Mr Ward’s Map

Victorian Wellington street by street

A fascinating journey through Wellington’s history In 1891, a remarkable map of Wellington was made by surveyor Thomas Ward. It recorded the footprint of every building, from Thorndon in the north and across the teeming, inner-city slums of Te Aro to Berhampore in the south.

Updated regularly over the next 10 years, it detailed hotels, theatres, oyster saloons, brothels, shops, stables, Parliament, the remnants of Māori kāinga, the Town Belt, the prisons, the ‘lunatic asylum’, the hospital and much more, in detail so particular that it went right down to the level of the street lights.

Luxuriously packaged with a cloth case and fold-out jacket, Mr Ward’s Map uses this giant map and historic images to tell marvellous stories about a vital capital city, its neighbourhoods and its people at the turn of the twentieth century.

Bought the book and want the map for your home or office? Find out more.

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About the author
Elizabeth Cox is a Wellington historian who specialises in both architectural and women’s history. She is a former senior historian at the Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Her book A Friend Indeed: The Saving of Old St Paul’s, about the battle to save Old St Paul’s Church in Wellington, was published in 2018. Her 2022 book Making Space: A History of New Zealand Women in Architecture was widely praised. She is a Trustee of the Futuna Chapel in Wellington.

The Collector

Thomas Cheeseman and the making of the Auckland Museum

The vivid biography of a colonial scholar, scientist and gentleman

When Thomas Cheeseman arrived in Aotearoa New Zealand in 1853 at the age of eight, the world outside knew little of this country’s people, plants, animals and environment. Within weeks, he began a lifelong love of collecting and classifying, and by his early twenties he was making waves in colonial scientific circles.

Appointed the director of the Auckland Museum when it was not much more than a shed of curiosities, by sheer force of dedication he developed it into one of New Zealand’s leading museums and scientific institutions. Along the way he cultivated relationships with the leading scientists of the day, including Charles Darwin and directors of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, William and Joseph Hooker. And he collected many thousands of specimens and objects, making a vital contribution to our understanding of New Zealand’s natural history.

This handsome, richly illustrated book tells both his story and the story of the fine museum he founded.

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About the author
Andrew McKay holds a PhD in art history from the University of Auckland and was a Professional Teaching Fellow in the university’s art history department.

Richard Wolfe is an Associate Emeritus of the Auckland War Memorial Museum and from 1978 to 1997 was Curator of Display.

Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington Architecture

A walking guide

One hundred and twenty-six buildings and five routes around our capital city

The third in the series of popular and handy guides to our urban architecture by the well-known team of writer John Walsh and photographer Patrick Reynolds. Now fully revised, updated and enlarged, this handy pocket-sized book curates a series of city walks that take in Wellington’s remarkably rich architectural heritage, guiding the reader from Oriental Bay through to Thorndon and many places in between.It’s the perfect guide for visitors to Wellington and also for locals who want to know more about their city, and a terrific introduction to a range of architectural styles and the careers of the architects who build this city.

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About the author
John Walsh is one of this country’s best known writers about architecture. He is the author (with photographer Patrick Reynolds) of the major books New New Zealand Houses, Home Work, Big House Small House, City House Country House, Auckland Architecture: A Walking Guide and Christchurch Architecture: A Walking Guide.

Patrick Reynolds is one of New Zealand’s best architectural photographers.