New Zealand - Geraldine - The view looks south to Timaru where the plains gradually give way to rolling downs. #604062 - There is evidence of Māori travels through the Geraldine area and artifacts and carvings have been discovered in the nearby areas of Beautiful Valley, Gapes Valley and Kakahu. The area was part of the continuous Canterbury Purchase or Kemp's Deed whereby over thirteen thousand acres was purchased by Henry Tacy Kemp on behalf of the Crown from Ngāi Tahu for £2,000 in 1848. Following the purchase the colonial surveyor Charles Torlesse visited the region in 1849. However, it wasn't until 1854 when Thomas Cass, the Chief Surveyor for the Canterbury region and Guise Brittan, Commissioner for Crown Lands, proposed a town site at Talbot Forest. Following this Samuel Hewlings under the employment of the government as a surveyor, constructed a bark hut were the probably future site of a town would be. In fact, a Tōtara tree planted to commemorate the birth of Hewlings daughter with his wife Nga Hei, still stands today opposite the police station where his nearby bark hut once stood. While Hewlings was indeed the first to person to live in Geraldine, his residence was not permanent and Alfred Cox and William du Moulin abet on the other side of the river in Raukapuka were the towns first permanent residence. The town which up until 1857 was known as Talbot Forest was firstly named Fitzgerald in honor of James FitzGerald, the first Superintendent of the Canterbury Province. However, this was later changed to Geraldine though the exact reasoning for this is unknown. - Growth in the township was slow at first with separate towns being constructed such as Healey Town in present day south Geraldine, Maslin Town between Kennedy and Hislop Street and the German settlement known as German Town on the Downs. By 1862 most of the main streets had been named and sections surveyed and the area gazetted in 1867. At this time timber milling and the numerous sheep runs in the area were the main sources of commerce.The town experienced significant growth during this period and as the timber ran out farming took over as the major source of income in the area. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geraldine,_New_Zealand) Whites Pictorial Reference of New Zealand: Representative Airviews of New Zealand Cities and Boroughs - Whites Pictorial Reference has been produced to tell a new story - a modern story. Aerial photography has been utilised to show where New Zealanders live and the countryside from which comes their wealth. Most important, it also illustrates most vividly the Dominion's growing cities and towns, but perhaps more to the point it shows that there is still plenty of room for further development... Author: White Leo (compiled) Click the link provided at the top to purchase the book through the MAD on New Zealand Shop - Supporting New Zealand Authors and Artists