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Julius Vogel cartoon

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

This 1887 cartoon by William H. Reynolds shows former Premier Julius Vogel (as a kangaroo) being hounded to the edge of a cliff marked ‘Rack and ruin’ by dogs labelled Extravagance, Borrowing, Deficits and Protection. In the background are huntsmen on horseback.

Steamers at Hokitika, 1866

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

New Zealand in the 1860s – before the Vogel rail boom of the 1870s – was a maritime frontier, a string of largely isolated coastal enclaves linked by sailing ships and steamers. Sea travel was slow, weather-dependent, and often uncomfortable. New Zealand’s rugged coastline, changeable weather, shifting river bars and exposed anchorages claimed numerous ships and lives.

Railway workers at Chain Hills tunnel

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

Railway construction workers at the Chain Hills tunnel, near Mosgiel on the Dunedin–Clutha line, around 1874.

Early railway construction workers

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

While this photograph of railway ‘navvies’ (labourers) was taken some years later, it gives a sense of the working conditions and methods employed during the4 Vogel era. Rail construction in the 1870s relied on muscle power (and dynamite), as workers laboured with pick axes and wide-mouth shovels, disposing of spoil with horse-drawn tip-carts or via a gravity-fed timber chute known as a ‘Chinaman’.

New Zealand's first railway, Christchurch, 1863

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

This painting shows the Canterbury provincial railway’s locomotive Pilgrim during its historic first journey at Ferrymead in December 1863. Painted by the renowned rail artist W.W. Stewart, it captures something of the excitement and novelty of early rail experiments.

Vogel-era locomotive

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

Just after 6 a.m. on 7 September 1878, this Rogers steam locomotive, K 88 Washington, left Christchurch hauling the first train to run on the newly completed railway to Dunedin. When it arrived in the southern city 12½ hours later it received a tumultuous welcome, with the mayor hosting a banquet in honour of the occasion.

Invitation to the Dunedin-Christchurch rail link banquet

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

Toffs and toasts: on 7 September 1878 Dunedin's mayor hosted a lavish banquet to celebrate the arrival of the first train from Christchurch. The completion of this railway was one of the major achievements of the Vogel era.

D-class locomotive

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

Much of the locomotive power on New Zealand's Vogel-era railways was provided by small British-built tank engines like the 2-4-0T D and 0-6-0T F class. D 170, built in Glasgow in 1880, is currently on static display at Helensville.

Turning the 'first sod' of the Temuka-Timaru railway, 1871

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

The first sod for the Temuka to Timaru section of the planned South Island ‘main trunk’ railway was turned by the Mayoress of Timaru, Mrs Cain, at a ceremony on 4 October 1871. By 1879 this railway – one of the great achievements of the Vogel rail-building programme – would stretch all the way from Christchurch to Invercargill.

US military forces in New Zealand map

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

Standing for the Queen at the movies

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

Crowd sitting in the Majestic Theatre, Wellington, to view Finian’s Rainbow, 7 December 1968. Before the main movie started the audience would have been expected to stand for ‘God Save the Queen’.

Lincoln war memorial

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

Prince William at Government House hangi

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

Prince William visited New Zealand in 2010 to open the new Supreme Court building in Wellington. While there, the casually dressed prince enjoyed a hangi with the Governor-General, Sir Anand Satyanand, at Government House on 17 January. The following day he joined Prime Minister John Key at a barbecue at Premier House.

Constitutional reform cartoon

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

The New Zealand public shows less interest than political scientists in constitutional reform. During her long reign, Queen Elizabeth II’s prime ministers have varied from strong monarchists (Holland, Holyoake and Key) to open republicans (Lange, Bolger and Clark).

Queen Elizabeth meeting Queen Te Ātairangikaahu in 1995

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

The Queen meets the Māori Queen, Dame Te Arikinui Te Ātairangikaahu, in 1995, accompanied by Prime Minister Jim Bolger (left) and Minister in Charge of Treaty Negotiations Douglas Graham. During this visit Queen Elizabeth personally delivered an apology from the British Crown to the Tainui people. See related video of this event on Te Ara

Meeting the Queen on HMY Britannia

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

Sir Arthur and Lady Porritt (centre) meet the Queen on board the HMY Britannia. Prince Charles and Princess Anne accompanied the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh on this visit to New Zealand in 1970.

