Wairarapa
History: The notion that Stokes alone triggered European settlement is a matter of opinion. Sources such as Bagnall, Te Ara, and the Waitangi Tribunal report tell a far more nuanced story. I am working offline on a summary of that story. Also, the word "scaling" implies Stokes and his party were mountain climbers. They certainly did not "survey" the route. That was done later. I have removed or changed misleading text
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[[Rangitāne]] and [[Ngāti Kahungunu]] were the resident Māori tribes (''[[iwi]]'') when European explorers arrived in the area in the 1770s. |
[[Rangitāne]] and [[Ngāti Kahungunu]] were the resident Māori tribes (''[[iwi]]'') when European explorers arrived in the area in the 1770s. |
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In 1841 [[Robert Stokes (politician)|Robert Stokes]] |
In 1841 [[Robert Stokes (politician)|Robert Stokes]] and several companions travelled over the [[Remutaka Range]], returning to Wellington via the coastal route around Turakirae Head.{{cite report|title=Rimutaka Rail Alignment, Martins Forest: Archaeological Report |first1=Kiri|last1=Petersen|date=2010|publisher=Opus International Consultants Limited}} Stokes noted the agricultural potential of the Wairarapa plains and spread word of such in Wellington.{{cite report|title=163 Main Street, Greytown, Wairarapa (Part S26/19): Archaeological Monitoring Report|date=January 2018|first1=Victoria|last1=Grouden|publisher=Capital Heritage Limited}}{{sfn|Bagnall|1976|pages=24-28}} |
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On 23 January 1855 the region was shaken by the strongest earthquake recorded in New Zealand, with an estimated [[Moment_magnitude_scale|magnitude]] of 8.2. In the Wairarapa, several people (variously reported as two, four, five or six) were killed when a building collapsed during the shaking.{{cite journal | last1 = Grapes | first1 = Rodney | last2 = Downes | first2 = Gaye | title = The 1855 Wairarapa, New Zealand, Earthquake - Analysis of Historical Data |
On 23 January 1855 the region was shaken by the strongest earthquake recorded in New Zealand, with an estimated [[Moment_magnitude_scale|magnitude]] of 8.2. In the Wairarapa, several people (variously reported as two, four, five or six) were killed when a building collapsed during the shaking.{{cite journal | last1 = Grapes | first1 = Rodney | last2 = Downes | first2 = Gaye | title = The 1855 Wairarapa, New Zealand, Earthquake - Analysis of Historical Data |
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