Hurunui History

The Hurunui District is rich in history where each of our townships that make up the Hurunui district has its own unique story to tell. We have chosen a few of the interesting ones to share with you...

Meaning of Hurunui

It is thought that “Hurunui” was one of two dogs referred to in tradition which were left by Kupe when he left for Hawaiiki via Hokianga. She was the female of the two.

Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools

The Maori were the first to discover the thermal springs when passing through the South Island to settlements at Kaikoura, Oaro, Omihi, Tuahiwi, Kaiapoi and on the West Coast. However, there was never a permanent Maori settlement in the area.  In 1883 the Government Lands Departments took over development of the Thermal Pools area and so began the wonderful history of what is today a multi-award winning tourist attraction.

Hurunui Hotel 

The Hurunui Hotel is famous in New Zealand as it has held its liquor licence continuously since July 1860. The original owner, John Hastie, was granted a conditional licence for the ‘Hurunui Accommodation House’. Conditions included; "that he keep eight beds in four bedrooms; shelter for six horses; provide stock yards for yoking up cattle; provide horses for travellers to ford the river; and also direct strangers to a safe fording place."

George Henry Moore

George Henry Moore amassed one of the country’s largest fortunes on his Glenmark Estate in his day, perhaps the even most valuable in Canterbury. At one point the station covered 150,000 acres of which 81,000 was freehold. It took 7 years to build his home – a ten roomed double storied mansion with a total floor size of 10,000sq ft but sadly it burnt down in 1890 leaving only the foundations which are now covered by vegetation.

Ready Money Robinson

Cheviot Hills Estate was established by William "Ready Money" Robinson in the mid-1800s. His run stretched from the Hurunui River to the Waiau River, out to the Pacific coast and to the Lowry Hills in the west - a total of 33,600ha. In 1893, the Government bought Cheviot Hills and divided the estate into smaller ballot farms to break the hold large run owners had on the fledging nation's rural land. Robinson's 'mansion house' burned down in 1936, the foundations and magnificent grounds are now part of the Cheviot Hills Domain, with the mansion's original front steps now supporting a small cricket pavilion. The manager's house, built in 1865, and the estate’s original bell tower are now part of a private residence.

Mainline Station Café

Originally the Domett Railway Station; it is now converted into a café. Inside the café it is filled with authentic New Zealand Rail memorabilia and has become a museum to New Zealand rail icons and is proving popular with those that visit.

Product Detail

A Spanish style concrete hotel was erected in 1932, replacing the original wooden hotel built by Robert Hood in 1897. Disaster struck the hotel in 1958 when a fire swept through the buildings, completely destroying the old wooden building and severely damaging the existing building. By 1960 the hotel has re-opened, having been rebuilt in the concrete shell left after the fire. Now days it is now a 4+ star Qualmark rated, Silver Enviro Award hotel with a fantastic restaurant.

Queen Mary Hospital

The Queen Mary Centre opened on 3 June 1916 as a hospital for shell shock and neurasthenic patients following the First World War, taking advantage of the nearby thermal waters. The women’s block was opened in October 1926 and a second men’s block in 1940. In its later years, the hospital became an alcohol recovery centre. The hospital is now closed although the grounds provide an insight into its heritage. In November 2010 six hectares of the former hospital site and three of the old buildings were vested to the Hurunui District Council.

Culverden Express

The first railway in Canterbury was opened in 1863 and investigations were made a year later to find the best route for the northern line but due to lack of finances the scheme was shelved until 1870 when a further survey was made. The railway route progressively worked its way north reaching Culverden on 9th February 1886. The Culverden Express was cancelled on 29 January 1939 as passenger numbers had decreased dramatically and it faced competition from the service going north along the coast to Picton.

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Local Identities

Charles Upham (1908 – 1994)

Volunteering for the NZ Army at the outbreak of W.W.II he saw active service in Greece, Crete and North Africa. He was awarded the Victoria Cross after 9 days of sustained and conspicuous heroism, skill and leadership in Crete in May 1941. The bar, or second Victoria Cross, was awarded for battle actions in North Africa in June 1942. A statue located outside Hurunui District Council offices, Amberley was unveiled on 10 December 1997 and depicts Charles Upham ‘the observer’.

Rewi Alley (1897 – 1987)

Farmer, teacher, social reformer, peace activist, writer

Rewi Alley was born in Springfield, in the South Island of New Zealand in 1879. He attended Amberley Primary School, where his father was Headmaster and which has a Hall named after him. There is also a commemorative plaque in Chamberlain Park, Amberley, which was laid by the Rewi Alley Centennial Committee in December 1997.