HMY Britannia at Wellington

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

Majesty at sea. For four decades HMY Britannia (seen here at Wellington in 1963) supported members of the royal family while they were visiting New Zealand.

Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Emblem

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

The appropriately shaped Diamond Jubilee Emblem blends the Royal Cypher (‘E II R’) and the St Edward’s Crown from the New Zealand Coat of Arms. The koru echoes the chain of the New Zealand Order of Merit, the chain representing both the role of the sovereign as a link in the New Zealand constitution and the historic links between the Crown and Māori. The mānuka flowers relate to the badge of the Queen’s Service Order (QSO).

Map of South Africa in 1914

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

See enlarged version of this map here. You can also download a hi-res copy as a pdf (4.9 mbs). This map shows the boundaries of the Union of South Africa at the time it entered the First World War in 1914.

Map of Newfoundland in 1914

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

See enlarged version of this map here. You can also download a hi-res copy as a pdf (10.5 mbs). This map shows the Dominion of Newfoundland at the time it entered the First World War in 1914.

Map of British India in 1914

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

See enlarged version of this map here. You can also download a hi-res copy as a pdf (6.9 mbs). This map shows the boundaries and major cities of British India at the time it entered the First World War in 1914.

Map of Canada in 1914

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

See enlarged version of this map here. You can also download a hi-res copy as a pdf (23.6 mbs). This map shows the provinces of the Dominion of Canada at the time it entered the First World War in 1914.

Map of Australia in 1914

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

See enlarged version of this map here. You can also download a hi-res copy as a pdf (18.1 mbs). This map shows the state borders of the Commonwealth of Australia at the time it entered the First World War in 1914.

Map of New Zealand in 1914

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

See enlarged version of this map here. You can also download a hi-res copy as a pdf (1.9 mbs). This map shows the Dominion of New Zealand at the time it entered the First World War in 1914.

Map of the Russian Empire in 1914

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

See enlarged version of this map here. You can also download a hi-res copy as a pdf (3.9 mbs). This map shows the boundaries and major cities of the Russian Empire at the time it entered the First World War in 1914.

Map of the Kingdom of Serbia in 1914

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

See enlarged version of this map here. You can also download a hi-res copy as a pdf (3.6 mbs). This map shows the boundaries and major cities of the Kingdom of Serbia at the time it entered the First World War in 1914.

Map of the Kingdom of Romania in 1916

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

See enlarged version of this map here. You can also download a hi-res copy as a pdf (2.5 mbs). This map shows the boundaries and major cities of the Kingdom of Romania at the time it entered the First World War in 1916.

Map of the Republic of Portugal in 1916

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

See enlarged version of this map here. You can also download a hi-res copy as a pdf (1.7 mbs). This map shows the boundaries and major cities of the Republic of Portugal at the time it entered the First World War in 1916.

Map of the Kingdom of Montenegro in 1914

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

See enlarged version of this map here. You can also download a hi-res copy as a pdf (1.5 mbs). This map shows the boundaries and major cities of the Kingdom of Montenegro at the time it entered the First World War in 1914.

Karori Cemetery memorial lychgate

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

US Marines baseball in Wellington

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

Take me out to the ball game: On 31 January 1943, 20,000 spectators packed into Wellington’s Athletic Park to watch an exhibition game of baseball between two US Marine teams. Read a report from the Evening Post (1 February 1943) on the game.

Map of the Empire of Japan in 1914

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

See enlarged version of this map here. You can also download a hi-res copy as a pdf (10 mbs). This map shows the boundaries and major cities of the Empire of Japan at the time it entered the First World War in 1914.

Map of the Republic of France in 1914

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

See enlarged version of this map here. You can also download a hi-res copy as a pdf (7.9 mbs). This map shows the boundaries and major cities of the Republic of France at the time it entered the First World War in 1914.