Greytown, New Zealand
Encyclopedia
Greytown or Te Hupenui, population 2,001 (as at the 2006 Census
), is a town in the Wellington
region of New Zealand
. It lies in the Wairarapa
, in the lower North Island
. It is 80 km north-west of Wellington and 25 kilometres southwest of Masterton
, on State Highway 2
.
Sir George Grey
, who arranged for the land to be bought from local Māori. It became a Borough in 1878 and a ward of the South Wairarapa District Council in 1989.
The first Arbor Day
celebration in New Zealand was held in Greytown on 3 July 1890. Greytown Beautification Society has done a lot to keep the spirit alive for many years, especially Stella Bull and the park bench in the park dedicated to her, which states, "Only God can make a Tree". Today the town has many beautiful trees and a register is kept to help protect them.
In the 1870s, when the Public Works Department
announced plans that the Wairarapa Line
railway between Featherston
and Masterton
was not going to pass through Greytown, local protests were successful in attaining approval for a branch line
to the town. It ran to Greytown Railway Station
from a junction with the Wairarapa Line in Woodside and opened on 14 May 1880. For a few months, it acted as the terminus of the Wairarapa Line itself before the extension to Masterton opened, but once it was relegated to branch line status, it was one of the quietest railway lines in the country. It was closed on 24 December 1953, and at the time of closure, its revenues were only a tenth of its operating costs. Greytown travellers are now serviced by Woodside Railway Station on the Wairarapa Line.
is proud of its history, claiming to have the most complete main street of Victorian architecture
in the country, and of being New Zealand's first planned
inland town. It certainly has played these assets up, today creating a revival largely based on its architecture. Retailers like the butcher have reversed their 1970s street frontage and reverted to a more Victorian one.
The Cobblestones Museum
, a regional history museum, is located on Greytown's Main Street, and contains several Historic Places Trust
category II buildings.
Heritage buildings are protected by the Greytown Community Heritage Trust. The Greytown Hotel claims to be one of New Zealand's oldest surviving hotels.
Greytown had previously been marketed as "The fruit bowl of the Wairarapa" when fruit was grown on the west of the town with orchards like Westhaven and Pinehaven. More recently, Greytown orchardist John van Vliet attracted controversy on a national level by using an explosive device to kill starlings in an orchard, resulting in the deaths and maimings of numerous birdshttp://www.times-age.co.nz/localnews/storydisplay.cfm?storyid=3745328&thesection=localnews&thesubsection=&thesecondsubsection=http://www.times-age.co.nz/localnews/storydisplay.cfm?storyid=3745816&thesection=localnews&thesubsection=&thesecondsubsection=.
and holiday
destination. The main street
is packed with antique stores and cafe
s. The soldier’s memorial park is often full of campers
during a long weekend or a holiday.
in the South Wairarapa. Kuranui College
, (Translated to "Big school of Learning" in Maori), has a 2008 roll of around 490 student
s and had as many as 1000 in the 1970s (when ruled by its founding principal, the cane carrying Sam Meads). The College was established in 1960. It has claimed to be the biggest Bus School in the country, as most of its students travelled by School Bus
to get there. It has recently completed a $1 million auditorium
which is used by the college and the Greytown public. All Black Grant Batty, the winger of the 1970s, learnt his rugby there. The college has had four principals as of 2007: Sam Meads; Peter Werry; Joye Halford and R. Grey Tuck. The current principal is Geoff Shepherd
Greytown Rugby club, established in 1877, is one of the oldest in the country.
Greytown Cricket Club http://www.greytowncricket.co.nz is the 2nd oldest cricket club in New Zealand, it was established in 1867, 10 years before test cricket began! In recent years, Greytown Cricket has been the powerhouse of the Wairarapa competition, with all 3 Senior teams winning their respective competitions in the 2005-2006 season, and almost repeating the feat (2 out of 3) in 2006-2007.
Greytown also has a primary school hosting around 320 pupils as of 2008. The school celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2007.
Pāpāwai marae is located just to the east of Greytown. Its meeting house, named Hikurangi, dates from 1888 and is unique in that the magnificent carved ancestors which surround the pā face inward. In the late 19th century Pāpāwai was an important site of the Kotahitanga, the Māori parliament movement. In the 1890s, sessions of the Kotahitanga parliament were held at Pāpāwai, and were reported meetings in Huia Tangata Kotahi, a Māori-language newspaper published by Īhāia Hūtana from 1893 to 1895. A large building was constructed at Pāpāwai to house the parliament, and were used for sessions in 1897 and 1898. The parliament passed a resolution to end the sale of Māori land and was visited by Governor General Lord Ranfurly, and by Premier Richard Seddon
. From the 1910s Pāpāwai fell into disrepair, and little was done until the 1960s when conservation work was carried out on the carved figures. In the late 1980s the Pāpāwai marae was fully restored, and is once again in full use by the community.
