Invercargill - a well endowed city with friendly people
Dorothy - 19/07/02

Invercargill is a city not to be missed. Don't hesitate about the extra travelling, because you will find your visit well worth while. Whenever I visit there one phrase comes to my mind - a solid city built by concerned citizens. The result is unforgettably wide streets, interesting buildings and quality tourist facilities.

Our family's experience has been that the further south you travel in the South Island the more friendly people you will find - and you can't find a more southerly New Zealand city than Invercargill! You will be made to feel at home when you visit.

The early years
Maori visited the Southland area, especially around Invercargill's port at Bluff, for several centuries before the first Europeans came in search of seals in the later years of the eighteenth century. Early in the nineteenth century crews of visiting ships came looking for flax, and from 1829 whalers came to share the bounty in this southern area. The Maori who had settled in the area developed trade with the Europeans selling flax and food. Many of the sealers and whalers married Maori wives and settled in the area. In 1844 Bishop Selwyn visited the area and married a number of these couples.

Invercargill and Bluff founded
Scottish immigrants founded a settlement in Dunedin in 1848 with William Cargill as the resident agent. They moved out from the city in search of farmland and began to settle in Southland. They needed a convenient port, particularly to land sheep and cattle from Australia to stock the new farms. In 1856 the new Governor of New Zealand, Thomas Gore Browne, visited Dunedin and the well-known John Jones, the leader of the community at Waikouaiti, presented a petition to the Governor requesting a port at Bluff. Until Bluff was declared an authorised port of entry farmers landing stock illegally could be fined £100.

After the Governor's visit Bluff was declared a legal point of entry. The Governor also suggested the foundation of a town near the port and proposed that to honour William Cargill who was then the Superintendent of the Province of Otago the new town should be called Invercargill - a unique name.

The surveyor, John Thomson, searched for a site that could be reached by water and could also be a centre for traffic from inland. Invercargill was sited on the Waihopai River near where it joined the New River estuary.

Layout of the city
Thomson laid out the flat site with streets two chains (approximately 40m) wide and named them after rivers in Scotland and the north of England. All the streets were drawn at right angles except the Crescent. 200 acres of land was set aside for lawn and garden at Queen's Park, and an area was reserved for gardens along the banks of the Otepuni Creek. Sports grounds were not forgotten, and Invercargill is well endowed with parks and sport grounds because of the work of John Thomson. He bought land himself and donated sites for churches. He loved the place and lived there in retirement.

An isolated and difficult life for the settlers at first
Life at first in the new settlement in the forest was a struggle for families living in basic huts linked by muddy tracks, and a strong community spirit was built up with families helping each other through difficult times. Mail was brought from Dunedin and in 1857 the first delivery service took nine days to bring the mail - and that was in summer!

Southland becomes a province and sees steady growth
In 1861 Southland became a separate province with a population of 1500, 400 of whom lived in Invercargill. In that same year The Southern News and Foveaux Straits' Herald began publication and this later became the Southland Daily News, to be joined not long after by The Southland Times.

In 1865 the South Island telegraph line reached Bluff, and there was much less delay in receiving news.

In 1870 the separate provincial councils were abolished but the sense of identity in the province remains. If you want to see it in action watch a netball game involving the Southern Sting!

The urgent needs of the town in its early years were improved roads and drainage, but the citizens were also interested in arranging education for the children and cultural activities like music, drama and chess.

There was rapid growth in the town in the 1860s as miners going to or from the Central Otago goldfields came to the town. The naturally cautious settlers took a risk and borrowed money for development. In the 1870s immigration was more organised and a lot of new settlers arrived at Bluff.

A railway between Invercargill and Bluff was opened in 1867. As branch lines were opened picnics by train became very popular. Horse drawn trams took the Invercargill people around the town, but a big change to transport came early in the twentieth century when bicycles became available. This heightened concern about the state of the roads. In 1903 the Invercargill City Council purchased a horse-drawn broom for street sweeping and in 1906 a steam roller. A stone crusher with engine, boiler, elevator and screen was bought in 1907. Invercargill is a flat city like Christchurch and in both cities bicycle transport became very popular.

The Water Tower
From 1861 on improvement to the town's water supply was advocated, but the water works did not open until 1888. The impressive water tower, built in 1889, is 42.5 metres high. It was built on the highest point on the original Town Belt on the south west corner of Queens Drive and Gala Street. Its only duty now is for its water to give sufficient pressure in the water mains in the city if the electric power supply to the pumps were suddenly interrupted.

It continues to be an important landmark and those who climb to the top gain a splendid view over the city. It is open for visitors on Sundays and public holidays between 1.30 and 4,30 pm. At a cost of $1.00 for adults and $0.50 for children visitors may climb the steep 112 steps.

The water tower early in the twentieth century Photo source Gertrude Eaton
		The water tower in the twenty first century

Historic buildings
As the population grew, fine buildings were erected and Invercargill people have ensured that many of these buildings like the Masonic Lodge building still witness to the city's architectural heritage. A walk entitled "Historic Invercargill" is set out in a brochure which gives the history of a number of the city's most interesting buildings.

