agricultural College) - Lindsay & Dixon - Lion Breweries - Lionesses (Lion's Club) - Lion Red Sports Trust Cup - Longwoods - Makeup Course - Male domination - McCall (Rugby) - Mills - Mitchell, Mark (Rugby) - O'Brien, Paddy (Rugby) - Odd jobs - Ohai - Ōtautau - Ōtautau Hotel - Pharmacy - Pubs - Riversdale - Rugby - Shopping - Speights - Sutherland, Gloria - Te Anau - Te Waewae - Todd, Eric (Rugby) - Truck Driving - Tūātapere - Yates, Gavin (Rugby) - Youth unemployment - Wallacetown - Western Rugby - Women - Women's Views - Working Women - Work Skills Page 77: - Beecroft, Noeleen - Bushmen - College - Concert Piano - Conservationists - Deep South - Deer cullers - Dixon, Ngarita - Domain Camping Ground - Eileen (no last name) - Elder, Dr - Farmers - Forestry - Fraser, Isobel - Garrett, Malcolm (junior Dean at the college) - Hartley, Karen - Housewife/Housekeeper - Jobs advertised - Johnston's mill - King Country - Lange, Stuart (Presbyterian Minister) - Lindsay & Dixon - Longwoods - Main Street - Māori - Mills - Native Timber milling - Possum Trappers - RSA - School leavers - Sodium vapour lights - Southland Times - Sutherland, Gloria - Teachers - Till, Maurice (concert pianist) - Truck driving - Tūātapere - Tūātapere Community Arts Society - Wives - Women's Lives Page 78: - Arts - Audi 90 - Automatic Telephone Exchange - Beech Forests - Britonia Theatre - 'Centre of Excellence' - Chemist - Christchurch (Ōtautahi) - Church - Country Depot - Country Service (teaching) - Daughters - Deer Shooting - Dole - Downsizing - Drinking excessively - Dunedin (Ōtepoti) - Economic divide - Elder, Dr - Foreign travel - Fraser, John - Furniture making - Gas Station - Government Department employment - Half Mile Road - Heavy Drinking - Invercargill (Waihōpai) - Job losses - Market forces - Married Women - Mills - National Bank - Native Timber - Orepuki - Pharmacy - Port Craig - Possum Trapping - Post Office - Pubs - Railway - Redundancy - Rogernomics - Salmon - Sexual imbalance - Shiseido Cosmetics - Sports - Teachers - Timber - Tong, Constable - Town & Country clubs - Tūātapere - Single women - Young men - Young women - Whitebait - Wild Pigs Page 80: (Above the "At the Brasserie advertisement") - Auckland (Tāmaki Makaurau) - Automotive Graveyard - BBQ's - Beers - "Bludgers" - Bushmen - Christchurch (Ōtautahi) - 'City people' - Community - 'Country people' - Cricket (sport) - 'Dodgy' Corporations - European Cars - Floundering - Hunting & shooting - Lifestyle - Muldrew, Graeme - Pākehā - Papatotara - Paua-ing - Quietness - Remoteness - Re-training - Rogernomics - Royal Commission On Social Policy - 'Small Town people' - Socio-economic Issues - Southern Ocean - Suddaby, Haydn - Te Waewae Bay - Tūātapere - "Victims" (of economic downturn/downsizing) - Waiau Mouth - Waiau River - Wellington (Te Whanganui-a-Tara or Pōneke) - Whitebaiting - Winter Page 81: (final page) - Abandoned Cement Works - Aparima Valley - Axeman's Carnival (New Years Day) - Budget Surplus - Closed shops (Nightcaps/Ohai) - Coalmining - Domain - Douglas, Roger - Golden Summers - Lake Te Anau - McNay, Dave & Pam - Mines - Mossburn - Neighbours - Nightcaps - Nightcaps Discount Food Centre - Ohai - Ōrawia Road - Post Offices - Pubs - Riverton (Aparima) - Snow - Social cohesiveness - Taringatura Hills - Tūātapere - Waiau Hotel - Winter END... Please see the article attached for further information, a copy of the front cover has been provided as a .jpg picture file and the article itself is in two parts via .pdf which will open with an Acrobat Reader programme. A more in-depth history is recorded in the archive copy of the article itself, but please be aware that although Metro Magazine have kindly given us permission to put this in the public archive, it is still Copyright to them. More information about the local district and town history will be added shortly. In the meantime, please share your memories of our community and stories over the years that you know of, and most of all, do let us know if you have any more photos please. You can do this by adding a comment about it, at the bottom of the image page, or making contact.

