The Waima House & Garden

Maurice Claude Kelly 1872-1962

The Waima House (built 1920)

“The house, although he would never admit, even to himself, was the realisation of his dreams. With the drain on his pocket of putting his children through school and university, although they lived comfortably, Maurice had no chance to build up a cash reserve. Now with the children’s schooling completed, Maurice was going to build the house which would state to all Hokianga, his financial soundness and his rightful place in the community.
It would state to all his cousins and inlaws in the south that he was not just “poor Mossie” who had made an unfortunate marriage, but Maurice who with Sarah had produced a family accepted and respected in the county, and now they would be installed in a house superior to the ones possessed by those he would have called “The Auckland Gang.”

It would have a large, a very large sitting room, richly furnished, it would have a large and comfortable kitchen, with all the gadgets and fittings that Sarah could desire, it would have at least four bedrooms. It would have a dining room where he could display to his friends Sarah’s cooking talents and would have an entrance, imposing and spacious…….It had all those things! It also had large lawns, surrounding flower gardens, ample vegetable gardens and orchards stocked with apples, pears plums, peaches and quinces, subtropical fruits, citrus of all kinds, grape vines, and a host of small fruits. It must be emphasised that every plant and tree was the result of Sarah’s work alone, as Maurice was completely useless as a gardener.

Above all, this house would be made of the most superior materials, Kauri for the framing & floors, Rimu for the joinery and trims, Totara for the cladding, and all the plumbing and kitchen fittings would be of the finest quality…..And they were !”



Sarah Kelly 1884-1967 (Great grand daughter of Eru Patuone)

“Her housekeeping skills were legendary. She made all the clothes for her children and herself, her baking of all pastries, cakes, pies, puddings and all things good to eat, was beyond compare, although it is recorded by her daughters that her own high standards did not extend to passing on her knowledge, impatience at their incompetence and stupidity would usually end with her snatching away the task involved and doing it herself. Sometimes when her impatience with Maurice was stretched a little too far she would proceed to address him by his second name Claude, which she knew he hated and was secretly ashamed of, because he thought it was “sissy”

She also, when I knew her, had gardens of about an acre. The vegetable garden took up the major part, and in full summer at the house in Waima, one descended the back steps, down the path between the grapevines dripping with fruit, through the back gate and into the vegetable garden proper. with row upon row of head high corn, with melons twining in and out of the stems, then, a half dozen rows of potatoes, a patch of kumera, odd rows of cabbage, beet, and carrots……in a damp corner a patch of Taro and in this mid summer, the rows of strawberries only hinting at their earlier abundance.

And in all sorts of corners were small fruits, and in every vacant fence line you would find a peach tree, not one of these tasteless highly coloured peaches of today, but a white peach, or a white fleshed nectarine, an odd fig, two or three plums, half a dozen apples, a little grove of tree tomatoes. Past the tank stands clothed in purple passion fruit and onto the lawns surrounding the house with every few yards an orange tree, a grapefruit, a mandarin, lemon trees….. I have not invented any of the plantings, I have missed out dozens.

Of course we have overlooked the flower gardens. Every boundary and house wall had its borders planted with whatever had taken Sarah’s fancy…..for all this was the result of her planning, her planting, her cultivation and her harvesting…..”

Excerpt quoted verbatim from “ They Were New Zealanders” A history of the Kellys of Waima, Hokianga written by Trevor Bayliss, ( Son in law of Maurice and Sarah Kelly ) for the Kelly family. Self published,
Auckland 2001.

The Big House at Waima, for most of the locals now, Waima Lodge, has remained a symbol of European influence in the South Hokianga district.
P.W. Hohepa obliquely refers to it as one of the “superior houses” the unfurnished valuation of which in 1955 was ten thousand pounds (and connected to the electrical grid!) in his 1961 thesis “A Maori Community in Northland” on the social structure of Waima in the 1950’s.

“The House” is also the realization of my dreams.
I feel as if some of the design and location ideals and values that I hold were shared by Maurice Claude. We were also in similar stages of life, Maurice was 48 years old when he had the house built by McMillan in 1920. I was 48 when I bought the house with Julie in 2005.
Although I am clearly a more practical person than Mossie (as he was affectionately known) Maurice loved and demanded quality. I’m glad he did.
I have now completed the restoration of 3 villas. Of the two previous, one was in Helensville and the other in Grey Lynn, both were box villas of the type sold in kit set form by the Kauri Timber Company prior to the First World War.

