Sir Julius von Haast (1822-1887)
Haast was born in Bonn, Germany, on 1 May 1822. He enjoyed a well-rounded education, including extensive musical training. However relatively little is known about his early life, except that he travelled extensively, joined a Masonic Lodge, married his first wife Antonie Schmitt and had one son, before leaving them and his life in Europe behind, in order to make a new start in the Antipodes.
Haast arrived in Auckland on 21 December 1858 and soon made the acquaintance of Ferdinand von Hochstetter, with whom he went on to form a lifelong friendship and spend some months exploring the New Zealand Provinces of Auckland and Nelson.
After Hochstetter's departure from New Zealand, Haast went on to complete an extensive survey of the western parts of Nelson Province, before writing his first major published scientific report, which also went on to serve him well in lieu of a more formal doctoral thesis when he was awarded a PhD from the University of Tubingen in 1862.
His final major geographical relocation came in 1861 when he moved to Christchurch, where he worked hard to establish himself as a member of the community, completing casual survey contracts for the Provincial Government, before finally being appointed Provincial Geologist, a position he held until the Provincial Government was abolished in favour of centralised government in 1876.
During his years as provincial geologist he devoted his time to the survey of the province and made considerable contributions to the discovery and exploration of the largely uncharted territory of the Southern Alps. Here he found a vast unknown wilderness, which compared favourably in so many ways to the European Alps, but with the added feature that here he was able to be the first to traverse areas that no one had visited before. He took the opportunity to map the geography, topography as well as the inherent primary focus of his role - the geology.
One of the most prominent legacies of this work are the names that he bestowed on many of the landmarks in encountered - giving rivers, peaks and glaciers names in honour of celebrated contemporaries in the world of science and beyond.
By the time he was ready to publish his monumental scientific work: Geology of the Provinces of Canterbury & Westland in 1879, Haast had succeeded in founding Canterbury Museum, serving as its first director, and contributed to many other aspects of science and education in Canterbury.
He devoted the remainder of his life to building the museum and lecturing in Geology at what was to become The University of Canterbury. His final major undertaking was a journey back to Europe, where he represented New Zealand as commissioner to the Indian and Colonial Exhibition in 1886. He died shortly after his return to Christchurch in 1887.
Haast arrived in Auckland on 21 December 1858 and soon made the acquaintance of Ferdinand von Hochstetter, with whom he went on to form a lifelong friendship and spend some months exploring the New Zealand Provinces of Auckland and Nelson.
After Hochstetter's departure from New Zealand, Haast went on to complete an extensive survey of the western parts of Nelson Province, before writing his first major published scientific report, which also went on to serve him well in lieu of a more formal doctoral thesis when he was awarded a PhD from the University of Tubingen in 1862.
His final major geographical relocation came in 1861 when he moved to Christchurch, where he worked hard to establish himself as a member of the community, completing casual survey contracts for the Provincial Government, before finally being appointed Provincial Geologist, a position he held until the Provincial Government was abolished in favour of centralised government in 1876.
During his years as provincial geologist he devoted his time to the survey of the province and made considerable contributions to the discovery and exploration of the largely uncharted territory of the Southern Alps. Here he found a vast unknown wilderness, which compared favourably in so many ways to the European Alps, but with the added feature that here he was able to be the first to traverse areas that no one had visited before. He took the opportunity to map the geography, topography as well as the inherent primary focus of his role - the geology.
One of the most prominent legacies of this work are the names that he bestowed on many of the landmarks in encountered - giving rivers, peaks and glaciers names in honour of celebrated contemporaries in the world of science and beyond.
By the time he was ready to publish his monumental scientific work: Geology of the Provinces of Canterbury & Westland in 1879, Haast had succeeded in founding Canterbury Museum, serving as its first director, and contributed to many other aspects of science and education in Canterbury.
He devoted the remainder of his life to building the museum and lecturing in Geology at what was to become The University of Canterbury. His final major undertaking was a journey back to Europe, where he represented New Zealand as commissioner to the Indian and Colonial Exhibition in 1886. He died shortly after his return to Christchurch in 1887.
Photograph of Sir Julius von Haast is dated 1886 and forms part of the collections of the Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington. (PAColl-4711-1).