eHive
Central & Western Archive/GLAMNov 30, 2022

The word for Day 30 in English then Māori of #Museum30 #WhyMuseum30 #HeAhaWhareTaonga30

Museum30 is a great way for GLAM's to showcase all our collections online. See more of the local history from our district in the Central and Western Murihiku Southland Archive on this link: https://ehive.com/collections/202139/central-western-murihiku-southland-archive

#History #Heritage #Aotearoa #NZ #GLAM #Museums #Archives #digipres #Ōtautau #Murihiku #Southland #Waiau #RuralNZ
#CommunityCollaboration #RuralNZ #AgricultureHistory
#CentralAndWesternArchive

Central & Western Murihiku Southland Archive on eHive

The Central & Western Murihiku Southland Archive has been set up as a community archive project, to digitally gather, store, preserve, record and share our district history. It is especially important for those local communities who have no history repository locally, to have a place to keep a copy of their local heritage safe and to promote the history of their communities and those who settled them. But all district histories are welcome here. So, if your district, town, farm, business or family are within our area and you would like to have the history of this recorded for our current and future generations, please make contact. This is a free community service. Our motto is: "By Community, For Community". We accept photos, articles, memories, books, records, maps, ephemera and all paper based items for digitizing and putting into this new archive. You can also ask us to take photographs of objects and properties for the archive. Oral history is something else we will be working on shortly. If you have a story of local history to tell, please do let us know. Remember this is YOUR archive as part of your local community, a place where you can save and store any local history, without it leaving your ownership. This archive is a place where everybody in the community can contribute, comment, interact, share memories and our combined history. We do not take your important history to keep, we professionally copy it, ensure these copies are safe and share them with the community. Your heritage remains in your hands. So if you have precious family memories you want to share with others but retain ownership of, this community archive is for you. The area we will be covering with the archive is one in which the settlers within it often moved around to live and work in different local districts, so their family collections can be held together and not spread across varying institutions. The Western part of the district covered by the archive will be roughly from Piopiotahi/Fiordland in the West, right across the Waiau District, and along the coast south west coast, down into the Aparima/Riverton in the South. We are focusing on the Waiau area in the beginning, mainly as our museum here does not have any online presence or set opening hours. We have also started with preserving the history of the Eastern Bush community first up, as it is an area without a fully recorded written and photographic history and with quite a few long-standing families moving out of the area in recent years, it was imperative that the history of this community and its important past stories and heritage be saved for our future generations. If you can provide any photos and information from the Eastern Bush area, please contact our local Digitisation Project Manager as below, for how you can help out. We hope to have a community information event soon. We will also have a small fee based research service based within the online archive, which will help to fund the growth of the project. If you are looking for information on any family, person, business, farm, property or event within the local area and in the districts we cover, we can quite possibly help you with this, as we have a trained historical researcher. Please contact the Social History Project Manager for information about our research service, as per the details below: The archive is completely digital so is only available online, but the beauty of this is that it can be accessed by anyone, anywhere, 24/7. As this is a new site, a new model and a community voluntary project, please can you bear with us as we progress, grow and add new features. The plan is for each local community to have their own entries within this site and for all the early settler families in each of these, to also be included in that, with a brief history and photos. If you can help with this by providing yours, please contact as below. For more information, questions or donations, please just ask.

eHive
Central & Western Archive/GLAMNov 29, 2022

The word for Day 29 in English then Māori of #Museum30 #Storytelling #KōreroPaki

Charlie Moffat did a bit of storytelling or kōrero paki about this house... See more in our Central and Western Murihiku Southland Archive here: https://ehive.com/collections/202139/objects/1602393/eastern-bush-district-moffat-family-history

#History #Heritage #Aotearoa #NZ #GLAM #Museums #Archives #digipres #Ōtautau #Murihiku #Southland #Farming #FlaxMilling
#Waiau #MoffatFamily #Ōrawia
#CommunityCollaboration #Homes #Whare #RuralNZ #AgricultureHistory #War
#CentralAndWesternArchive

Eastern Bush District - Moffat Family History: ; Moffat, Charles; 1950's; CWA.... on eHive