Harmen R Hielkema.

Julie and I write ourselves into the history of Waima Lodge

SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW


By Julie Holton & Harmen Hielkema

Ka riro he au heke, e kore e hoki ki tóna mátápuna anó.
The flowing current moves on and will never again return to its source.
(We will not get a second chance)

Kura-pae a Máhina.
The red ornament of Mahina.
(One man’s rubbish may be another’s treasure)

Are our current lifestyles really achieving our long-term expectations of wellbeing, health, wealth and prosperity?

Lifestyle seems to be a much overused and sometimes misused term, implying much more than it really means and perceived by many to be the indulgence of a privileged middle class rather than a birthright for all. Julie and I are of that age group and educational level where we, as with many of our contemporaries, are seeking to live closer to our personal truth.

As a lecturer in design at the Auckland University of Technology I tended to lace my design teaching with an emphasis on ecological sustainability in the timeless way. As time went by I felt more and more hypocritical of our theoretical approach to teaching and learning, particularly in regard to the way in which we were living from day to day in Auckland City. Eventually a day came when our discontent and inner tension became too strong to ignore.

Health may well be one of our greatest assets. Without a fully functioning immune system, wracked with doubt & anxiety, stress, sleeplessness, chronic pain and illness, low resistance to viral and bacterial infection, life can be difficult and joyless. Long term depression and low-grade performance are a vicious, negative spiral from which it can be difficult to extricate one’s self.

Julie and I were aware of what was happening to us. We had been suffering the effects of chronic illness and the conventional medical prognosis for both of us was very poor. It was this more than anything that decided us on a drastic course of action to change our lives before the opportunity (and our energy) passed us by.

We visualized our new lifestyle and chose our new property using a mixture of logical analysis by way of a long list of criteria (which the property met by over 90 %) and intuition. We responded strongly to our feelings of “rightness” as I maneuvered the curser with growing excitement over the web page featuring our home to be. My arm and right shoulder prickled with goose flesh as we read the land agent’s description, which on reflection feels more as though the house chose us.

Our criteria comprised of a list that Julie & I agreed to compile independently. We merged the two lists and found that we valued similar things. Our criteria included things like:

Our next property had to be fertile, well-drained and north facing, preferably coastal, with a view (or at least near mountains) and/or a river. The property needed to be in an area where we had access to our families and guests without having to fly, preferably within half a day’s drive of Auckland. We wanted an established garden with fruiting trees, a good quality dwelling suitable for our business plan (operating a hosted luxury lodge) and it had to have a workshop. The house needed to be in sound condition with plenty of character. Bonus criteria included open fires x 2 a wetback fire, solar water heating, a bore, roof and river water, an ancient water pump and reticulation system and a generator house plus proximity to broadband connection.

We used all the research tools available to us to find what we were looking for. Internet, real estate catalogues and tips from friends and family. Our year long search lead us to a property in the South Hokianga district of Northland in a small rural Maori community called Waima where we purchased an old kauri and totara villa on 2.25 hectares of rural land with a river boundary. We put our Auckland home on the Market and, after a successful sale we resigned our jobs and moved north.

The winding down of our Auckland existence was quite a wrench with unexpected resistance from surprising quarters, the shock news of our resignation was met with cheers from our colleagues as if we had somehow made a great escape from a concentration camp. They remarked on how brave they thought we were. Our families took some time to adjust to the idea however, they could see that the change was well considered so they trusted our decision to make that change. To be truthful we were suffering from anxiety for all the reasons that people have experienced when they let go of their safety lines and plunge into the unknown.

Packing up our belongings and loading them on a truck takes no time to describe and words simply cannot convey how we felt as we creaked and groaned our way northward in the teeth of a June gale laced with driving rain in our overloaded vehicles. We arrived in the dark and bogged the van on the lawn. My first step onto our new property was into a cowpat, one of many of the infamous free-range and feral animals we were to encounter in Waima.

Julie and I have both come from diverse working backgrounds both finally settling in careers that suited our natures by trial and error, see our website for more of that story www,waima_lodge.co.nz. This random and varied career path had given us skills and insights that have proven very useful in our lives together today. Cues and clues to the story of our journey describing the steps we took to where we are today are scrawled on the pages of several journals full of lists and drawings of things to buy and projects to complete. Writing lists with clear achievable goals and checking them off after completion is both rewarding and essential to our getting this far together.

