Sunday, 7 September 2025

Westland Explorer's Monument

 


In the nearby town of Hokitka (half an hour away) is the cemetery with this monument near the entranceway. It commemorates 4 men who lost their lives between 1863 and 1866 ;
  • George Dobson - road engineer, murdered in 1866
  • Charlton Howitt - explorer, drowned in Lake Brunner 1863
  • Charles Townsend - drowned at Greymouth (probably in the Grey River) 1863
  • Henry Whitcombe - surveyor, drowned in the Taramakau River in 1863
Construction of the memorial started 1868 and the railings were added in 1869.

Linking up with Mosaic Monday.

3 comments:

DB Stewart said...

Monuments for everyday heroes seem so rare now.

roentare said...

It really captures the hardships and risks faced by those early explorers and settlers of the West Coast

Bill said...

That's a nice monument honouring those four men.

Westland Explorer's Monument

  In the nearby town of Hokitka (half an hour away) is the cemetery with this monument near the entranceway. It commemorates 4 men who lost ...