Down your street

Behind every street name is a story.  Every month we look at some well-known Taranaki streets and the origin of their names.  If you want to know more about a particular street, please email us.

Auster Place, New Plymouth
This road Was part of the old New Plymouth Airport, and got its name from the Auster aircraft.

Baddeley Street, Urenui
Named after Frederick Clinton Herbert Stuart Baddeley, Captain of the 40th Regiment and commander of the Taranaki Military Settlers in the area.

Hulke Crescent, Bell Block
Named after William King Hulke, who came to Taranaki in 1876.  Mr Hulke bought the first Jersey cow to Bell Block from Marton - a distance of approximately 130 Miles.  He called the cow Jessy.  Hulke died at the age of 89 years in 1908.

Did you know...?

At one time Chinese immigrants to New Zealand were taxed to enter the country. The Chinese were the only people made to pay this poll tax. Under the 1881 Chinese Immigrants Act, every Chinese was required to pay a poll tax of £10. An 1896 amendment raised the amount to £100, astronomical when the average weekly wage was counted more in shillings than pounds.

Dr Manying Ip, an associate professor at Auckland University's school of Asian studies, believes that the tax divided families for generations:

"Women were left behind in the home villages because it was deemed unsound to spend £100 to bring out a wife. Boys were usually sent for by their fathers or uncles when they reached their teens"

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Taranaki Teaser

In the 1860s an English General wanted to make his mark on New Zealand history.  He realised that he would have to do it quickly, before he was sent somewhere else to fight. He did, but not quite in the way he'd imagined.

Settlers were very keen to establish a direct link from Hawera to New Plymouth.  For 20 years Pakeha had dreamed of finding an alternative route so they wouldn't need to make the arduous trek via the Taranaki coastline. A road running east of the mountain, connecting North Taranaki to South Taranaki, would benefit all those involved in developing the province.

On 17 January 1866, 500 men, 67 pack-horses and 24 saddle horses set a straight course for New Plymouth from Hawera.  Except for the officers, everyone else walked.

The march was expected to take three days.  It took ten.  The half-starved men had to eat their horses to survive but the march was considered a success.

Who was the General?

The answer will be revealed in the January edition of Taranaki Trivia!

Last month's answer: The Lizzie Bell.

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