We had written a detailed business plan relying heavily on the knowledge we gained from learned theory and bitterly bought from our successes and failures in our previous endevours. We sought expert advice from our accountant and bank manager. We thoroughly researched the history and geography of our chosen area and its suitability to our new lives.

The restoration and refurbishment of Waima Lodge took careful planning, patience, skill, hard work and determination to reach this stage. Among the challenges was the modification of the old building to suit a modern way of life. The house had been built to the highest possible standards of design, workmanship and materials and as a result was sound and perfectly suited to its location and the needs of its first owners in 1920. The passage of time and the neglect of subsequent owners had taken its toll. We replaced all the plumbing & wiring, refitted all 4 bathrooms, the kitchen & redecorated the entire interior. We installed insulation in the ceiling and under the floor, redesigned & rebuilt the solar water heating system and redesigned & installed a wood fired wetback radiator, heating system. Most of these were features that were in the house when we bought it though they were under performing or not working at all. An H.R.V. ventilation system provides low cost dehumidified ventilation and has transformed the atmosphere of the house.

We have relied heavily on sourcing recycled materials in order to maintain the integrity & quality of the build and keep costs as low as possible, for this reason we have undertaken most of the work ourselves though we have brought in outside specialist help in the form of electricians, plumbers and painters when the need arose.

During the course of this 3-year project, I have come to realise that the house and garden in its present form at Waima was the result of people whose lifestyle was ideally suited to their needs at the time. It afforded them and their extended family the necessaries of life throughout the great depression and the Second World War. On the site were two large diesel DC generators, a ground water bore, a river fed water source and an efficient roof water collection and reticulation system. The garden was planted extensively in fruiting and nut bearing trees, grapes & passion fruit. They kept chickens for eggs and meat and cultivated a large kitchen garden of vegetables and herbs.

There was abundant wildlife in the surrounding area including fish, fowl, hares, rabbits, pigs & goats. There was some reliance on trade, goods and services from the local town of Kaikohe, which at first, was met with the use of a horse and buggy and later replaced with a motorcar. No provision was ever made on site for a crossing or facility for a car in the form of driveway or garage, which says something of their attitude and relationship to the car! We benefit from the foresight of Maurice and Sarah Kelly and pay them the respect they deserve by collecting, recording and telling their story, which is a very important one in the history of the Hokianga.

Over the past 3 years we have partially tamed an enormous Capability Brown style garden, re-established the vegetable gardens, we have a flock of chickens, we preserve spray-free orchard produce and Waima Lodge (now the home of Harmen and Julie) is up to a standard that Maurice and Sarah would be proud and pleased to see, right down to the original colour scheme. Coincidently Maurice was the same age as I am now (50 years) when he completed the Waima house project in 1920. As a result of our hard work, clean water, air & organic home grown produce, our health has been restored to a very high level, which allows us to feel and fully appreciate the quality of life that we knew we were entitled to.

We have replaced our petrol line trimmer with a scythe, a tool that is more efficient than its modern counterpart and is proving to be better for our selves and the environment in which we live. We use our car as little as possible and carefully plan outings to coincide with as many errands as we can fit into a day. Further initiatives relating to the creation of our own energy and further refining our systems continue as time and money allow.

We over ran our budget for this project by a factor of 10 with unforeseen expenses and problems with electrics and plumbing. Also our expectations and fortunes have changed with the ups and downs of the local and global economy with the consequential slowdown in the tourism industry. We have adapted by continuing to search for alternative sources of income including hosting special dinners for the local community, art, music (we both play music for our guests and neighbours) and other creative projects, which continue to grow apace.

On a positive note we now have the opportunity to share our lifestyle with our local and international guests for our mutual benefits. Where pale exhausted visitors arrive they leave us revitalised from their stay with us, enthused that they too can choose to make the changes necessary to their lives. Several of our friends and colleagues were inspired by our move and made similar changes themselves. Perhaps change only occurs once we have made the decision to apply what we (and our ancestors) have learned over many lifetimes to our attitudes, behaviour & actions.

Whilst after three and a half years we still cannot say with any certainty that our activities will sustain us in the long term we continue to strive to that end. Would we recommend that others do what we have done? Of course, yes! Only be sure that you do this for the right reasons for you. Choose carefully, you may just get what you really want.

"The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes." Marcel Proust.

