The renovation of Pataka Museum’s storage area in 2017 brought to light two documents that are probably the oldest existing paper records of early Porirua.
In 1856 the village of Pahautanui (now called Pauatahanui) was the only settlement in the Porirua area. Thomas Hollis Stace, who had arrived with his family from Tasmania in 1853, bought a piece of land on the southern edge of the village. He saw that the village lacked a school, church and cemetery; so he donated an acre of his land to help fill these gaps.
The details of this generous gift were set down on two sheets of parchment on 6 December 1856, and it is this 161-year-old Trust Deed that has emerged from the Pataka storeroom.
Join Te Papa’s curators for a fascinating array of talks on New Zealand’s natural history. The six titles published in the Te Papa Te Taiao Nature Series have been […]
“I want to do something splendid...something heroic or wonderful that won't be forgotten after I'm dead. I don't know what, but I'm on the watch for it and mean to astonish you all someday.” - 'Little Women' by Louisa May Alcott
