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The Early Canterbury Runs: Containing the First, Second and Third (new) Series

Rockwood — (Runs 57 and 57 A)

page 201

Rockwood
(Runs 57 and 57 A)

Rockwood lies next north of the Point, on the foothills above the Terrace Station. The first part of it (Run 57, of five thousand acres), was taken up by Henry Phillips on 15th July, 1852. On 8th August, 1855, he took up Run 57a, another seven thousand acres adjoining. The first year that I can find a record of the stock is 1854, when there were 300 sheep there. These had been increased by breeding and purchase to 4000 in 1858.

The life of Rockwood in the old days has been so well described by two of the best descriptive writers we ever had in New Zealand—Lady Barker and T. H. Potts—that it would be presumptuous to say any more about it, but Out in the Open is a hard book to pick up nowadays, so I may be allowed to quote a paragraph of it.

'One is reminded of the pleasure of a day's shooting in the old days, especially at Rockwood, in the Malvern Hills, where the homely hall door stood always open, and a hearty welcome awaited all comers. Nestling well up in a valley at the foot of a sombre beechwood that covered rocky mountain slopes, this favourite station was in the very heart of picturesque and romantic landscapes; mountain, valley, hill, and plain, woods, rocks, and rapid streams, were all within the compass of a health-giving walk. When on hospitable cares intent, it was thought by the mistress advisable to add to the contents of the larder by some slight plenishments in the way of savoury meat, one or two men would volunteer their services, and make preparations overnight for the morrow's expedition. Both of the old fowling pieces (one of them a Manton, I think) were taken down from over the chimney-piece and cleaned, ammunition sorted, wads punched out of a pack of cards, strong watertight boots well greased with weka oil, tinder for a smoke or a fire, as might be required, was made out of a condemned under-garment, and forcibly crammed, still hot and smouldering, into page 202a little brass box (an implement which all up-country hands then carried about with them, when matches were not found in any great profusion at stations); a chip of quartz was also necessary, whilst the pocket knife did duty for a steel. By the by, these brass boxes to hold tinder were said to have been made originally for keeping the licenses of ticket-of-leave men across the water.' (Out in the Open, page 284.) But the reader should get the book and read it himself.

Henry Phillips bought the Point Station between Rockwood and the Rakaia, from the Studholmes, in 1862, and from then until his death the two stations were worked together.

After Henry Phillips's death in September, 1877, his son, T. A. Phillips, succeeded to his stations and kept the Point, but sold Rockwood in 1878, to G. R. Peacocke, who had been his cadet.

Peacocke, who was his own worst enemy, went out of Rockwood in 1882, when it was bought by McClatchie and McIntosh. Robert McIntosh bought out his partner two years later and sold the station to Peter Cunningham, jun., in 1886.

Cunningham went out of Rockwood about 1893. He sold the freehold and E. Goodwin took over the leasehold. Goodwin was the first man in these parts to own a motor-car, a Benz. He had to send to Sydney for the petrol. The leasehold went through seveial hands afterwards—C. O. B. Lamb, J. H. Wallace, and the Overtons, among them—and was cut up into several grazing runs before the 1914-18 War.

The freehold has also changed hands once or twice since Cunningham's time. It has belonged to S. Roseveare since 1905. It now carries 1200 or 1500 sheep, and the homestead is still as pretty as it was in Potts's time.