Otago Anniversary Day
Posted 21 March 2008 // Malcolm McKinnon
A dog and his miner
March 24th is Otago’s anniversary day holiday, but this year it’s also the Monday after Easter, so a holiday for everyone, not just Otago. I’m pleased therefore to learn that the anniversary holiday’s still being observed – on the immediately following Tuesday. Nice work Otago.
I’m presently researching and writing the encyclopedia entry for Otago, but browsing round Te Ara it’s already easy to find lots of Otago angles.
An obvious place to start is with the Scots, given that Otago originated as a Free Church of Scotland settlement in 1848. Though it is interesting to learn that Otago was never completely Scottish – even in its first years Scots accounted for only just over half of the settlers.
And from a few years before, in the European Exploration entry you can find Te Huruhuru’s 1844 map of the Otago lakes Wakatipu, Wanaka and Hawea, at that time unsighted by any European.
From 1861 the search for gold in the interior brought many miners across the Tasman from Victoria in Australia. News of the bitterly cold Central Otago winter of 1862 didn’t deter everyone, as is evident from this Melbourne Punch cartoon.
And if that doesn’t make you feel cold, read George Barrington’s 1863–64 journal of his abortive six-month gold-seeking expedition into the country between Lake Wakatipu and the West Coast. After about five months of travel he writes ‘this is the most miserable day of my existence’. Barrington and his companions made it back to Wakatipu in the early winter, not much more than skeletons, but alive.
Central Otago can of course be very hot as well as very cold. Dunedin residents will undoubtedly use this holiday weekend to enjoy its fine, warm and calm late summer weather. Have a great time.