The Masonic Temple building in Forth Street

Prohibition vote
At the 1905 general election in the vote on prohibition the people of Invercargill voted for No Licences in the city and on 30 June 1906 the retail sale of liquor in the city ceased. Those who really wanted liquor found it at sly grog shops or across the city boundary. The Southland Agricultural and Pastoral Association was given a special dispensation for the annual show each year and some clubs were also given special dispensations, but in the main Invercargill remained 'dry' until at the general election in 1943 the people of Invercargill voted to lift the ban. The votes of the Invercargill men serving overseas in World War 2 were considered to have swayed the vote against prohibition.

The Invercargill Licensing Trust formed
The Invercargill City Council and the South Invercargill Council joined in supporting the proposal for a Licensing Trust with the profits from the sale of alcohol being used in projects to benefit the community. The members of the Trust were at first appointed by the Government and the two councils involved, but later the system was changed and they were elected directly by the people of Invercargill.

The Licensing Trust has a monopoly on the development of licensed premises and associated accommodation in the Invercargill area. It has contributed from its profits to many cultural, sports and welfare bodies, as varied as the Library, the Southland Art Gallery, the Surrey Park Grandstand Appeal, Seniornet, the very successful Southern Sting Net ball team, Rugby Southland, Stadium Southland, The Southland Indoor Leisure Centre, the Operatic Society ....

Education
Following the example of the early settlers, subsequent generations of Southlanders have given prominence to providing educational opportunities for the people through the Eve Poole Public Library, highly reputed secondary schools and the Southern Institute of Technology (SIT).

Southern Institute of Technology
This institution has provided for students an opportunity unique in New Zealand - the Zero Fee Scheme, made possible by funding from the Community Trust of Southland, the Invercargill Licensing Trust, the Invercargill City Council, the Southland District Council, and the Gore District Council. The purpose of the Zero Fee Scheme, was to attract more people to Southland and to Invercargill in part, and has been very successful. People from the north have recently been buying houses, site unseen, as investment properties to house students and the ever increasing population.

More students, new courses
The resulting increase in student enrolments has made it possible for SIT to offer more courses. Its newest innovation is the Postgraduate Diploma in Business Enterprise, a course for graduates who have had five years of relevant experience in the work force and are interested in setting up a new business in Southland.

Cultural centres and parks
Again in keeping with the interests of the early settlers Invercargill people today have supported their museums and their art galleries and their parks are beautifully cared for and colourful.

Queens Park
John Thomson would surely be delighted to see the development of the land he set aside so long ago. It now features for those who love flowers and plants rose gardens, a rock garden, an azalea garden, a rhododendron dell, an indoor winter garden, a Japanese garden and herbaceous borders. One special rose garden featuring old roses and their stories has been developed in memory of Jessie Calder.

The Jessie Calder Memorial Rose Garden at Queens Park

Many statues add to the interest of a visit to Queens Park. The Peter Pan statues and the bronze animals they can climb on have charmed generations of Invercargill children. Judy and Wallace Baillie who helped me with information for this article recalled that their children and now their grandchildren have been photographed on the animals - now a ritual for many Invercargill families.

The Baillie children enjoy the playground Photo source Baillie family

For those who want sporting facilities there are a bowling club, a croquet club, a cricket ground, and a golf course. Children are catered for with a playground and a splash pool.

The Southland Museum and Art Gallery
This unique building has been built on the edge of Queens Park and will catch the attention of all who visit the area as it is in the form of a huge pyramid.

Southland Museum and Art Gallery

A special feature of the museum is the tuatarium inhabited by fifty live tuatara. The breeding programme has been very successful. Tuatara are now found only on the offshore islands or in captivity on the New Zealand mainland. Their environment in the museum simulates their natural environments. Visitors to Queens Park can see the tuatara even when the museum is closed as there is a bullet-proof window in their area through which they can be viewed even at night.

One of Invercargill's tuatara

There are three art galleries featuring frequently changing exhibitions of local, national and international art. One area displays Maori treasures and another focuses on the Subantarctic Islands.

Anderson Park Art Gallery
This gallery was the home of Sir Robert and Lady Anderson who gifted it to the city on their death. The house was designed to be an appropriate setting for Sir Robert's collection of art works and has become a home for a permanent collection of work by some of New Zealand's finest artists.

Anderson Park Gallery

Anderson Park Gallery Maori artifacts were of great interest to Robert Anderson and he included in the garden a replica Maori Whare Whakairo using genuine carved pieces from the Ngati Tarawhai tribe in Rotorua.

Anderson Park
The land around the Andersons' house is now a public park. There was native bush over most of the area when Robert Anderson bought the land, and it is typical of the bush which originally covered much of the plains of Southland. Visitors are recommended to take the walk through the bush on a track suitable for wheelchairs. Trees in the bush include kahikitea, rimu, thin-barked totara, matai and miro.

The gardens in the park offer a magnificent display of colour in spring and summer. There are two rose gardens, one of which is planted in miniature roses.

A focal point for travellers
From Invercargill the traveller can easily carry on to Bluff and go across to Stewart Island, or travel inland to Te Anau, Milford and Queenstown, or follow the coast road through the Catlins, or take SH1 to Dunedin and Christchurch - but more of that in other articles.

In the meantime be sure to explore Invercargill, New Zealand's most southerly city.

The Invercargill City Council supplied many of the photos for this article.