Highlight on Cheviot Museum

by Kate Nichol

Cheviot Museum is a small community owned Museum, operated with volunteers, and located in the Hurunui District. The Museum holds a substantial amount of local memorabilia and has comprehensive displays including a diorama of the discovery of a large number of moa bones in a swamp East of Cheviot. Much family and local history has been documented and there is a large collection of photographs available for viewing, some dating back to early settlement days.

Cheviot was first put on the map by William ‘Ready Money’ Robinson who established the “The Cheviot Hills Estate” in the mid-1800’s. The estate was bought by the Minister of Lands John McKenzie between 1892 and 1893 and then broken into 54 farms and the township of ‘McKenzie’ which a short time later changed to the name ‘Cheviot’. The Cheviot County Council was formed in 1895.

Our area of interest covers from the Conway to the Hurunui Bridge, from the Gore Bay coastline to the Kaiwara Hills to the west.

We began as a Historical Records Society and in 1978 we opened a purpose-built museum with funds donated by the Community.

Our museum comprises of 4 display rooms, an archives room, an office, and a work room.

Some of the history of our district revolves around Maori history as our bays were used as a feeding ground for when Maori travelled between Akaroa to Kaikoura or to the West Coast.

We have had a number of interesting people in our district including:

• Prime Ministers (George Forbes and Sir Sidney Holland)
• Prominent politician and landowner Andrew Rutherford  
• John Sinclair (1843-1928) – a very gifted man of his time, an artist, photographer, engineer, cartographer and carpenter.
• The group of Cheviot women who won sections in the Land Ballot of 1893 (an amazing feat for those days).

Then we have our military woman and men:

• Captain Charles Upham, VC & Bar.
• Commander David Bush, D.S.C. R.N.
• Squadron Leader Desmond J. Scott, D.S.O. O.B.E. D.F.C. & Bar.
• Lieutenant (A) C.T. White D.S.C. R.N.Z.V.R.
• Captain Ethel Keys – Wells, Junior Commander A.T.S. O.B.E.

We have many treasures and over 5000 photos, history on our first settlers here in Cheviot, school histories (we once had 8 schools in our district), and the history of many shops and boarding houses.

Copies of photographs and family histories are available at a nominal charge.

Our opening hours are:

Sunday 12:00pm – 3:00pm

Tuesday 12:00pm – 3:00pm

Wednesday 10:00am – 3:00pm

Friday 10:00pm – 3:00pm

Contact details: Kate 021 440 614 or cheviotmuseum@amuri.net