The Māori name for Greytown is Te Hupenui, the literal translation of which is "the big snot", better translated as "the fluid that comes out of your nose at a tangi or funeral.
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
), is a town in the Wellington
Wellington Region
The Wellington region of New Zealand occupies the southern end of the North Island.-Governance:The official Wellington Region, as administered by the Wellington Regional Council covers the conurbation around the capital city, Wellington, and the cities of Lower Hutt, Porirua, and Upper Hutt, each...
region of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. It lies in the Wairarapa
Wairarapa
Wairarapa is a geographical region of New Zealand. It occupies the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service towns, with Masterton being the largest...
, in the lower North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
. It is 80 km north-west of Wellington and 25 kilometres southwest of Masterton
Masterton
Masterton is a large town and local government district in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. It is the largest town in the Wairarapa, a region separated from Wellington by the Rimutaka ranges...
, on State Highway 2
New Zealand State Highway network
The New Zealand State Highway network is the major national highway network in New Zealand. Just under 100 roads in both the North and South Islands are State Highways...
.
History
Greytown was first settled on 27 March, 1854 under the Small Farms Association Settlement Scheme and was named after GovernorGovernor-General of New Zealand
The Governor-General of New Zealand is the representative of the monarch of New Zealand . The Governor-General acts as the Queen's vice-regal representative in New Zealand and is often viewed as the de facto head of state....
Sir George Grey
George Edward Grey
Sir George Grey, KCB was a soldier, explorer, Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Governor of Cape Colony , the 11th Premier of New Zealand and a writer.-Early life and exploration:...
, who arranged for the land to be bought from local Māori. It became a Borough in 1878 and a ward of the South Wairarapa District Council in 1989.
The first Arbor Day
Arbor Day
Arbor Day is a holiday in which individuals and groups are encouraged to plant and care for trees. It originated in Nebraska City, Nebraska, United States during 1872 by J. Sterling Morton. The first Arbor Day was held on April 10, 1872, and an estimated 1 million trees were planted that day.Many...
celebration in New Zealand was held in Greytown on 3 July 1890. Greytown Beautification Society has done a lot to keep the spirit alive for many years, especially Stella Bull and the park bench in the park dedicated to her, which states, "Only God can make a Tree". Today the town has many beautiful trees and a register is kept to help protect them.
In the 1870s, when the Public Works Department
New Zealand Ministry of Works
The New Zealand Ministry of Works, formerly the Department of Public Works and sometimes referred to as the Public Works Department or PWD, was founded in 1876 and disestablished and privatised in 1988...
announced plans that the Wairarapa Line
Wairarapa Line
The Wairarapa Line is a secondary railway line in the south-east of the North Island of New Zealand, connecting the capital city of Wellington with the Wairarapa region. The line ends at Woodville, where it joins the Palmerston North - Gisborne Line...
railway between Featherston
Featherston
Featherston is a name of English origin, at least as old as the 12th century. The link with "Featherstone" is probably not traceable, but people researching both spellings contribute to the collection of pages in the website called "The Featherstone Society".The name is applied to people and...
and Masterton
Masterton
Masterton is a large town and local government district in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. It is the largest town in the Wairarapa, a region separated from Wellington by the Rimutaka ranges...
was not going to pass through Greytown, local protests were successful in attaining approval for a branch line
Branch line
A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line...
to the town. It ran to Greytown Railway Station
Greytown Railway Station
Greytown railway station was the terminus of the Greytown Branch railway, which connected the Wairarapa town of Greytown in New Zealand’s North Island to Woodside on the Wairarapa Line.- History :...
from a junction with the Wairarapa Line in Woodside and opened on 14 May 1880. For a few months, it acted as the terminus of the Wairarapa Line itself before the extension to Masterton opened, but once it was relegated to branch line status, it was one of the quietest railway lines in the country. It was closed on 24 December 1953, and at the time of closure, its revenues were only a tenth of its operating costs. Greytown travellers are now serviced by Woodside Railway Station on the Wairarapa Line.
