Sunday, 5 June 2022

"Aha"or "Eureka moments" - Heritage and Genealogy

Looking from the jetty at Turua up the Waihou River  and across to the hills the other side - photo courtesy Chris Ball October 2014

Some say it is an " aha moment " and some call it an " eureka moment." 

Am like the many people throughout Australasia who research my family heritage and genealogy, including the heritage and history of early new zealand settlement. Researching and writing since 2004 and since 2013 have been writing this blog Part of the Past NZ History  

Over the last eighteen years, there have been times when have been faced with what we all call " a brick wall." Not being able to find primary source information on early railway construction for the Auckland Province of New Zealand 1862 - 1908. The excitement of an " aha moment" when found the original engineer drawings of the Rotorua Railway construction. Then a few years later  an " eureka moment" when Archives New Zealand put online digitally, many of the railway maps for the Auckland Province of New Zealand. On what was then Archives NZ Archway. 

The excitement of finding those hand drawn, engineer's maps of permanent way construction, by James Stewart, Civil Engineer and Surveyor, of the Thames Railway. Leaving Grahamstown, through Shortland and heading towards Kopu. Being able to study them online, for today we are in the age of internet and digital heritage preservation. The original hand drawn maps, for there was no computer - desk top or lap top - back then.

The last eighteen years of researching and writing heritage has seen more heritage documents online - the AJHR' S - Associated Journals of House of Representatives. Papers Past, history books online, the ohinemuri Journal - digital research and reading. 

We have followed those early Auckland Province railway lines via Google Earth in New Zealand   Cycling the Hauraki Rail Trail after it had opened, following the former  railway permanent way route: the Thames railway -  Thames through to Te Aroha; and the Waihi Railway - Paeroa to Waihi through the tunnel at Karangahake as well. Both these former railway routes  close to Te Waihou river and Ohinemuri river.  There have been numerous journeys across these two rivers via the bridges.  Firstly across the Ohinemuri at Paeroa and secondly across the Waihou at Kopu - until when in 2011, a new bridge replaced  the Kopu historic bridge, opened 1928 . 

PANORAMIC VIEW OF THE TOWNSHIP OF KOPU, A THRIVING ???TIMBER TOWNSHIP ON THE THAMES RIVER, AUCKLAND. courtesy  Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections AWNS-19070530-8-1


Digital records and documents added often  to the Internet, have certainly made it easier to research, rather than visit libraries and archives, to go through hard copy originals. eg the New Zealand Gazettes and A to Js Online. These have removed the research brickwalls in railway construction heritage. 

The last two weeks has also bought another " Aha" and " Eureka" moment - this time with a genealogy brick wall. After years of crossing the Waihou River many times - a piece of the jigsaw waiting to be found. A drowning of two brothers -  James Patrick and Dennis McAllister, in the Waihou River, June 1909,has opened up another " aha" and " eureka moment - stories of missing links in our  whanau and family line.The inspiration has opened up the research and writing this part of past New Zealand history in the Hauraki rohe - and as no doubt, great grandfather civil engineer would have said - "Back on track." 

Waihi Railway Track photo courtesy Chris Ball 2016

Definitions: 

Permanent Way The permanent way is the elements of railway lines: generally the pairs of rails typically laid on the sleepers embedded in ballast, intended to carry the ordinary trains of a railway. It is described as permanent way because in the earlier days of railway construction, contractors often laid a temporary track to transport spoil and materials about the site; when this work was substantially completed, the temporary track was taken up and the permanent way installed. 

Aha moment - Merriam Webster -a moment of sudden realization, inspiration, insight, recognition, or comprehension

Eureka moment - Merriam Webster a moment of sudden, triumphant discovery, inspiration, or insight


Reference Sources:

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