Thames Floods

One of the most frequent event for Thamesites over the years was dealing with regular floods. The principal creeks and rivers often overflowing in times of heavy rain eg. Kauaeranga River, Hape and Karaka Creeks, plus many of the smaller normally minor streams.

1917 Flood - Pollen Street (between Mary and Walter Street intersects)

YES that is a building in the middle of Pollen Street!!! (Photo above). There are photos from the other angle in Postcards taken by E Dunnage.  Also several of the recorded oral histories at The Treasury remembered the time the building next to present Browns 100% was 'moved' by the flood waters.

The Thames Star newspaper is full of accounts of minor and major damage from floods in the area. On 23 February 1917 one such report where a reader is disappointed about the third major flood since Thames was settled and the amount of debris in the Karaka creek that lead to severe flooding in central Pollen Street.

THAMES CEMETERIES

An overview of the burial grounds for Thames can be found at my genealogy site.

One of the first European burial grounds being near the Kauaeranga Pa located at the south end of Mackay Street, by present day Jellicoe Crescent.



Thames Star Newspaper: 29 Sept 1953
(click to enlarge)

The Treasury Journal has several articles on the history of the two main early cemeteries:
Shortland and Tararu Cemetery

Kiwicelts Cemetery site allows you to see location of all the cemetery sites just enter THAMES in location box and then you can explore details of each one and available records.
TARARU CEMETERY:
Location: Tararu Cemetery is approx 3 kilometres north of Thames, on SH 25 as you head up the Coromandel Peninsula. To reach the cemetery there is a track up the hill about 350 metres after the bridge on the north side of Tararu.

SHORTLAND CEMETERY:
Location: On the hills of central Thames, drive up Hape Road, turn right up The Terrace, left up Mount Pleasant to Danby Street.

Early photo of Shortland Cemetery, Thames

The Thames Coromandel District Council has an excellent searchable online index for burial records  for cemeteries all over the Peninsula. Check at the bottom of each page for aerial photo of the selected gravesite. The TCDC has large map plans of the cemeteries, these are also available at The Treasury.

Also I have compiled a pre 1900 database for Tararu and Shortland Cemeteries which relates to the NZSG transcriptions. Full copies of these documents are at the Thames Library and The Treasury.

TARARU DISTRICT HOME

The first aged Mens refuge was on the western side of Baillie Street by Karaka Creek in 1879. Designed for men who were homeless, destitute and without family. At the beginning there was no caretaker but following an inmates death, a caretaker was appointed. A concern was that there was nothing for the men to do and that many would be able to do light work if it was available.

1894 the Charitable Aid Board secured land at Tararu for an Old Mens and Womens Home. The 12 acre property cost equivalent of $70 an acre (ref "Thames 100 years"). Farming was started on the site and continued till 1960. Over the years development was undertaken at the site to many of the buildings. The homes provided vital care for the elderly of Thames and surrounding areas. The home w asrun by the Thames Hospital Board.

Several of the oral histories recorded by the Thames Oral History group have accounts about the Tararu homes.

The home and land is now privately owned and has been completely redeveloped into a facility offering all categories of care, from independent to dependent run by Bupa

Tararu District Homes - Thames

Block 27 Thames

Often researchers are confused when their relatives address is given as BLOCK 27 - a name that was widely used on maps and by residents, for instance when they registered Births, Marriages or Deaths.

The original name for Block 27 was WAITANGIRUA and this name still appears on deed documents.
In August 1885 a Royal commission was opened to look at the tenure of Block 27. (Thames Star 20 Jan 1955 as reported by T Hammond)  The lower line of Augustus Street was noted as being the first line cut in the goldfield and was fenced by Taipari and Mackay in 1867; and ran across to Gibbons Battery at Karaka Creek. There were ongoing queries on land ownership which can be seen in the Thames Star in 1885 ending in the court case in August 1885.

A full report of the 1885 court case can be found online at Papers past, here is an example of one day. An interesting mention in September 1885 that this land known as block 27 was originally designed to be a diggers camp.

The photo below is taken from Sandes Street, just north of the Sealey Street intersect. Augustus Street North is middle left, in the middle is Franklin Street, further up is Richmond Street. In the far left can be seen Shortland Cemetery. See Further street photos here and maps on my main site.

BLOCK 27, Thames (Dunnage Postcard Booklet)





1868 Businesses at SHORTLAND, Thames

Thanks to a report in 1917 by M WHITEHEAD we can travel the streets of Shortland and see the shops that were in existence in those early, goldrush years.  When thousands wandered the often muddy streets to collect provisions and stop for the odd drink or two.

The report was published in The THAMES STAR newspaper 1 August 1917. The person in question being MATTHIAS WHITEHEAD who came to Thames in 1868 and went on to establish his own bootmaking business in Pollen Street (opposite Walter Street).