It has been slowly dawning on me that the story of the Kelly family and their way of life in Waima is a blueprint for our own lives, a step back… to the future.
(For more of the Kelly story go to; http://waimalodgekellys.blogspot.com/)

Harmen Hielkema

Harmen Hielkema and Julie Holton on the sun porch at Waima 2009

Editor’s Note:
The extraordinary growth of “Lifestyle Blocks” over the last decade has spawned a supporting system of magazines and books extolling a kiwi version of The Good Life. In that time more than 60,000 lifestyle blocks have been developed, mostly around the urban fringes with many of their budding Richard Briers and Felicity Kendals seeking a more sustainable life, free from the stresses of the corporate world.

The 1975 British sitcom followed on from the (first) 1974 oil crisis, and marked a kind of watershed for many viewers reaching their midlife and concerned for the first time about living “outside the system”. In their home in Surbiton, Tom and Barbara Good pursue a sustainable life, digging up their front and back gardens and turning them into allotments, growing and bottling their own fruit and vegetables, raising chickens, a goat and a rooster. They generated their own electricity, using methane from animal waste, and they even attempted to make their own clothes. They also worked at selling or bartering surplus crops for essentials which they could not make themselves as they tried to cut their monetary requirements to the minimum with varying success.

Part of the reason for the show’s success lay in the fact that even then, significant numbers of the viewing audience could see the sense and need to reduce consumption and to conserve fragile and finite resources, to live more holistically. That awareness is now even more widespread and has partly fuelled the dramatic shift to the country. Here, Julie Holton and Harmen Hielkema share their own experiences of that shift from an inner city professional life to an old totara and kauri villa on two and a quarter hectares with a dream of turning it into the sustainable B&B now known as Waima Lodge..

Tony Ward

"Organic Explorer"

"They Were New Zealanders." by Trevor Bayliss

Please click on each page to get a larger view

























Reproduced by kind permission of Trevor and Marjory Bayliss and the Kelly family representative Deborah Robertson.
In obtaining permission to publish this material I was asked by the Author to omit pages that contained personal family information hence the missing pages.

Kelly family snaps of Waima Lodge house and garden

Trevor Bayliss the Author of the book "They were New Zealanders" featured in this blog,
watering his flowers in front of Waima Lodge 1n the mid 1930's.























Looking south east across the Waima lawn over the recently planted rose circle dug by Trevor Bayliss




















Waima Store 1962 originally M.C. Kelly Store
The first Waima store was established by William Satchel after he had been put off his land holding in the 1880's. The old Bedford school bus was one of a small fleet & part of Maurice Kelly's empire along with the motor garage and post office all run by members of his family.















The Waima House as it was in 1972 when it was sold out of the family for the first time since it was built in 1920.
















A view from the Wesleyan Mission House at Waima Moehau looking back toward the Waima Range.

















Sarah Kelly outside the front gate of her Waima home.















Maurice and Sarah with family & friends in the Waima House dining room on the occasion of his 90th birthday.
















Cutting the Cake Maurice and Sarah on his 90th birthday.























All Three daughters were married at Waima.
although this image is of Maurice with either a sister of Sarah or a close family friend.

















Members of the wedding party at Waima, the palms are now 30 meters tall!























Maurice Arthur Kelly inspects his mother's garden. Arthur was their first born at Pakenae in 1908.













































Audrey Kelly with Kidd? on the front steps of the Waima House.
















Audrey Kelly's wedding party


















The great pounamu adze that was gifted to Sarah Kelly by John Webster of Opononi
was used as a front door stop in Sarah's Waima house for as long as she lived there.
now in the family collection of Trevor and Marjorie Bayliss.

An adze of this size is of enormous value both in terms of  historic and monetary.
It's gifting to the Kelly's suggests great trust and friendship.

Add caption

From Jeff Pyle's excellent site "Early New Zealand Post Cards."  HOKIANGA POSTCARDS - WAIMA LODGE
HOKIANGA POSTCARDS - WAIMA LODGE
From: Harmen Hielkema
Date: 18/12/2008 6:18:20 a.m.
To: JdPyle@xtra.co.nz
Subject: Old NZ Post card Hi Jeff I happened upon you wonderful BLOG and hoped you may be interested in my message. We have an historic home in Waima Hokianga called Waima Lodge, see The people who first built this place were Maurice Claude and Sarah Kelly see Waima Lodge BLOG Attached is a scanned image of a postcard featuring Sarah which I would like to submit for inclusion on your site.

