POSTCARD BOOKS - Early New Zealand Postcards depicted in souvenir books.

Hints and tips from me about building yourself a super postcard collection. (One that you mount (whether for your own pleasure or for exhibition purposes). You need good research material in the form of books or souvenir issues/phamplets.

If you collect local postcards (Of one location) you will need books covering the history and residents of that area... that includes the local school issues etc (You will become the local historian for that area through your research) From there it is an easy matter of assembling a collection of postcards - adding information in concise detail (short brief statements) to mount on good non-acidic paper to make an interesting 'scrapbook' or in the form of loose leaf exhibition page 'scrapbook'.

It is advisable to keep them in a nice 'Pocket clear display folder" which will become your desktop collection (coffee table book) - added to as you collect the information and postcards. This way you can move/change pages to suit your own tastes.

Now to obtain your books to enhance your postcard collection - you need to watch the Book auction section and select those books. Good luck with your purchases - there are some real gems out there and you will enjoy your finds.

What has been a trend for all the early postcard issues - was the postcard publisher (Often/almost always - and thats right from Burton - the photographer (seen/got some of his very, very rare souvenir books depicting his photographs) through to at least the second World War issued these booklets. They were always very expensive compared to the postcard/photo issued (1d for the postcard - 1/6d or more for the booklet) so was produced in small numbers and usually brought by other than a postcard collector. To find these gems - often one finds them in the dusty corners of old (second-hand book dealers) usually in poor condition as they were produced on cheap papers/ or poorer quality papers than the books current at that time. They were then not treated in the same respect as the book/s and handled by children etc so soon became damaged - the condition found in today.

Below I have noted (Not often secured) these souvenir books that have appeared on the market. They produce an interesting insight to some of those early NZ photographers discussed here on this site.

How's that for a selection I have spotted/missed or got?
An interested to obtain scans of any of those early souvenir booklets from those early postcard photographers (which I don't have) to add to my image library for researching.

May seem a strange topic - but what is shown here - a simple collection that forms an intricate timeline view in this form of transport / sport in New Zealand - being brought and developed in this part of the colonies.

New Zealand cycling history
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The bicycle reached New Zealand in the 1860s in the form of the velocipede, also known as the ‘boneshaker’. It was good for New Zealand as this was the only form of transport and until this time people had to walk every where. It soon evolved into the elegant ‘high wheelers’, known today as penny-farthings. These machines were popular among wealthy young men, offering adventure and speed. “Colonials like to get along fast”, one newspaper explained. But they were also dangerous - perhaps that was part of their attraction, as well as their downfall - and were seldom used for more than sport and recreation.

It was the ‘safety’ bicycle, with its chain, sprockets and similar sized wheels that catapulted the bike into the public arena. Sales boomed, prices dropped and, for half a century, the bicycle became the transport of the masses.

In the 1950s and 60s, however, New Zealanders experienced a time of sweeping prosperity that tempted most adults away from bikes and into motor vehicles. Prosperity also led cycling back to its recreational and sporting roots.

The oil shocks of the 1970s triggered the first of three more huge bicycle booms. As fast as the new bikes could be produced, New Zealanders snapped them up; first ten-speeds, then BMXs and finally mountain bikes. By 1990, a survey showed cycling to be the second most popular participation sport. Since then, cycle sales have remained high, averaging over 150,000 per annum, as Kiwis have pursued fun, fitness, competition and adrenalin on the bicycle.

From January 1994 the wearing of cycle helmets became mandatory.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The ordinary or penny-farthing is an early model of bicycle, produced largely in England and the United States in the mid to late 19th century.

The earliest bicycles had pedals mounted directly on the front wheel. In order to increase speeds in the absence of any practical method of gearing, larger and larger wheels were built, culminating in the classic penny-farthing where the wheel could be 1.5m (60") or more in diameter. The name refers to the penny and farthing coins of the time, the former being large and the latter unusually small. Other popular names include high-wheeler, high bicycle and boneshaker, although the latter generally referred to any early bicycle before the invention of the pneumatic tire.

It had only a brief vogue, arriving and departing within a couple of decades, but it has caught the imagination as visually representing the late Victorian era. This brief lifetime coincided almost exactly with the birth of cycle sport.

REAL PHOTO MAORI MAN LEARNING TO RIDE BICYCLE POSTCARD
probably Wanganui district
Unused
Photo F G Radcliffe 24/03/06

Here it appears to have captured the attention of Maori elders as a method of transport. A very interesting postcard both in dress of the day and the two whares in the background. This is dated 1906 - location unknown.

