Hector Day, 16 March
Posted 14 March 2008 // Simon Nathan
James Hector
New Zealand geologists celebrate the 16th of March as Hector Day, to mark the birthday of explorer, geologist and natural scientist James Hector in 1834.
Hector was a dominating figure in 19th century New Zealand – he was the founder of the Colonial Museum (now Te Papa), the New Zealand Institute (now the Royal Society of New Zealand) and the Geological Survey (now GNS Science). Hector’s dolphin is named after him, as is Mt Hector in the Tararua Range.
James Hector has a special place in Te Ara – he is one of the most frequently mentioned individuals and appears in a variety of entries, including mining, birdwatching, and timekeeping. Try typing ‘hector’ in the search box at the top right of any page, and you will see the range of his contributions.
In 2007 a symposium was held at Te Papa to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Hector’s death. This TV3 news item covered the symposium and gives some background on Hector’s life and achievements. It isn’t widely known in New Zealand that before he settled here he explored the Canadian Rockies and discovered Kicking Horse Pass, which is now on the route of the Canadian Pacific Railway. This video tribute to James Hector was sent to the symposium by Jim Doyle, mayor of the area.