Photo of Norman & Matilda Moffat's home at their Eastern Bush property, at its second site after moving, the story of which can be seen below. This is the original McCall Homestead, which was on the property when Norman bought it. He and wife Matilda lived in this home at Eastern Bush all their married life, with successive family generations taking over both the house and also Sunnybrook farm itself, until very recently (2016). In relation to this particular house, grandson Lincoln Moffat recalls that: "Norman had it shifted up from near the original woolshed to the site in this photo. My dad (Charlie) grew up in this house. It is now known as 233 Otahu- Eastern Bush road. With help we cannibalised this house but then burnt it down in 1976. We then built a new house on the same site. The house pictured here had extensive gardens and I remember the roses being plagued by opossums. I met one of the McCall's sons once. James Hay McCall. He lived with his daughter in Timaru and he died at age 97." The Moffat family have a long-standing history the Central and Western Southland Murihiku district. Norman Edwin Moffat, Henry's Moffat's son, was to purchase a farm for himself at Eastern Bush, not far from his father's Ōrawia property. It was often commented by others and has been noted by family, that Norman was a great horseman. He used horses extensively to farm his property, as can be seen in entries of his horse teams in this archive. Norman's obituary in 1956, this recounts also, how Norman was the earliest farm to grow wheat in the district. Norman’s son Charlie Moffat, born in 1922 recalls some history of the family farm at Eastern Bush, in records faithfully kept by son Lincoln, who has graciously gifted copies of these, which are also in this archive. The property was named "Sunnybrook" farm and only recently sold out of the family after nearly 100 years. It was here Norman's family grew up. The property had been purchased off original settler John McCall from Scotland, who had ensured the farm was well maintained and provided with the best farm buildings money could buy, a large homestead and a six horse stable, also a woolshed and pigstye’s. Norman Moffat, who fought in WW1, being sent home an invalid in 1916, completed the purchase of the McCall property after his severe wounds had healed. First off, this particular house has quite a history. Charlie recounts how after Norman couldn't get his first car near the house which used to be situated down a steep hill, Norman and Matilda thought they would try and get the house moved. It was a solid home and well made, heavy and seemed almost impossible to move. The story of the eventual move has apparently become an "epic in the history of the family." After deciding that they would move it to the site where it sat for the rest of it's life, a track was made through the homestead's large orchards, a collection of post and wire fences and even traversing a gully which was said to be home to running water for much of the year, and finally up the steep hill to the new site which was chosen as a place the car could easily get to. Next, they consulted with Jimmy Wilson, who was then the local building contractor in Ōrawia and in business in quite a large capacity, having six qualified carpenters as well as a plumber and electrician employed by him. Jimmy stated that the house would first need to be sawn in half, with both the halves needing to be jacked up and put onto sledges for moving. It was obvious that the job was far beyond the ability of even Norman's prized Clydesdale Draught horse team (said to be the best in the area. So Jimmy thought a traction engine might be what was needed for the move. Luckily, Norman was friends with the 'local' threshing contractor, who was Tom Kennedy of Scott's Gap on the road towards Ōtautau. It was indeed fortunate that he had already been taken on to use this to thresh the local harvest in a couple of months, so was already engaged in the area. This great steam monster of a machine was made in England and was fitted up with "a powerful winch with about 200 yards of heavy wire rope." (200 yards was the equivalent of 182.88m.) It would have been around 1926/27 when this story of the house move took place, considering Norman bought his first car that would not make it up the hill to where the house was originally sited, sometime in 1925 and they decided to move after this. I note that in retelling the story, Charlie (Norman's son) thought that he was around 3 and his sister Grace 5, but those ages do not add to the other facts in the story, and we know that as children our perception of time and age is not normally well practised. Because time was short, the process had to kick into gear quickly. Norman and his man (farm worker) went into the pine plantation behind the house to quickly cut skids the correct length, then the men proceeded to the large stand of totara that were within the 150acres of native bush across the road and also took down a large number of piles for the house to be re-sited on. These had been specified by Jimmy Wilson as needing to be 56" (1.42m) long, so the plumber could install water pipes - something the house did not have previously. It is of note too, that totara was long the preferred wood for house piles as these lasted better than most. The family account mentions how both Norman, and his man, were