It mentions velocipede - I have yet to find a postcard depicting one of these from New Zealand

Velocipede
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The velocipede was the predecessor of the bicycle, a human-powered vehicle introduced in the Victorian age. These vehicles had a variety of designs, of two, three, or four wheels. Some two-wheeled designs had pedals mounted on the front wheel, other three- and four-wheeled designs used treadles and levers to drive the rear wheels. Later two-wheel versions had increasingly large front wheels, directly driven by bicycle pedals, and a smaller back wheel-these leading to the penny farthing. Invented in 1863 in France by Pierre Lallement, the two-wheeled velocipede was sometimes called the boneshaker. The Michaux company was the first to mass-produce the velocipede, from 1867 to 1870.

It is also reported that the English scientist Robert Hooke invented the velocipede in the 17th century. This vehicle looked similar to the earliest horseless carriages.

New Zealand has a rich history in cycling, with the first bikes appearing in 1869.
In August 1869, the Southern Cross reported, under the headline “The First Bicycle In Auckland”, that coachbuilders test rode a velocipede that they had just built on commission: “The cost of manufacture is about £14; and the weight of the ‘velox’ 40 lb.

Recommend you read the rest of article as it has alot of interesting facts of cycling in New Zealand.

From the book "RIDE - the story of cycling in New Zealand"
Published by The Kennett Brothers, November 2004, ISBN 0-9583490-7-X

Sample Quote:
Bamboo Dick Richard Pearse is best remembered for designing and flying an aeroplane on his South Canterbury farm. But he earned the nickname ‘Bamboo Dick' for the bicycle he built in 1902. His ingenious design featured a bamboo frame, vertical-drive pedal action, rod-and-rack gearing system, back-pedal rim-brakes and integral tyre pumps that would blow the tyres up while cycling.

The bicycle was patented and a lead model of it, made by Pearse in 1901, is owned by an Ashburton man.

Strangely enough since 1906 to say 1990 the bike didn't change in appearance very much. Modern materials, gear ratios, and off road specially constructed bikes have been developed down under leading world development for bikes.

Maori Name:- Makomako
Common Name:- Wineberry
Botanical Name:- Aristotelia serrata

What does it look like?
Makomako is a small tree that grows up to 10 metres in height with broad, pale green leaves with serrated edges. The leaves come in opposite pairs from the branchlets, and are tinted purple on the under side. Makomako produce lots of flowers in October and November, which vary in colour from pale pink to deep red. Provided both male and female trees are grown, the flowers will be followed by berries which also range incolour, from red to black. When it grows in cold districts Makomako is usually deciduous, but trees in warmer areas will hold some leaves.

Miro Podocarpus ferrugineus, a tree

Geniostoma ligustrifolium

4m. A bushy shrub with bright shiny light green leaves. Mainly found in lowland and coastal forest.
Tiny greenish white perfumed flowers smother their stems through spring.

Fruits February.

Rapid shade producer.

Cyathodes juniperina

1-5m. Rather densely branched shrub, black or dark grey bark, with very narrow and needle sharp leaves.

The flowers are white, flowering August to December.

Drupes are white, pink, red, crimson, or dark purplish, 5-8mm in size and round in shape.

Found throughout North, South, and Stewart Islands from sea level to 760m.

Clematis (Puawhananga)
(Clematis paniculata) Up to 10 m

A vigorous native woody climber occurring throughout New Zealand’s native forests, growing to the tree tops. Adult puawhananga has glossy leaves with three broad leathery leaflets, although juvenile leaves are often very variable and may be deeply lobed or long and narrow. Often found on roadsides, forest margins and adjacent to open areas. The spectacular shows of fragrant pure white star-shaped flowers in spring herald the arrival of the new season. The larger flowered plants are male and are 5-10cm across, while flowers on the separate female vines are followed by silvery plumed seed clusters.

Telopea speciosissima
Waratah (Telopea) is a genus of five species of large shrubs or small trees in the Proteaceae, native to southeastern Australia, from New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. They have spirally arranged leaves 10-20 cm long and 2-3 cm broad with entire or serrated margins, and large, dense flowerheads 6-15 cm diameter with numerous small red flowers and a basal ring of red bracts. The name waratah comes from the Eora Aboriginal tribe who were the original inhabitants of the Sydney area.

For the gardener / collector - An early NZ Flower Postcard collection?

Article in todays NZ Herald ( 24th August 2006) got me looking at some of the early scenes that New Zealand had suffered as depicted on our early postcards. Sure this is only a short space of time compared to New Zealands geological history. Its no wonder we are called the SHAKY ISLES.

