Perhaps you know where some of the photographs below were taken and what they are of? If you can help, please note the number related to each image with your comment below.
1) What building is this Burton Brothers stereoscopic image taken from and where is it?
2) Is it Lake Wakatipu? Where exactly is it taken from and where is it looking towards?
3) The time is 8.55am but where is it? The two churches behind it might help or perhaps the signage for the businesses – “S. McBride, Monumental Mason” and “Zealandia Butchery”.
![[Town Clock Tower building, 8.55am]. circa 1900, Muir & Moodie. Te Papa](https://i0.wp.com/collections.tepapa.govt.nz/db_images/objimage.jpg?resize=300%2C231&ssl=1 "[Town Clock Tower building, 8.55am]. circa 1900, Muir & Moodie. Te Papa")
4) A mystery railway station – is the church steeple a clue? This is an image that has fantastic detail when you zoom in…
![[Railway Station]. circa 1900, Muir & Moodie. Te Papa](https://i0.wp.com/collections.tepapa.govt.nz/db_images/objimage.jpg?resize=300%2C232&ssl=1 "[Railway Station]. circa 1900, Muir & Moodie. Te Papa")
5) This looks like Picton…
6) But this is a mystery settlement:
7) Somewhere near Blenheim?
![Untitled [Steam train], circa 1900. Muir & Moodie. Te Papa](https://i0.wp.com/collections.tepapa.govt.nz/db_images/objimage.jpg?resize=300%2C211&ssl=1 "Untitled [Steam train], circa 1900. Muir & Moodie. Te Papa")
8) Auckland… or perhaps not?
9) This has to be the hardest or perhaps the easiest if you know it?
![[Illegible] Abbey, circa 1880. Burton Brothers. Te Papa](https://i0.wp.com/collections.tepapa.govt.nz/db_images/objimage.jpg?resize=300%2C228&ssl=1 "[Illegible] Abbey, circa 1880. Burton Brothers. Te Papa")
Photo six Napier before the earthquake??
Looking out toward what is now Ahuriri and Westshore…
Taken off Bluff hill??
Photo No. 6 is Maketu looking towards Mount Maunganui, if you zoom in on it you can faintly see the Mount in the mist top right, the lowest building to the centre right is still there and has been painted white now. The image on the right of this page you can see the old building http://www.westernbay.govt.nz/council/Councillors/Maketu-Community-Board/
Photo No. 8 is in Mangere Bridge there is an Ambury Park there (Ambury, English and Co. Building in middle on the corner of the street) they used to have dairy farm in Mangere, can’t quite figure out the actual street, the Mountain is Mount Mangere
Had our railway researcher Mark Denne in and he made these comments which seems to agree with Tims comments
photo 4 Greymouth with the F class locomative taht was used there on the far left and railway line to the wharf across the lower right of the photograph
photo 5 Picton with the G class locomotive that was worked on this section for a long time
Photo 7 is the bridge south of Picton between Picton and Blenheim again with the G class locomatives (one each end)
Is photo six Napier lagoon before the earthquake? It has the shape of Hawke Bay.
No 6 could possibly be the lagoon before the Wairoa Bar in Northern Hawkes Bay, looking north with Pilot’s Hill in the lower right of the photo.
Burton Brothers spent some time in the Wanganui district. Certainly the Stereo set looks very similar to the view of the Wanganui River taken from Alexander Hatricks property on St Johns hill. Unfortunately nothing remains. To be positive I would need a bigger and better image (If Such a thing exists)
No 6 is most likely the Wanganui river estuary. The river mouth would be Slightly to the right of the photo. It is difficult to say where it was tsken from except telephoto lenses would have been in their infancy, There were many sand hills one of these may have provided the height.
Sorry I’m mistaken, it’s early Maketu, looking towards Mount Maunganui.
Photo 4. I think is Greymouth Station and steeple in the background could be St Patrick’s Church.
Picture 6 almost looks like a view of the Estuary in Christchurch, looking up the coast line towards kaikoura
Photo 4 Greymouth ?
photo 5 Picton?
Photo 4 may be early Greymouth station with the line to the wharves in the foreground. Photo 7 appears to be the original Waitohi Viaduct on the railway’s climb out of Picton.
more info on photo no 3! Churches in the background – the stone one is St Marys and it seems to be before the tower was completed in 1908 but after the second church with spire – Chalmers Church further in the distance was built which opened in 1904
sadly both churches are currently closed while being checked / strengthened for earthquake damage
Photo no 3 Timaru post Office building with time ball and clock tower and Jubilee fountain in front 1887 –
1879 July – new building commenced on the block at the corner of George and Sophia Sts.
1880 8th September – Opened – Offices occupied by Postal, Telegraph, Customs, and Education Dept. – Had Time Ball on top of tower.
1881 October – Time Ball only in use until 1881 – was still on tower until approx 1901
1913 – Tower heightened when the Chimes were added for the clock.
1933 – Clock was removed and placed atop the Municipal Buildings across the road.
Jubilee Fountain was built for the Jubilee of Queen Victoria’s 50th year of reign. Was erected opposite the then main doors of the Post Office in George Street. – Jubilee was 21/6/1887
1888/5/14 – Jubilee Fountain now erected – TH
Photo No. 2 is a view north up Lake Ohau in the Mackenzie Country toward the Hopkins River valley; Lake Ohau road is in the foreground.