The Old Map

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 67, 11 December 1937, Page 7

The Old Map

ROTOPOUNAMU.

Sir, — 1 was iiiterested in youf ac^ Count in to-day's Hefald-iTibilne of tiie ancient map of our distfict uneartlied by tiie Taradale ToWil Board. 1 have never seeil this particiilar relio in question, but 1 anl feeling just a wee morsel elait'voyallt this eveiiing, and would suggest tliat Mr. Guy Harnfiton's block of 90c. Ir. Op. is the bloca at present occupied by the Hawke's Bay Jockey Club's racecourse and others. Also, there are six streets shown on this map— viz., wllat We noW know as Heretaunga street, extending from Havelock North to Jordon's statioii at Fernhill; Karamu road, which is shown crossing tho raiiway Jine at tiie Makirikiri creek at Dr. Moore's place Itaihvay road beiiig non 6st) ; also Avenue road, which extendB for two blocks ; Market street, which finishes whero St. Aubyn street now lieS ; one other street wliich appears to be where Nelson street is now ; also, looklilg Very isolated, aiid finisliing before it l'eaclles Pakowhai bridge, we find wliat is now ihe Maraekakalio-Pnkowbfti road-. On the south-west Side of Heretaunga street, betwccn Karamu aiid Maraekakaho roads, tliere is a blO'ck divided into five sections, innocent of roads of any description and oWUed by J. Boyle 11-2-37 (Hastings Hotel Corner), G, Hamilton, 9O-1-0 racecourse block and probably down to Southampton street, Chapinan 28-2-0 (i'oilnd about where O'Flyn's. blacksmith shop cf.nilt). Ba.ronrl thnt Pffnin. pnrl

ibutting on to Maraekakaho . road, we find S. Roe, 120 acres, The Stortford Lodge section of 102 acreg Js at the time Atill apparently looking for an owner . Any adventurous resideni of this embryo city wishing to make the trip to Napier, a neighbourihg city of some 14 sections and a raiiway station,- could do so by wading the ford where Karamu, bridge is iiow, and - later on dodging or paying the, toll 'extracted by the keeper of the toll gates at Awatoto. Apparently .to denjonstrate to the aboriginal natives of the day that a river coiild be 'crossed without either a boat or a ride on the back of anotlier savage, the&'e hardy pioneerS had built a bridge, This strhclure is wel] and clearly defined on the' map, .and it crosses tlie Tutaekuri. river in the iniportanfc and thriving city of. Meeanee, aud leads to a racecourse that is situated between the said bridge and the old Shamrock Hotel. The Mill which gave the name to "Tiie Mill Paddock'' many, many years after the mill had gone is shoWil opposite Peel's on the iHavelock-iNapier road, at'tlie junction of the Mangateretere creek and the old Ngaruroro river. (Ask any old Havelock -fesident where the "Mill Paddock" is), There is sometliing inside me that turns a bit sick at tbe thought of this piece of ground, l'rom which the life of tho district used to flow out, sold like a piece of coinluon grouiid for farming or orchards, But theu, We are not all buiit alike. It wouldn't do at all. Such, then, Mr( Editor, is so'mewhat of the old map, which shows to some extent "tlie way we have come, the hole in the rock from which we were liewn." — Yours. etc.,

Hastings, Dec. 10, 1937.