expert axemen and that Norman loved to work in the bush. Of course, we know Norman had a long history of this. Once the piles were prepared, the work required now apparently reached a "frenzied" pace, with Jimmy Wilson and all his men coming to join in. It must have been quite the adventure! Charlie who would have been 4 at the time, tells the story of how himself, his older sister Grace who was about 6, and their mother Matilda moved into the hut on the property and there Matilda had to cook meals for not just the family, but also for the entire crew, who numbered about 12 men... on an open fire!! Goodness, we could not even imagine doing that now. It is also noted that as there was no way to travel easily back then, the men had to all sleep in the barn with the horses, but at least it was always dry in the loft and warm from the "great Clydesdales" below in their stalls. Jimmy Wilson the building contractor was said to be a "very kind man", was to loan his youngest son Stewart to Matilda to help care for the crew during the move of the house, which took about 2 months in total. He is said to have had to peel potatoes the whole time, what a job for a boy, who I am sure, would much rather have been helping with the building! And Norman is said to have had to cull sheep for mutton regularly and Charlie notes that despite the handicap of his right arm which had been damaged in the war, he excelled at this task, as everything else. When Tom Kennedy eventually arrived in the district for the harvest, with his great traction engine, the Moffat's house was sitting waiting sawn in half, with one of these halves already jacked up and sitting on the sledge. There were some anxious moments, as Tom realised he had to use the engines wire rope winch and dig in the front wheels, until he was able to get the almighty load moving, and continue until the rope was wound in. It is recalled that after "numerous shifts" the first half was finally sited at its new resting place, where the piles for it were already waiting. Then the second half had to be moved again in the same way, what a huge job! I will note here, that we have a photo of Tom Kennedy's threshing plant and traction engine that moved this house, and it will be added into this archive in another entry at some point in the future. This is the beauty of a community archive like this, in that it links up all of our districts history. I had originally thought, when sent the photo of this house above by the family, that this could not be the original McCall Homestead property, as it looked far too new, but it is indeed. Lincoln Moffat has informed me that the house had just been freshly repainted when this photo was taken. I doubt that many houses in the district have got such a fascinating history. Charlie Moffat also recalls some amusing accounts of farm life during the 1950s. He remembers his mother (Matilda) used to have about six dairy cows for the farm and house use close by, and one day when the pig got out of the sty, all six of the house paddock cows got up and followed said pig in a strange procession, with the pup also getting “into the act” too, apparently even dragging its own kennel along with the rest of the procession of farm animals, behind the last cow. Very hilarious! A dedicated citizen and community stalwart, Norman, who farmed on his original land at Eastern Bush, all his life, while adding further acquisitions to his land holdings, was able to pass this property on to his son Charlie, who then passed it on to his son Lincoln. Lincoln Moffat, the last of the family line to own Norman’s original farm holding also writes some reminisces of the family. “Henry was my great grandfather. Norman (I don’t remember him) my grandfather; he sold his farm at Orawia to go to fight for King and Country in WW1 where he was a machine gunner. He used to say he spent a winter shooting Germans. He was wounded by shrapnel in 1917 and his damaged arm was “set” in the most suitable position for working with Horses. He bought the 200 acres in Eastern Bush where our house (was) in 1919 from the McCall family. They had lost 2 sons in WW1 (NOTE: I have now found out it was only 1 son killed, another wounded) and Mr McCall was in his eighties. Norman was noted for his horsemanship which was essential in those days for both travel and farming. He married Matilda McDonald who came to Eastern Bush as a teacher around 1920. The Moffat and Mouat families farmed as neighbours for generations. My wife Anne & I (Lincoln) came into the family farm gradually, you could say and fully in 1984. We sold and moved off the property in March 2016.” NOTE: It is Lincoln Moffat, great grandson of Henry, who has kindly donated most of the stories, records and photos of the farm from the family, for this archive and we are indebted to him for saving this history, much of which was said to have been collected and collated by his father, Charlie (born Charles Norman Moffat in 1922.) Thank you to the Moffat clan for sharing your history with us all, I am sure many people will find it utterly fascinating. If you or anyone you know has any more information to share or accounts of the Moffat family during the years, on aspects of their farming or community life in the area, please do share in the comments section. You can do this by making a comment in the space provided under the image page.