Have you seen this post card before? Can I obtain an original? I have copied this one from a family collection which is the only one they have. They have given me permission to publicly display this image. Sarah was the grand daughter of Eru Patuone and her mother was Kararaina Hohaia Welsh her father John Welsh of Hokiamga. Maurice Claude Kelly was the grandson of Maurice Kelly of the Wade River Silverdale who was NZ's first centenarian and established the Wade River Hotel currently owned by Wayne "Buck" Shelford. Any assistance you can give me would be greatly appreciated. Best Harmen Hielkema

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Kind regards Julie Holton & Harmen Hielkema
Waima Lodge Guesthouse
Hokianga, Northland
New Zealand
Ph. 09 405 3808
Email: Waima LodgeWAIMA LODGE
Waima Lodge Fine Dining menus:
Harmen's Art BLOG:
Outrigger canoe BLOG:
Harmen's Music BLOG:

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Hi Harmen, Thanks for your interesting email and very interesting links. Unfortunately I don't have the jp2 reader installed so couldn't view the image sent. If you could send in in JPG or GIF form it would be appreciated. I will do further research (from my own library) for a full article (with links to your excellent sites). My son-in-laws family has very close ties with all your area through his mothers family Tane - and there fathers/grandfather/ ggfather Mekene Tane Hohaia - Tanekopati Hohaia and their ancestral and family lands up there. I also have a close friend who has recently just taken over the Masonic Hotel, Rawene who I hope to visit early next year. Our website can be viewed at www.jeffpylenz.com and our webshot albums at http://community.webshots.com/user/jeffpylenz (links also available from own website - front page or from the Site Map page (bottom link to thumbnail views) Thanks again - Hope to hear from you.
Cheers Jeff

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From: Harmen Hielkema
Date: 18/12/2008 2:04:33 p.m.
To: Jeff Pyle
Subject: Re: Old NZ Post card Hi Jeff Thanks for your prompt reply I'll re format and reattach the image of Sarah. How about that, it's a small world especially in the Hokianga! The Hohia connection will mean family for sure.

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Hope you can open this one. Best Harmen Hi Jeff Here is the jpeg again in 4 different formats. From: Harmen Hielkema
Date: 19/12/2008 9:18:18 a.m.
To: Jeff Pyle
Subject: Re: Old NZ Post card Hi Jeff Did any of those attachments open for you? The image is the same one on the header of my BLOG "They were New Zealanders". Waima Lodge Sarah Kelly was photographed in that image around 1918 She'd been married for 10 years and had 34 children. They were living in Pakenae Hokianga at that time. Merry Christmas Harmen

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From: Jeff Pyle
Date: 19/12/2008 9:31:16 a.m.
To: Harmen Hielkema
Subject: Re: Old NZ Post card Hi Harmen, Yes thanks, actually got a copy off the BLOG as well before I realised it was the same one. Doing some research at the moment to see if I can uncover additional information. Will let you know what I find. Found your sailing & art very interesting. Always loved my own fishing as our family (My grandparents - Pyle) had the homestead on the waterfront at One Tree Point (Marsden Point area - as they owned almost all the land around here prior to present day development ) and still owned by cousins. Caught many types right up to Stripe & Blue marlin, tuna (all sorts - Vanuatu), sharks etc Cheers Jeff
From: Jeff Pyle
Date: 9/01/2009 6:13:25 a.m.
To: Harmen Hielkema
Subject: Re: Old NZ Post card Hi Harmen, Still working on an article, but perhaps you could supply me a few more details to assist me in my research. The photograph of Sarah Kelly. I presume it is a real photo card (photograph size of postcard) On the back what does it have. (Important if you know - usually had printed title of photographer and firm.) I suspect if it was a real photo postcard ( It may have been produced in 10-20 for family members) As you are probably aware - the north (anything the other side of the Auckland Harbour to North Cape hardly ever appeared on postcards between 1890-1910 as photographers that produced postcards did not seem to visit this area (even though it was the earliest area settled by Europeans and had many attractions. Remote? To those settlers in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch which had become the major ports of call to visitors to NZ) There is quite a bit of information on-line on the family side - Life and Times of Patuone And if you view the Northward photograph collection ( these may be the only real photographers of the area during this period of interest) you may spot something to connect Waima and the area. "Northwood Collection, Alexander Turnbull Library" There are 833 images to view here - well worth browsing through. ( Use Google to find)NATIONAL LIBRARY use the search button top right OK for now.
Cheers Jeff