Image and Architecture
The townTown
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
is proud of its history, claiming to have the most complete main street of Victorian architecture
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
in the country, and of being New Zealand's first planned
Urban planning
Urban planning incorporates areas such as economics, design, ecology, sociology, geography, law, political science, and statistics to guide and ensure the orderly development of settlements and communities....
inland town. It certainly has played these assets up, today creating a revival largely based on its architecture. Retailers like the butcher have reversed their 1970s street frontage and reverted to a more Victorian one.
The Cobblestones Museum
Cobblestones Museum
Cobblestones Museum is a regional history museum in Greytown, New Zealand. The museum is located at site of the original Cobb and Co coaching stables...
, a regional history museum, is located on Greytown's Main Street, and contains several Historic Places Trust
New Zealand Historic Places Trust
The New Zealand Historic Places Trust is a non-profit trust that advocates for the protection of ancestral sites and heritage buildings in New Zealand...
category II buildings.
Heritage buildings are protected by the Greytown Community Heritage Trust. The Greytown Hotel claims to be one of New Zealand's oldest surviving hotels.
Greytown had previously been marketed as "The fruit bowl of the Wairarapa" when fruit was grown on the west of the town with orchards like Westhaven and Pinehaven. More recently, Greytown orchardist John van Vliet attracted controversy on a national level by using an explosive device to kill starlings in an orchard, resulting in the deaths and maimings of numerous birdshttp://www.times-age.co.nz/localnews/storydisplay.cfm?storyid=3745328&thesection=localnews&thesubsection=&thesecondsubsection=http://www.times-age.co.nz/localnews/storydisplay.cfm?storyid=3745816&thesection=localnews&thesubsection=&thesecondsubsection=.
Tourism
Greytown is a popular weekendWorkweek
The workweek and weekend are those complementary parts of the week devoted to labour and rest respectively. The legal working week , or workweek , is the part of the seven-day week devoted to labor. In most Western countries it is Monday to Friday. The weekend comprises the two traditionally...
and holiday
Holiday
A Holiday is a day designated as having special significance for which individuals, a government, or a religious group have deemed that observance is warranted. It is generally an official or unofficial observance of religious, national, or cultural significance, often accompanied by celebrations...
destination. The main street
Main Street
Main Street is the metonym for a generic street name of the primary retail street of a village, town, or small city in many parts of the world...
is packed with antique stores and cafe
Café
A café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...
s. The soldier’s memorial park is often full of campers
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
during a long weekend or a holiday.
Education and Sport
Greytown also has the only secondary schoolSecondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
in the South Wairarapa. Kuranui College
Kuranui College
Kuranui College is a state co-educational secondary school in Greytown, New Zealand. It is the only secondary school in the South Wairarapa District, and serves the towns of Greytown, Featherston, Martinborough, and the majority of Carterton....
, (Translated to "Big school of Learning" in Maori), has a 2008 roll of around 490 student
Student
A student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
s and had as many as 1000 in the 1970s (when ruled by its founding principal, the cane carrying Sam Meads). The College was established in 1960. It has claimed to be the biggest Bus School in the country, as most of its students travelled by School Bus
School bus
A school bus is a type of bus designed and manufactured for student transport: carrying children and teenagers to and from school and school events...
to get there. It has recently completed a $1 million auditorium
Auditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at venues such as theatres. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens.- Etymology :...
which is used by the college and the Greytown public. All Black Grant Batty, the winger of the 1970s, learnt his rugby there. The college has had four principals as of 2007: Sam Meads; Peter Werry; Joye Halford and R. Grey Tuck. The current principal is Geoff Shepherd
Greytown Rugby club, established in 1877, is one of the oldest in the country.
Greytown Cricket Club http://www.greytowncricket.co.nz is the 2nd oldest cricket club in New Zealand, it was established in 1867, 10 years before test cricket began! In recent years, Greytown Cricket has been the powerhouse of the Wairarapa competition, with all 3 Senior teams winning their respective competitions in the 2005-2006 season, and almost repeating the feat (2 out of 3) in 2006-2007.
Greytown also has a primary school hosting around 320 pupils as of 2008. The school celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2007.
Site of Māori Parliament
Richard Seddon
Richard John Seddon , sometimes known as King Dick, is to date the longest serving Prime Minister of New Zealand. He is regarded by some, including historian Keith Sinclair, as one of New Zealand's greatest political leaders....
. From the 1910s Pāpāwai fell into disrepair, and little was done until the 1960s when conservation work was carried out on the carved figures. In the late 1980s the Pāpāwai marae was fully restored, and is once again in full use by the community.
The Māori name for Greytown is Te Hupenui, the literal translation of which is "the big snot", better translated as "the fluid that comes out of your nose at a tangi or funeral.