Marking Of Historical Sites In Nelson

Press, Volume C, Issue 29621, 18 September 1961, Page 3

Marking Of Historical Sites In Nelson

Three memorial bronze plaques signifying some important event in the history of Nelson have been erected by the Ministry of Works an 3 are ready for some form of ceremony to mark handing them over the people of New Zealand, it was reported at the meeting of the Nelson Regional committee of the Nation Historic Places Trust. It was planned to hold appropriate unveiling ceremonies at the three sites about the first week in November land to ask for the co-operation of the local bodies in whose areas the memorials have been erected. Letters will be sent to the local bodies concerned asking them to forward to the secretary of the Nelson regional committee, Box 79, Nelson, the names of any descendants of early explorers in the district concerned. Wording of Plaques The three new plaques commemorate events at French Pass, Lewis Pass and the Buller Gorge.

The French Pass plaque says: In 1827 the corvette Astrolabe commanded by Dumont D’Urville discovered and after great danger sailed through French Pass. The Lewis Pass plaque says: Lewis, Maling, Stuart, Travers and Rochfort explored this area from 1860. Cannibal Gorge was an important Maori east-west route.

The plaque for the Brunner journey through the Buller Gorge says: Thomas Brunner with Kehu and three other Maoris passed here in March, 1847 and April 1848 during a journey of 550 days from Nelson to Paringa and back.

Two Other Sites Chosen The committee reported that two other sites had yet to be Chosen for plaques commemorating the Dun Mountain railway and the landing at Haven road.

The inscription for the Dun Mountain railway says: New Zealand's first railway, the Port Nelson-Dun Mountain horse-drawn railway was opened here on February 3. 1862. The plaque for the landing at Haven road says: Captain F. G. Moore. D. Brown. J. S. Cross. McDonald and Pito having discovered Nelson Haven landed here on October 20, 1862. The committee said that some research still needed to be done to choose the proper location for the sites for these plaques.

Committee members were reminded that other historic sites in the district had been marked over the years. One at Kaiteriteri marked the landing of the first surveyors in October 1841. One at Rock’s road marked the landing of Captain Arthur Wakefield in 1841 and the site of the first service held by Bishop Selwyn in Nelson on Church Hill had also been marked.

An investigation for the purpose of marking the site where alluvial gold was first found in the district and where the first gold bearing quartz was mined was also being carried out, the committee reported.