The writer turns the corner of Grey Street into Pollen Street, past ADLAM's Store, then takes us north past RENSHAW's, BARNETT's DINING ROOMS, FORD's Hotel, BNZ, Bootstore, Mr OTTO's BOARDING House & Restaurant, SHUTLTZ's Auction Mart, Bootstore, Jewellery shop, Bowling alley, PEAK's Butchery, LICHFIELD, OSBORNE & Co Grocery.

We then go back to the other corner of Grey & Pollen Street on the eastern side at BUTT's SHORTLAND Hotel. Northwards onto HAMILTON's Bakery, LEVY & GOLDWATER Wine & Spirits, KARAKA Hotel, MASON's Hairdressing Saloon, MAY the bootmaker, BARNETT & LEVY General Store, CULPITT the saddler, WOOD the tobacconist, CULPITT's Fancy Pastry Shop, PEMBROKE Hotel, WAIT's Stationary & Library, WILLIAMS drapery and HOTEL [Bendigo] on corner of Willoughby and Pollen Street.

Other shops mentioned in the next block were EXCHANGE Hotel, COX's Chemist, BERTRAM the tentmaker, WILSON's drapery and HUME's Butchery.

Shortland, Thames (1870s) taken from corner of Grey & Pollen Streets (looking north), Butt's Shortland Hotel on the right.

Take a few moments to read the newspaper article in full, and imagine walking up both sides of the street - just as M WHITEHEAD did back in 1868.

(This photo and many others of early Shortland available at The Treasury, Thames and online via sources such as Digital NZ)

NEW THAMES HISTORY site - Te Ara webpages

Wonderful new history site with pages covering HAURAKI-COROMANDEL region.

A wide variety of topics covered
Overview,  Geology and landscape, Climate, plants and animals, Māori migration and settlement, Māori and European: 1769 to 1840, Māori society, 1840 to 1920, Kauri timber and gum, Gold mining, Drainage and dairying on the plains, Government and politics, Transport and communications, Population and society since 1910, Sport and culture, Facts and figures, Further Sources

Alot of material, click on the side links from the OVERVIEW page for quick access

The GALLERY page has a quick link to lots of pictures, videos and audio on a wide variety of topics.

So much to explore, there is also a quick link to places in the area including THAMES.

Pre 1900 PIONEER FAMILIES of the wider THAMES area

Did your ancestors settle in Thames Valley/ Coromandel Peninsula area pre 1900?

You may be interested in the Pioneer family collection held at The Treasury, half way down the page is information on the Pioneer Register and some of the names recently added to the collection.

A great way to share information with fellow researchers and make further family contacts. The forms are available here and can be sent in if you are not able to visit The Treasury, Thames.

The Treasury history & research centre, Queen Street Thames

H D DRIVER - early Thames artist

One of the most surprising outcomes from researching early Thames businesses was the number of different types of businesses that were in existence.

For example, there were several people advertising as artists, with pictures for sale and being available for commission work. One of the most famous of the time was H D DRIVER.

H D Driver arrived in Thames late 1870s and appears in street directories up to early 1900s. Numerous advertisements can be found in the Thames newspapers.

One of his most famous paintings was of the Big Kauri Tree, that was later destroyed by fire 4 January 1898.
An article on the tree is online in The Treasury Journal.

H D Driver's painting of THE BIG KAURI TREE, at The Thames Library

Thames HOSPITAL Records

Archives Auckland have a wide variety of records related to Thames Hospital. The catalogue can be searched online at archway.

When you enter THAMES HOSPITAL in the search box, there are hundreds of results, narrow your search options if required. Clicking on the SERIES results you will find a large number of Patient related records: Inpatient Registers, Day registers, Operation Registers to name but a few.

At Auckland Archives there is a card index which makes finding your required patients records even easier.
This card index for Thames Hospital has details for each admission and includes:
Name
Date
Date admitted
Date discharged
Age
and reference eg  ZAAP 15288/2A page 55

You then go to the archives computer to order the correct ledger eg
The ZAAP and 15288/2a goes into the computer to order the ledger and the entry is on page 55

Thames Hospital, Baillie Street, Thames

Postcards of Thames

There are many sources on the internet for ealy pictures of Thames, my favourite are the many  postcards that are in circulation.  Postcards were popular during the late 1800s and early 1900s.

I have many scattered on my webpages, some external links may need updating (apologies for dead links), there are also many on the street views pages (which also have a selection of present and past photos).

Digital NZ is a quick way of looking for images (select images only) and for those able to visit The Treasury, Thames, there is a large collection of photographs.


Thames, from Mt Pleasant, NZ