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From: Harmen Hielkema
Date: 9/01/2009 9:19:17 a.m.
To: Jeff Pyle
Subject: Re: Old NZ Post card Hello Jeff It is so refreshing for me to get such a helpful and comprehensive answer from you. I have met my match at last! I believe that you could well be right in suggesting that the card was made in a limited edition for family members given the vogue that you described in your earlier message for post cards among families at that time. I have roughed out a copy of the reverse side of the card in word (with some lines drawn in) attached. I'm certain that this is all that appears on the original, no photographer's name or studio. I only have a digital scan of the front photograph of Sarah and a poor photo copy of the reverse side. I do know that the Kelly's had strong links with Auckland as Maurice Claude Kelly, Sarah's husband, was born in High Street and most of his family remained in Auckland with the exception of his grand father Maurice Kelly senior of the Wade River, Silverdale. It is possible that the photo came from an Auckland studio. Mt Eden is one place that links Sarah with Auckland. She visited a friend there over the course of her lifetime and died there in 1967. I do know that the print was made in 1917. This is the best i could do.

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I am very grateful for the links you have provided to other related information which I will search through shortly. Best wishes to you. Hope to meet up should you ever come our way, you are most welcome. Best Harmen R Hielkema

REVERSE

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From: Jeff Pyle
Date: 9/01/2009 5:27:10 p.m.
To: Harmen Hielkema
Subject: Re: Old NZ Post card OK Harmen, I would say that this postcard was done in a very limited run for family. It is what is called a RP Postcard (Real Photo postcard) and a large number can be found especially depicting social events such as portraits, events, etc I did a search for Auckland photographers (as I knew they existed on-line through the Auckland Library) and came up with 850 photographers have operated in Auckland. I then narrowed it down to these below from the information you supplied. Some interesting ones even though some of these can be narrowed down even further. Take a look at the list below and their information.

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MT EDEN PHOTOGRAPHERS OPERATING 1917 <> [99 of 850]
Name Redfern, George

Sex Male
Studio address Shortland Street, Auckland Central, Auckland City 1860s?;93 Queen Street, Auckland Central, Auckland City 1873;193 Queen Street, Auckland Central, Auckland City 1873;Top of Queen Street, Auckland Central, Auckland City 1875;Opposite the Fire Bell, Queen Street, Auckland Central, Auckland City 1876;Hazard Street, Russell 1885/6;Parawai 1893 Known years of operation 1860s 1873 1875 1876 1885 1886 1893 1900 Source Chapman's Auckland Directory 1873; Wise's NZ Directory (1875/6), p16; Southern Cross 2 December 1876 (Auckland Trade Directory); Wise's NZPO Directory (1885/6), p846; 1893 Electoral Roll; Main, Auckland through a Victorian Lens (1977), pp169,170; C O Davis, The Life and Times of Patuone (GNZ 995.309PAT); New Zealand Herald 5 February 1901, 31 October 1945; Hill's Index; NZSG Cemetery Records; Auckland Area Passenger Arrivals Index; R E King, Tauhinu: A History of Greenhithe (1984), pp86-7; Cyclopedia of Samoa (1907; pr 1987), p102. Remarks George Redfern "artist" died at Greenhithe on 3 February 1901, aged 57 (NZH 5 Feb 1901), and is buried at Albany. The 1900 Eden electoral roll identifies him as a photographer living at Hellyer's Creek near Birkenhead, and it can be inferred from the roll that his wife was Alice Mary Redfern (nee Sturge). She died on 26 October 1945, and her obituary indicates that after their marriage (at Mangonui) in 1872, the couple lived at Russell, Paparoa, and Thames, before settling in the Greenhithe area around 1899. In fact, the evidence of Hill's Index suggests residence in Newton in 1874, and Mt Eden in 1876, moving to Paparoa by July 1879. Wise's NZ Directory for 1875/6 lists Geo Redfern "artist" at Shortland Street, with a house at Eden Terrace. According to Platts, he exhibited at the Society of Artists in Auckland in 1875. He was probably the "Mr. Redfern"who set up his apparatus to photograph the transit of Venus in December 1874. Redfern was an Albertlander who arrived alone on the Matilda Wattenbach on 8 September 1862. Other members of his family came on the William Miles on 12 November 1862. Despite having land at Paparoa, like many Albertlanders he seems to have stayed on in Auckland, setting up a studio in Shortland Street soon after arrival. A photograph by G Redfern prefaces the book 'The Life and Times of Patuone' by C O Davis, printed in Auckland in 1876. As Patuone died in 1872, Redfern was clearly operating before that date. In 1873 his rooms were "over Mr King's Chemist" in Queen Street (Evening Star, 1 March 1873), and in 1874 he was offering to sell Webster and Page negatives after "the late fire" (Southern Cross 26 May 1874), which had destroyed his studio (Evening Post, 20 April 1874, p2). These he had acquired by his purchase of James Cater's studio and business in May 1874 (Southern Cross, 2 May 1874, p1), which Cater himself had bought only in December 1873 (Evening Star, 2 December 1873, p2). In 1875 he moved to purpose built premises at the top of Queen Street (Southern Cross, 5 March 1875, p1). (The move coincided with the appearance of C H Watkins in Shortland Street, who described his business as "Late Redfern's".) It is most likely here that he employed A J Tattersall as an apprentice (Cyclopedia of Samoa). Around 1899 he was burnt out of studios over a Chemist's shop in Symond's Street. This was said to be the 2nd time that his business had been ruined by incendiarism, and it was at this point that he moved to Greenhithe. It is possible that he spent some of the intervening period at Paparoa , as the 1881 electoral roll (Marsden) lists him as a farmer there. This contrasts with the 1882 Return of Freeholders of Land which describes him as a photographer at the same time crediting him with 197 acres of land. Main lists: a George Redfern operating in Auckland in the 1860s, a W Redfern in 1878 and Richard Redfern (George's brother) in the 1880s. Also Taylor and Redfern (1869-1870), W W Taylor "late Taylor and Redfern" at Queen Street, Auckland and Helensville from 1870, and Arnold's "late Redfern's" at Queen Street 1889/1890. Adverts (Auckland) Evening Star, 1 March 1873 Evening Star, 29 September 1873 Southern Cross, 5 March 1875, p1

