new zealand

History The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, originally known as the Otago Wool Stores, was built in stages between 1872 and 1885 by notable architects Mason and Wales and R.A. Lawson. The initial project was financed by an American merchant and businessman, Henry Driver, who...

History In spite of Dunedin’s falling population throughout the twentieth century, Kenmure Intermediate School was built in 1974. Like most other architecture constructed in that era, the school’s buildings are distinctly modernist; this means the structures adhere to design principles that...

History Monk Cottage, located next door to St. Patrick’s Church, was constructed sometime in the 1860s, when European settlement took place after gold was discovered in the area. The small church, which is listed with the Historic Places Trust, was a community owned church built later in 1873...

History Johnsonville, otherwise known as J’ville, is a large suburb of the city of Wellington, New Zealand. Originally, J’ville was the site of an old Maori track which stretched from Wellington to Porirua and ran through a dense native forest; no native inhabitants resided there until European...

History The Kaiwharawhara stream and its tributaries, which are located on New Zealand’s north island, drain from an area of steep land from Ngaio in the north and the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary in the south. The natural catchment has, however, been altered considerably in recent years as...

History Coastal fortifications were constructed across New Zealand between 1873 and 1944, initially in response to the fear of an attack by the Russians. Prior to this, New Zealanders had been too engrossed in the Maori wars to pay very much attention to threats from larger foreign powers...

History Antonio Hall, listed as a Category 2 Historic Place, is a large abandoned mansion located in Christchurch, New Zealand. Thomas Kincaid, a successful grocery merchant, had construction begin in 1904 on six acres of land, however, the structure wasn't fully completed until 1909. Clarkson...

History Erskine College, located in Island Bay, Wellington, is listed as a Category One Historic Place and is a former Catholic girls’ boarding school. Originally constructed in 1905/06, the building was named the Convent of the Sacred Heart, and it was intended that its structural design be...

History This report looks at some of the abandoned cliff top mansions on the outskirts of Christchurch. The damage to the mansions themselves during the 2011 earthquakes was significant to say the least, and as the cliff itself collapsed it took many of the buildings with it. Although...

History Hamilton Central is New Zealand’s first underground station, although it has been abandoned since 1995. The railway originally ran through the centre of Hamilton and was one of the busiest locomotive areas on the north island. Over the years traffic on the line increased significantly...

History In 1880 the Canterbury Cricket and Athletics Sports Co Ltd. purchased 10 acres of land within an area known as the Lancaster Estate, for £2,841 (approximately £260 per acre). By 1905, however, the Canterbury Cricket Association became the sole owners of the grounds and remained so...

History Church College of New Zealand is a former private secondary school, positioned at Temple View in Hamilton. The site is owned by a Mormon religious and cultural group, and when the school was operational it was run by the Church Educational System of The Church of Jesus Christ of...

History Legend has it that at an infamous junction, “you turned right to Tokanui if you were mad, and left to Waikeria [prison] if you were bad’. Neither, though, were desirable destinationsâ€. Tokanui Psychiatric Hospital opened its doors in July, 1912 and operated up until 1998. The site...

History The Dolls House Strip Bar, as the name likely suggests, was a former strip club based in Christchurch, New Zealand. Following the earthquakes in 2011 the club was closed, due to the considerable structural damaged of the Chancery Complex in which it is located. The club was reportedly a...

History Palmerston North Police Station, originally one of four stations in the city, was completed in 1938 at a cost of £30,000, and operated up until 2005. The existing building was built on the site of the former wooden Victorian era police station and, in keeping up with modernist ideas...