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| Top Photo: Looking south from The Treasury Bottom Photo: Looking west, The Treasury building on the right |
Friday, March 29, 2013
Thames (NZ): Archive progress at The Treasury
Update for 29 March 2013 - there are lines of piles already in the ground and another line in above the ground. I'll let the photos speak for themselves - hope to have some more next week.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Thames (NZ): 1964 Parking Problems
Can you remember when there was parallel parking on both sides of Pollen Street?
Many people were grateful the day the eastern side was changed to angle parking...maybe people today have just become better at parking....It didn't seem such an issue in those slower, quieter days.
The reporter noted: "Vehicles are supposed to be enclosed in the space provided, not half in and half out as are the vehicles pictured."
Ten years ealier the angle parking we know today was coping well with traffic demands.
Many people were grateful the day the eastern side was changed to angle parking...maybe people today have just become better at parking....It didn't seem such an issue in those slower, quieter days.
The reporter noted: "Vehicles are supposed to be enclosed in the space provided, not half in and half out as are the vehicles pictured."
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| Thames Star 7 December 1964 Source copy: Thames Library |
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| Photo c1950: Pollen Street, looking north to Mary Street intersect and Court's Corner on the right |
Monday, March 25, 2013
Thames (NZ): The Treasury Archive Building update
Another major step has been taken today, with the driving of the piles for the new archive building at Queen Street, Thames. The Coromandel Heritage Trust members and supporters will be delighted to see the building now full steam ahead!!! It has been a dream for some time, now the following weeks will quickly see the construction and completion of the building that meets all the latest archive requirements.
A vote of thanks to all who have been involved with this vision - to the stage today where it is becoming a reality!
A vote of thanks to all who have been involved with this vision - to the stage today where it is becoming a reality!
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| Above: Looking south from the present Treasury building towards the site of the new archive Below: Architect's view of the finished building attached to The Treasury  |
Friday, March 15, 2013
Thames (NZ): Miners & the New Zealand Tunnelling Co WWI
For those of you who didn't manage to hear the presentation at The Treasury today on the New Zealand Tunnelling Company - you missed a very informative presentation.
Why is this of interest to THAMES? Many of the men that joined this company were experienced miners, many having come from Thames, or their fathers/other relatives had been on the goldfields from the time they opened. Many of us have generations of miners in the family, some of these men then went to war and were involved with tunnelling projects in World War One.
For more information go to the dedicated New Zealand Tunnelling Company website. Waihi men in particular played a major part in this company and a memorial is planned to remember their efforts.
If you have any family information on men from Thames that were in this company, please can you make contact - as I try and find out more about these Thamesites.
A list of the names of men found with a connection to the wider Thames area can be found here.
Why is this of interest to THAMES? Many of the men that joined this company were experienced miners, many having come from Thames, or their fathers/other relatives had been on the goldfields from the time they opened. Many of us have generations of miners in the family, some of these men then went to war and were involved with tunnelling projects in World War One.
For more information go to the dedicated New Zealand Tunnelling Company website. Waihi men in particular played a major part in this company and a memorial is planned to remember their efforts.
If you have any family information on men from Thames that were in this company, please can you make contact - as I try and find out more about these Thamesites.
A list of the names of men found with a connection to the wider Thames area can be found here.
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| WAIHI'S QUOTA OF THE NEW ZEALAND TUNNELLING CORPS LEAVING THE MINING TOWN LAST WEEK TO GO INTO CAMP AT AUCKLAND: THE CROWD FAREWELLING THE MEN AT THE WAIHI RAILWAY STATION. Auckland Region (N.Z.) Source: ' Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, AWNS-19151014-50-5 ' |
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| SOME OF THE MEMBERS OF THE NEW ZEALAND ENGINEER TUNNELLING COMPANY NEAR THE FIRING LINE IN FRANCE. Auckland Region (N.Z.) Source: Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, AWNS-19170111-41-2 If you have any information in general or on any soldiers from the New Zealand Tunnelling Company, contact the webmaster at the website mentioned above. |
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Thames (NZ): Heritage Week Lectures & Walks
If you live locally, maybe you have already managed to attend some of the events scheduled for the first week of the Heritage Festival.
Have you dropped into the Thames Library yet? and taken a photo of your Thames house - so it can be added to the digital collection.
There are two lectures left at The Treasury, in their series: The Way We Were Lectures.
Tomorrow, Friday 15th March 2013 is Sue Baker-Wilson speaking on the NZ Tunnellers in World War One and Monday 18th March is Dr Caroline Phillips on the archaeology of the Shortland area.
If you want a walk, then Graham Robinson has a tour of Shortland on 17th and 19th March.
Have you dropped into the Thames Library yet? and taken a photo of your Thames house - so it can be added to the digital collection.
There are two lectures left at The Treasury, in their series: The Way We Were Lectures.
Tomorrow, Friday 15th March 2013 is Sue Baker-Wilson speaking on the NZ Tunnellers in World War One and Monday 18th March is Dr Caroline Phillips on the archaeology of the Shortland area.
If you want a walk, then Graham Robinson has a tour of Shortland on 17th and 19th March.
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| Pollen Street, Shortland 1868 Photo courtesy of J Vedder-Price |
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Thames (NZ): Shortland Cemetery & Heritage weeks
The Heritage Festival is underway - Shortland Cemetery has been mowed and cleared. The paths are very dry, thanks to the long hot summer. So if you were ever waiting for the chance to visit and search for ancestors - now would be the time.
There is a tour coming up, for those interested in a guided walk:
Thursday 14th March 5:30pm - 7:30pm Historic Shortland Cemetery Tour
If you want to view just how large this cemetery really is - use the TCDC intramaps website.
Now on the left hand side of the page under MODULES, click CEMETERIES
The page will refresh, then down the bottom right, there will be a drop down list, click SHORTLAND
the page will refresh and you will see the whole Shortland cemetery map..you can zoom in or use the hand symbol to drag the map around. You can also use the bottom tabs to search and get information on burials.
There is a tour coming up, for those interested in a guided walk:
Thursday 14th March 5:30pm - 7:30pm Historic Shortland Cemetery Tour
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| Top Photo: Looking out over the Danby Street, lower section of Shortland Cemetery Lower Photo: Looking up at the Shortland Cemetery from the lower north end |
Now on the left hand side of the page under MODULES, click CEMETERIES
The page will refresh, then down the bottom right, there will be a drop down list, click SHORTLAND
the page will refresh and you will see the whole Shortland cemetery map..you can zoom in or use the hand symbol to drag the map around. You can also use the bottom tabs to search and get information on burials.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Thames (NZ): Miner's Rights
Old copies of the 'butts' of the Miner's Rights book are available at Auckland Archives. A copy of numbers 47-97 are available to view at The Treasury The file number at Auckland Archives is
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| Ranapia Mokena's Miners' Right taken out 23rd August 1867 |
There is a wealth of information on mining at the Auckland Archives, that stretches up to the 1970s.
There are card indexes available in the index room adjacent to the main reading room - that have reference details for each miner and mines they were associated with. Then in Miners Index Books for instance, there are alphabetically listed names of mine applications by surname. The one below is for 1965.
December 2014 update:
Since writing this, The Treasury at Thames have been obtaining copies of many miner's rights
Also remember you can check Kae's Goldminers Index for the years: 1867 - 1872
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