The Manawatu Estuary has transformed significantly over the last century or more. In the 1800s, the mouth of the Manawatu River reached the sea several kilometres north of where it flows into the sea today. With the arrival of Europeans in the latter half of the 19th century, and the foundation of the town of Foxton, it soon became a bustling port. However, with the strong southward current depositing much sand on the coast a spit has gradually grown and the mouth of the river has slowly moved southwards. Today, it is used by recreational boaties but has long since lost any commercial significance as a port. (more…)
September 29, 2012
Manawatu Estuary: “muddy wasteland” to “Wetland of International Importance”
Posted by envirohistorynz under commentary | Tags: Environmental History, Foxton Port, godwit, Manawatu Estuary, Manawatu River, migratory bird, New Zealand, perceptions of environment, wetlands |1 Comment
May 25, 2012
Bush adventures in Hokowhitu
Posted by envirohistorynz under commentary | Tags: Charlotte Warburton, children and nature, forest destruction, Hokowhitu, indigenous bush, lagoons, Manawatu, Manawatu River, Palmerston North |Leave a Comment
In her 1954 reminiscences of pioneering life in the Manawatu town of Palmerston North, Charlotte Warburton writes about childhood adventures in the bush in the Hokowhitu area, adjoining the Manawatu River.
I grew up in Hokowhitu in the 1970s, not far from the River, but by then there was little sign that anything but the exotic had ever thrived there. (more…)
May 18, 2012
What is a groyne? (And what’s it got to do with environmental history?)
Posted by envirohistorynz under commentary | Tags: Christchurch, deforestation, erosion, flood control, groynes, Manawatu River, The Groynes, Waimakariri River, willows |[2] Comments
Living in Christchurch, I was always vaguely aware of a park in the north-east of the city called “The Groynes”. It seemed an odd, and rather un-illustrious name for a park (given its homonymity with that particular part of the body), but I never took the time to find out what its origin was.
Had I had the curiosity to investigate, I would have found out that “The Groynes” derives its name from large blocks, made from concrete filled woolsacks, which were placed in the (more…)
May 4, 2012
Prehistoric revelations of a Manawatu flood
Posted by envirohistorynz under commentary | Tags: Environmental History, floods, G. E. Coles, Hokowhitu, Manawatu River, moa, moa footprints, survey maps, Terrace End |[4] Comments
When surveyors laid out the Manawatu town of Palmerston North, they were a little optimistic.
An 1878 [see left] and later 1895 survey map shows sections in the suburbs of Terrace End and low-lying Hokowhitu running right up to – and in some cases beyond – the banks of the meandering Manawatu River. However, the multitude of lagoons in the district showed that the Manawatu River must have flooded, and changed its course, many times throughout the centuries, leaving these “cut-off meander” lagoons as evidence. (more…)
March 26, 2012
The town that lost its river: the sad story of Piriharakeke
Posted by envirohistorynz under commentary | Tags: Environmental History, Manawatu River, Horowhenua, Manawatu, Foxton, Piriharakeke, Whirokino Cut, Foxton Wharf, Ngati Raukawa, SORT |[2] Comments
The history and identity of the Horowhenua coastal town of Foxton is intrinsically linked to the Manawatu River. It was once a bustling port town, with ships loaded with flax, timber and other goods travelling down the river and out to markets in Wellington and beyond. While coastal shipping had largely ceased by the early 20th century, the wharf and the river that it served, was an integral part of the town’s identity and economy. (more…)
November 5, 2011
Food basket to floodway: the story of Awapuni Lagoon and Mangaone Stream
Posted by envirohistorynz under commentary | Tags: Awapuni, Awapuni Lagoon, Changing Days and Changing Ways, Charlotte Warburton, eels, European settlement, Manawatu River, Mangaone Stream, Palmerston North, Rangitane, swamp drainage |[2] Comments
A few months ago, I posted the story, The city of hidden lagoons: Palmerston (of the north), which explored the watery history of the Manawatu city of Palmerston North, where I grew up. In particular, the post told a little of the story of the long-forgotten Awapuni Lagoon, which once lay in the south-west corner of the city. This post will add to that story, with the history of the Mangaone Stream, which fed into the Manawatu River in the same area of the lagoon. (more…)
May 25, 2011
Opiki toll bridge: graceful relic of a thriving flax industry
Posted by envirohistorynz under commentary | Tags: Environmental History, flax, flax industry, flooding, Hugh Akers, Joseph Dawson, Makerua Swamp, Manawatu, Manawatu River, New Zealand, Opiki, Opiki toll bridge, stopbanks, suspension bridge, Tane Hemp Company |Leave a Comment
When driving north along State Highway 56 through the low-lying plains flanking the Manawatu River, a traveller cannot help but notice a suspension bridge to the north of the current road, a tall industrial chimney incongruously positioned at the western end of its span [click here to view map]. Now, its suspension wires dangle without purpose, as if suspended in time as well as space, but this graceful structure still strikes a dignified – if somewhat ghostly profile – on the landscape, hinting at an important role it played in the local economy in the not too distant past. (more…)
October 1, 2010
Top search terms for envirohistory NZ
Posted by envirohistorynz under commentary | Tags: disappearing river, envirohistory NZ, Environmental History, Kapiti Coast, Kapiti Island, kokako, Manawatu, Manawatu River, Maori and the environment, Nauru Island, New Zealand, posts, radiata pine, Ruahine Ranges, Scandinavian settlers, search terms, Tui Mine, Waimeha River |Leave a Comment
Search terms (the key words you put in Google or any other search engine to find information about a particular topic) are an important way for readers to find a particular website or web-based article. They tell you a lot about what readers of a website are interested in. And envirohistory NZ is no exception. We are really interested in what our readers are interested in!
So, what are the top search terms that brought internet users to envirohistory NZ? (more…)
August 14, 2010
Top posts for the quarter
Posted by envirohistorynz under commentary | Tags: Lindsay Gow, Manawatu River, mining, New Zealand, Perano, posts, quarter, radiata pine, top 5, Tui Mine, whaling |Leave a Comment
A little late, but hopefully none the worse for it, here are the top five posts for the second quarter of 2010. Two of this quarter’s top 5 were also in the top 5 in the first quarter: Our favourite Californian – the history of the Radiata Pine forestry in NZ came in at number 1 last quarter, while Manawatu River – pollution concerns date back to 1890 came in at number 2. However, this quarter, they have been upstaged by the history of mining story (more…)
January 18, 2013
Ashhurst wetland: the restoration of the wetland that wasn’t
Posted by envirohistorynz under commentary | Tags: archaeological site, Ashhurst, J. T. Stewart, Manawatu, Manawatu River, Otangaki, pa, Pohangina River, Rangitane |1 Comment
Wetlands below Ashhurst Domain, on a site that was once the course of the Pohangina River
Though we often hear about wetland restoration projects, the Ashhurst wetland, on the river flats below the Ashhurst Domain [click here to view location] is not a case of “restoration” in the normal sense. (more…)
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