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Name Kelly and Co (firm)

Studio address 9 High Street, Auckland Central, Auckland City 1950/1, 1956 Known years of operation 1950 1951 1956 Source Wise's Auckland PO Directory (1950/1), P1031a; Wise's NZPO Directory (Auckland) (1956), p1341. Remarks Listed as Kelly Studios (1956).

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Name Foley and Kelly (firm) Studio address Auckland Source H Knight, NZ Photographers: a selection (1981), index. Remarks No dates.

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Name Muir and Moodie (firm) Studio address Moray Place East, Dunedin 1902, 1911/12;Hall of Commerce, High Street, Auckland Central, Auckland City 1912;129 Princes Street, Dunedin 1915;Invercargill 1911/12;Balclutha 1915 Known years of operation 1902 1909 1911/12 1912 1915 Succeeded Burton Brothers Source Wise's NZ Directory (1902) p2045; NZ Gazette 1902 (no.3), p49; Wise's Buyers and Sellers of Australia, Tasmania and NZ (1911/12), p138; Auckland Directory (1912), p1519; Wise's NZPO Directory (1915), p2136; Main and Turner, NZ Photography from the 1840s (1993), pp24-5; H Knight, Photography in NZ (1971) pp85-87; NZ Journal of Photography, Feb 1996, pp5-8; Main and Jackson, "Wish You Were Here" (2005), pp44-47. Remarks Formed by Thomas Muir and George Moodie, both ex-Burton employees. They specialised in outdoor work and had moved into printed postcards by 1900. Wise's NZ Directory (1902) p2045 lists Burton Bros 'now Muir and Moodie'. The bulk of their glass plate view negatives were purchased by the Dominion Museum in Wellington in the 1940s. Exhibited at the Christchurch International Exhibition 1906/7 (Official Record, p304). Patent (no.14366) for playing cards with photographic reprductions submitted 19 December 1901. Adverts NZ as a Tourist and Health Resort (1902), p168 NZ as a Tourist and Health Resort (1905), p178 NZ as a Tourist and Health Resort (1909), p194 How to Travel in NZ (1913), p124

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Name Ring, James Claude Sex Male Studio address Tadema Studios, 36 Karangahape Road, Auckland Central, Auckland City 1917, 1919, 1920;222 High Street, Christchurch 1925, 1932, 1937, 1939, 1941, 1948/9, 1952 Known years of operation 1917 1919 1920 1925 1932 1937 1939 1941 1948 1949 1952 Source WW1 Nominal Rolls; Auckland Directory (1917), p1440; Wise's NZPO Directory (1925), p2461; Wise's NZPO Directory (1932), p2276; Wise's NZPO Directory (1939), p2605; Wise's NZPO Directory (1941), p2720; Wise's NZPO Directory (1948/9), p2255; Wise's NZPO Directory (1937), p2478; Wise's NZPO Directory (1952), p1945; DNZB. Remarks The WW1 nominal rolls give the following details - RING James Claude; Second Reserves; Last NZ Address - 86A Sarsfield St, Ponsonby, Auckland; Occupation - Photographer; Classification C [married, 1 child]. Probably James Ring's son, Claude (see DNZB). Manager of the Tadema Studios c1917-1920. Died 1971? Probate records at Archives NZ (Chch) (CH1451/1971).

