Hillersden Cattle Run, 31,700 acres. Run No. 6A

This was a much larger run than Run No. 5, and was taken up in the early 1850's by Edward David Sweet of Hillersden. This area was included in E. D. Sweet's licence of 1854 in Run No. 6 for Hillersden, but was separated a few years later. It was on the north side of the Wairau River, and to the east of Run No. 5.

In the autumn of 1868 the lease was transferred to Richard Timms, and he and his brother Samuel Timms ran it until taken over by Bennett and Symons the following year. In 1873, John Symons (who by then had acquired all the shares in N. Edwards & Co.) transferred the lease in these two cattle runs to Samuel Redley Buckman, George John Storer Mansfield Mason, and Elijah Bytheli, all at that time of North Bank of Wairau, flaxdressers. The following year, Buckman and Mason assigned the lease to Elijah Bythell for 100 page 28pounds, subject to a mortgage to William Blick of Blenheim and George Blick of Nelson. In 1879 Elijah Bythell, who was then of Blenheim, builder, assigned the lease to William Bell the younger, and his brother James Bell of Wairau Valley, later to become well known in farming circles throughout Marlborough.

During this time Bell Brothers occupied these two runs, they were known as the Northbank Run, and in 1895 they acquired the Oddstone Run in this area. In 1899 they sold their interest in the runs to the Crown, who then made a fresh subdivision of the area under a Land for Settlement Act of that time.

It should be noted that this was gold bearing land, and after the Tipperary gold rush of about 1868. which involved about 500 men many areas were dug over and mined in the search for this precious mineral. Others found occupation in sawmilling and flax dressing. Quite a number of small sections of land were freeholded in scattered places throughout the run.