HERES THE ARTICLE

QUOTE

Thursday August 24, 2006
By Jarrod Booker

An overdue alpine fault earthquake will strike "out of the blue" and cause widespread death, shut down power generators, create tsunami within New Zealand and overwhelm emergency services, experts warn.

The major quake will cause intense shaking and rupturing along hundreds of kilometres of the fault line bisecting the South Island, geology experts Tim Davies and Mauri McSaveney predict.

"The most likely time [for the quake] is now. The next most likely time for it to happen is tomorrow," Associate Professor Davies, of Canterbury University, told the Natural Hazards Management Conference in Christchurch.

"The longer the delay, the bigger it will be. It will occur with no recognisable warning. We can't manage it - we have to adapt to it."

The pair have outlined a nightmarish scenario in the aftermath of the quake and are urging people to be prepared as best they can. Overseas help would be needed when the quake struck.

"There will be death and injuries, especially in the [Southern] Alps and West Coast. Rescue services and medical services will be overwhelmed, and remain so for weeks in places."

"Shaking damage and land instability will disrupt surface transport for months, tourists will be trapped, and distribution of vital supplies (eg, food, fuel) will be limited. Hydro stations will shut down immediately and may be slow to restart, power reticulation will be damaged. Only satellite phones will remain in use."

"No services will be as normal."

The intense shaking would cause landslides of millions of cubic metres, damming rivers and later causing floods. Aftershocks could continue for months.

"Landslides into lakes and fiords may cause tsunami, as may the collapse of river deltas in lakes or the sea. Queenstown, Milford and Wanaka are likely sites of tsunami damage."

The pair say the Alpine fault quake is a certainty. It is only a matter of when.

"The interval since the last event (in 1717) is longer than any interval between known earlier events."

Plans needed to be developed now for the worst-case scenarios, with relocation of "obviously perilous" facilities, buildings and infrastructure, with spare equipment and supplies stored in safe locations.

Tour bus operators were urged to stock up on food and supplies for their customers who could likely be trapped for days in isolated locations.

Experts at the conference have also warned of the risk of a deadly ocean tsunami striking New Zealand.

The country had experienced tsunamis in the past, but modern shoreline development has made it much more vulnerable, according to GNS expert Kelvin Berryman.

If warnings and evacuations were not carried out in time, an estimated 5000 people would be killed by waves up to 8m high on the east coasts of New Zealand.

Here's a topic begging for an exhibition collection and a good book. I have assembled just a small sample of postcard images (that have hotel in their titles) to an album - click here HOTELS ON EARLY NEW ZEALAND POSTCARDS (205 images) and you can see the interesting detail and remarkable buildings these early hotels were.

One must remember - Not only were these great early New Zealand buildings (built mostly of timber) - they were a place where most of our early business was planned, ideas created, plans enacted - and families started. They all contain a host of early New Zealand history in themselves and what happened around them. All which should be recorded - Anyone up to it.

Alot (Most of those early hotels) have been destroyed by fires, neglect, or changed, removed, altered or just pulled down and the ones we see in those early postcards - no longer exist.

The idea of a HOTEL POSTCARD collection came out of the book - "THE ULTIMATE KIWI PUB CRAWL - 1,000 pubs - 30,000km in under 4 years" by Bob & Marie Walters., published 2006 by Heritage Press Ltd.

In this book - you have a short summary of alot of those Pubs (hotels) they visited. I'm sure postcard collectors can produce a fine edition covering the early "PUBS" from a Hotel Postcard collection.

HERE A FEW OF THE INTERESTING HOTEL POSTCARDS - (see the rest in the album)

AUCKLAND - Hotel Stonehurst in Symonds Street.

Burkes Pass Hotel & Mt.Cook Motors (shows old car)

"Gordon" Real Photo Series

Burkes Pass, South Canterbury, New Zealand
James Noonan was granted a licence for a hotel at the foot of the pass in 1861and built the first accommodation house down beside the banks of the Opihi River, the accommodation house he named Three Creeks but he was drowned, before he could open his hotel, in the Tengawai River while crossing it on his way to Timaru so his brother-in-law John Burgess, a bullock driver, became the first licensee (1861) of the Burkes Pass Hotel which he named Cabbage Tree Flat or Cabbage Tree Creek or Three Creeks. It was the first hotel in Canterbury to be granted a licence. In 1862 John Burgess, built the Burkes Pass Hotel that stood until the 1990s.