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Name Kempthorne, Prosser and Co (firm) Studio address Albert Street, Auckland Central, Auckland City 1902,1911, 1912, 1917, 1922/3;Victoria Street, Wellington 1902;Jervois Quay, Wellington 1902;High Street, Christchurch 1902;Stafford Street, Dunedin 1899, 1902;Auckland 1915, 1925;Wellington 1915, 1925;Christchurch 1915, 1925;Dunedin 1915, 1925 Known years of operation 1902 1911 1912 1915 1917 1922/3 1925 Source Stone's Otago and Southland Directory (1899), p606; Auckland Directory (1911), p1433; Auckland Directory (1912), p1519; Wise's NZPO Directory (1915), p2136; Auckland Directory (1917), p1441; Auckland Directory (1922/3), p1795; Wise's NZPO Directory (1925), p2461. Remarks Photographic Stock Importers Photograph of the interior of their Auckland warehouse in G E Alderton, "Resources of NZ" (Dec 1897), p43. Adverts NZ as a Tourist and Health Resort (1902), p152

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Name Nash, Percival Frederick Sex Male Studio address 12 Short Street, Linwood 1915;Safe Deposit Buildings, High Street, Auckland Central, Auckland City 1932;2nd floor, Mahony's Buildings, 38 Shortland Street, Auckland Central, Auckland City 1935/6, 1937/8;38 Shortland Street, Auckland 1937;Whitianga 1950/1, 1956 Known years of operation 1915 1932 1933 1935/6 1937 1938 1950 1951 1956 Source Wise's NZPO Directory (1915), p2136; UBS Directory (Auckland and Suburbs) (1932), p166; Wise's NZPO Directory (1937), p2478; UBS Directory (Auckland and Suburbs) (1937/8), p363; Wise's Auckland PO Directory (1950/1), P1031a; Wise's NZPO Directory (Auckland) (1956), p1341. Remarks Photographs of Murawia Beach in NZ Sporting and Dramatic Review, 6 Dec 1933, p33- Commercial photographer 1935/6, 1937/8 R F Nash (1937/8) Died c1952. Commercial Photographer. Probate records held at Archives NZ (Auckland) (no.1787/1952).

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Two searches I used were High Street and Mt Eden - then selected ones of interest and ones operating around 1917. James Ring and Muir and Moodie are the most likely candidates as they produced a lot of postcards and would obviously do studio prints to RP cards. James Ring was a superb photographer and one can find some postcards even today (article on my site) I seem to remember being told when in Wanganui in August that some of his negatives are in the Whanganui Museum. No-one has done a listing of the private images of Muir and Moodie (I have a couple of books on them and their postcards - commercial production. From the remarks above - a search through the Wellington Museum (Now Te Papa) could be useful. One may find other family studies if they are there.. "Formed by Thomas Muir and George Moodie, both ex-Burton employees. They specialised in outdoor work and had moved into printed postcards by 1900. Wise's NZ Directory (1902) p2045 lists Burton Bros 'now Muir and Moodie'. The bulk of their glass plate view negatives were purchased by the Dominion Museum in Wellington in the 1940s." George Redfern - I have added as his connection to Patuone See there were even some Kelly's as photographers. Cheers Jeff

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From: Harmen Hielkema
Date: 9/01/2009 7:26:23 p.m.
To: Jeff Pyle
Subject: Re: Old NZ Post card Hi Jeff I'll forward this information on to the family as Sarah's two youngest daughters are still coherent Audrey at 87 and Marjorie at 94 years respectively, this information may prompt memories before they are lost to the next generation. Thank you so very much. best wishes. Harmen

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TO SUMMARISE It is very obvious from research that it appears very few if any photographs done from the Hokianga or Waima were produced as commercial postcards between the 1890's and 1920's even though this area was a very early New Zealand settled area. If anyone has any or a collection from this northern area - and would like to share them with other readers - it would be very much appreciate. Contact me here Jeff. This postcard image of Sarah Kelly was in all probability done in Auckland at one of the Studios mentioned above and reproduced in a limited run for family members.