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Central & Western Archive/GLAMNov 28, 2022

The word for Day 28 in English then Māori of #Museum30 #Walls #Pātū

If the walls of the Eastern Bush Hotel could talk, they would sure tell some stories! See more in our Central and Western Murihiku Southland Archive here: https://ehive.com/collections/202139/objects/1564613/eastern-bush-hotel-store-post-office-mouat-ownership-1905-2004

#History #Heritage #Aotearoa #NZ #GLAM #Museums #Archives #digipres #Ōtautau #Murihiku #Southland #Farming #AccommodationHouse
#Waiau #MouatFamily
#CommunityCollaboration #Homes #Whare #RuralNZ #AgricultureHistory #Hotel
#CentralAndWesternArchive

Eastern Bush Hotel, Store & Post Office - Mouat Ownership (1905-2004) ; Aubrey,... on eHive

Eastern Bush Accommodation House/Hotel, Store & Post Office - Mouat: Photo of Accommodation House/Hotel painting done by C. Aubrey (1881). According to family records, Aubrey stayed at the Hotel with the Mouat's during 1881 while he painted their Accommodation House, in exchange for room and board. It is believed he was a remittance man and he made his living going around the country doing paintings. You can see photos of what is left of the Hotel under the archive entry no. CWA.004.100.10 The first Mouat to live and work at Eastern Bush, was Malcolm. He was also one of the earliest people in that district, according to much of the history that I have seen written. In his early days, Malcolm Mouat was reportedly an intrepid explorer of the Western Murihiku and Fiordland areas, and even has a lake named after him, Mouat Lake, which is west of Lake Poteriteri, nesting between the Princess and Cameron Mountain Ranges. See under 'Place Notes' below for a map link to this. Recorded by FWG Miller in his “West to the Fiords” book (which he used notes by WJ Mouat – Malcolm’s son, to write up some history on the family at Clifden and Eastern Bush), Malcolm Mouat was a Shetland Islander, who arrived at Murihiku Bluff in 1869 then proceeded by bullock wagon to Clifden, on the bullock track which was the only ‘road’. As Malcolm was an expert seaman, there he was tasked with the job of boating people, stock and supplies across the Waiau River. In Miller’s book, he states that Malcolm ferried sheep on the boat with their legs tied (presumably so they did not try to escape!), but cattle and horses swam behind the boat. Being made head shepherd about a year after arriving there, it is said Malcolm remained in this position for another nineteen years. Another record of a journey through Western Southland from 1889 by HW Potter, also mentions Malcolm Mouat and this is his own personal observations, stating that after calling for the boat, “In due course it reaches us and we are soon afloat and the way in which the boatman, Malcolm Mouat, handles the craft in the dark deserves commendation. We go some considerable distance down the stream; a vigorous pull across into an eddy brings us back almost opposite from where we embarked. Here we are cordially received by the manager, Mr Robert Tapper, Jnr.” When the land there was taken up by the Government for closer settlement, Malcolm also entered the ballot for land there, but missed out, as apparently that land was drawn out by another local settler, Scott. So as the story goes, Malcolm then purchased J Woods property ‘Woodlands’ off him instead, the year is said to have been 1891. Marrying Anna Bella Scobie, the daughter of the Eastern Bush Accommodation House/Hotel, Store and Post Office owner William Scobie (and wife) the following year, Malcolm purchased this property himself in 1905, (a fact which I have verified against legal land records) and the following year in 1906, Malcolm transferred this property into the name of his wife. In the intervening years, as the ‘Woodlands’ property was on the other side of the Waiau, the family had to get across the river to get to and from their home, which until the bridge was opened in 1899 (see separate entry for the Clifden Suspension Bridge), was a rather arduous affair. Neighbour Charlie Moffat, born in 1922 recalls some history of the Mouat family farm, in records faithfully kept by son Lincoln, who has graciously gifted copies of these to this archive. Charlie recalls that there was pretty much an unlimited supply of flax on the Mouat property ‘Braeview’ next door, and they employed a man, who he remembers as being Ossie Sheringham (unsure of exact spelling?), to cut the flax. He lived on what the Mouat’s called ‘The Farm’ in a cottage with his wife and had come out from England. This flax-cutter was employed by the Mouat’s for quite some years, from Charlie’s memory. He also recalls that the Mouat’s had some of the best land in Eastern bush, but it was largely undeveloped. My own guess is that their other occupations as Hotel and Store keepers, kept them busy. When Malcolm died in 1932, his wife continued on at the property with her sons, until Anna Bella herself, died in 1950. According to her will, she left the property in the hands of her three sons, William J (whose diary FWG Miller has listed as a reference for the family’s story), Malcolm Jnr., both of Eastern Bush, and Magnus Mouat at the ‘Woodlands’ property. Peter Begg’s recollections of the area as quoted in Miller’s book, cover the following points: “My first recollection of ‘Woodlands’ was that it was occupied by a Mr Manson, father of the well-known athlete and shearer, D Manson. Malcolm Mouat, a hardy Shetland Islander and for many years head shepherd on Clifden, married Miss Scobie and took over Woodlands, and a son owns the property.” The last Mouat the property was in the ownership of, was Stuart who farmed the property with his wife and family. They took great care to save the records of the Accommodation House/Hotel and there are many more photos and records to share on this with the archive, I have simply run out of time to get them all online at this point, so more later! If you or anyone you know has any more photos, information or accounts of the Mouat’s during the years, on any aspects of their business, farming or community life in the local area, please do share these in the comments section. You can do this by making a comment in the space provided under the image page. Please let us know if you have more records to add, they will add the heritage of the property.