Carte de visite Bruce Hotel - Akaroa

A lovely Carte de Visite of The Bruce Hotel - Akaroa. Horse and cart parked out front.
Thornhill Cooper

The old Bruce Hotel was opened in 1842 by Captain James Bruce, a whaler, who had worked for “Johnny” Jones after the wreck of his brig Magnet in 1842. He became a popular host for whalers. He built a cottage for his nieces who arrived from Scotland in 1855. After Captain Bruce's sister Margaret died back home in Dundee, Scotland, he encouraged his brother-in-law John Donnet, a cooper, to bring his daughters to Akaroa. There were five of them, four single and one, Isabella, married to Mr. William F. Bruce (no relation to Captain Bruce). The party of eight, including Isabella and William's son, arrived aboard the Caroline Agnes in Lyttelton in August 1855. In February 1858, he sold his hotel and died on October 6 and is buried in the Akaroa Cemetery.

Carte de visite Wagstaff's Hotel - Akaroa

A lovely Carte de Visite advertising for the Wagstaff's Family Hotel - Akaroa
Propieter: Alfred H Maclean

History
The section on which Oinako is built is T.S. 39, and originally belonged to Charles Barrington Robinson. He sold a 6 acre block to Edward Latter for £650 and a house was built around 1862. Edward Latter started up as a merchant with a store by the town jetty at the end of Church Street. In August 1873 Latter sold the property with 'dwellinghouse and buildings' to Mr. Wagstaff, a coach builder from Christchurch. He raised a mortgage of £3,500 apparently to enlarge and convert the existing house into a hotel. He also sold off parts of the original 6 acres. In 1880 B.J.W. Chamberlain took over the lease of what was still called Wagstaff's Hotel. It burnt down, and in 1894 the remains and land were purchased by Etienne Xavier Le Lievre, the son of original Comte de Paris settlers Francois Le Lievre and his wife Justine Rose (nee) de Malmanche.

Gladstone Hotel Fairlie Mt Cook cars RP.

Motors and Grand Hotel. The card does not state Fairlie. However the Gladstone Hotel is Fairlie, and the cars are the Mt Cook transport. Photo by A King. G & G Series.

Grand Hotel Rotorua - Raphael Tuck

Grand Hotel Rotorua - published by Raphael Tuck and Sons. "View" Postcard.
Early 1900's

hotel at wairakei and geyser valley postcard

UNUSED POSTCARD NOT SEEN BEFORE BY ME FROM BOOK[SERATED EDGED LEFT,]SHOWS HOTEL AT WAIRAKEI AND ALSO THE GEYSER VALLEY.NICE ORDER.PUBLISHED MARSH ROTORUA.

Tourist accommodation began in 1872 with the Taupo Hotel; the Tokaanu Hotel opened in 1874, along with the Spa Hotel and the Lake Taupo Hotel on the corner of Tuwharetoa and Tongariro streets opened in 1879. The Wairakei Hotel opened in 1881.

MORRINSVILLE - Early Scene Showing Hotel In 1916.

This real photo postcard is postally unused, has a minor crease top left and is in good condition. Message dated 14.3.16.

P.21 Nottingham Castle Hotel. - In 1876 the first Nottingham Castle Hotel was built, and it burnt down in 1913. The present one was replaced on the same site.

Photo. No.621.H.

MT COOK THE HERMITAGE HOTEL FGR 5530

VERY NICE MINT CARD CIRCA 1920 (this would make this postcard the second Hermitage Hotel - A series of Hermitage Hotel Postcards can be found elsewhere on this website)

Last days of March 1913
End of the first Hermitage hotel
The original Hermitage hotel in Mount Cook National Park (built in 1884) was sited near the terminus of the Mueller Glacier. In January 1913 debris-laden flood water broke through the Mueller moraine wall and swept around the hotel. At the end of March, a second flood from the same area poured through the Hermitage, damaging it beyond repair.

Postcard - Braeburn Hotel, Wanganui

Hotel Braeburn, Wanganui. A lovely large 3 storey bulding. Real photo by S.C. Smith W. 12. Tanner Bros. Ltd. Divided back with message.

RP Grahams glacier Hotel Franz Joseph

Duncans real photo

TAUPO - The Terraces Hotel at Onekeneke.

real photo postcard. Established in 1889 and is one of only two remaining from that era. The Terraces refer to the black silica terraces (no longer there) that once existed with hot water flowing over them - here.

Te Aroha "Hot Springs Hotel" P/Crd

Used in Xmas 1909 with message. 1882 (December) construction began on this Hotel.In 1971 the famed Hot Springs Hotel (the largest wooden hotel building in New Zealand) was demolished, the Cadman building converted to a Museum) and Te Aroha as a spa resort was moribund.

Vintage Havelock Lucknow Street Postcard

Havelock postcard depicting Lucknow Street looking South (issued by VC Venimore).