Thames (NZ): Shortland & Grahamstown on the Map

While the blog has featured maps in the past, the search for those specific to Thames is always of interest when trying to identify past and present locations.

There is a new book at Thames Library that looks at the development of maps related to Aotearoa New Zealand. Signing the Trail by John McCrystal is a magnificent book, although the weakness being the emphasis on the South Island...or maybe I was just hopeful for more related to The Thames!

Be prepared and have  a good magnifying glass handy when reading this book - otherwise you will find it impossible to peruse the information written / marked on the maps.

It was the cover map that intrigued me the most. It is
J. Stuart Reid's Bradshaw guide [cartographic material] : sketch map of New Zealand. The map is labelled 1885 and shows railways, coach roads, steamer routes.

In 1873, the Thames Borough had been formed, principally from the merging of Shortland Town and Grahamstown. Yet on this Bradshaw Guide map the towns of Shortland and Grahamstown are still marked.

Part of the Map:

J Stuart Reid's Bradshaw guide : sketch map of New Zealand. National Library

Searching for Thames Maps

• Search via the National Library and enter terms such as "Thames Goldfield"
• Search via DigitalNZ and enter required area of interest such as "Thames map"
• You may get duplicates, but search directly at sites such as: Sir George Grey Collection at Auckland Libraries.
• For maps from more recent time, The Auckland University has an amazing number of high resolution maps for download.
• Land Information New Zealand has an information page on 'finding maps'.
• The Treasury Archive & Research Centre, Queen Street Thames has a large number of maps principally relating to the Goldfield.
• The Thames Coromandel District Council have online SMART Maps portal that allows the researcher to view a variety of different base maps, while exploring the TCDC area.

This is just a few of the online sites where you can find great maps of the Thames area - if I have missed your favourite, let me know and I'll add it to the list.