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Central & Western Archive/GLAMNov 27, 2022

The word for Day 27 in English then Māori of #Museum30 #Plan #Hoahoa

There must have been a plan or hoahoa for the builders of this Eastern Bush Church from 1914. See more about this building in our Central and Western Murihiku Southland Archive here: https://ehive.com/collections/202139/objects/1564914/eastern-bush-district-presbyterian-church-history-foundation-stone-laying

#History #Heritage #Aotearoa #NZ #GLAM #Museums #Archives #digipres #Ōtautau #Murihiku #Southland #EasternBush
#Waiau #Presbyterian #Churches
#CommunityCollaboration #FarmingFamilies #Clifden
#CentralAndWesternArchive

Eastern Bush District - Presbyterian Church History, Foundation Stone Laying: ... on eHive

Sepia photo of foundation stone laying & letter of names of those present: The story of the Presbyterian Church at Eastern Bush from the start to finish... The foundation stone was laid 10 June 1914 and the church had its sad demise not even 100 years late, when it fell down in April 2003. There was no church in Eastern Bush until 1914, a range of photos of it are in this archive online – from its construction until it’s demise. If you are interested in this, please look for the other entries. I have recently been given the names of those involved in the Foundation Stone laying photo shown above. In a letter written to "Lincoln & Ann (Moffat) signed, "God Bless from Daphne & Don", it states the following: "A copy of the stone laying at Eastern Bush. I think this was from Aunty Ina (Pearce) as it's her handwriting. The names I found on the back of the photo are from left to right: 1. WJ Darley 2. Donald McLaren 3. Rev Lopdell 4. JG Craig 5. Rev A MacDonald 6. - 7. J McCall 8. D Young 9. Malcolm Mouat 10. Thomson, MP for Wallace 11. A Snowball I have also included a copy of this letter in this entry for anyone to see who is interested. And please, keep the information coming, so it can be added for everyone else to enjoy, both now and in the future. Prior to the opening, according to the history of the Otago Presbyterian Church, the minister in charge of the Ōtautau Parish had to minister to congregants across the district nearly all the way to Blackmount! The Rev A McDonald or ‘Sandy’ as he was most affectionately known, had oversight of all the following districts: Clifden, Eastern Bush, Bellmount, Nightcaps and Wairio. As FWG Miller points out in his history, 'West to the Fiords', the area covered “all the country north-west of Ōtautau.” The Reverend would arrive at Bellmont by horse on a Saturday, having had communion with adherents on the way, then on Sundays, a service was held in the Wairaki Woolshed men’s quarters at 11am, at Eastern Bush at Scobie’s Woolshed at 3pm, and then he would return the 40 odd miles back to Ōtautau to hold his last service there at 7pm. This route was done every month, with other trips to other districts taken on the alternative weekends. As Miller also notes, the early settlers held Rev. McDonald in high regard, as he had taken such care to minister to them, labouring hard and long in difficult conditions. It is likely these hardships led to his later ill health and demise. The Presbyterian Church history also notes the sacrifices and commitment made by him. NOTE: Both the Mouat and Moffat families have a long-standing history at Eastern Bush. Their contributions to the photographs and history of the Eastern Bush Church, which was a Presbyterian entity, is noted. It was the original Mouat, Malcolm Snr., whose wife Anna Bella (née Scobie), who gifted the 1 acre of land that the church originally sat on, to the Otago Presbytery for this cause. And it was the Moffat family, I believe mostly Lincoln (the last of his name on the land there), who has been largely responsible for collating, researching and passing on the building's history. Hopefully this entry will be added to as more information comes to hand. If you or anyone you know has any more information or photos to share or accounts of the Eastern Bush Church during the years, please do share in the comments section. You can do this by making a comment in the space provided under the image page.

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