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Footnote 1
Version 5.2
For some time I have been intrigued by Observatory Path
down by the Seddon Memorial in the Bolton Street Memorial Park. Why
this name, when it does not appear to be an obvious place for any
type of observatory. Accepting that this name meant what it said, it
then raised the question “how many observatories
have there been in the Garden?” You may be quite
surprised with the answer.
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PART OF
OBSERVATORY RESERVE 1950/60's
A Transit Room from Colonial Observatory. Opened 1869, although possibly the original 1863 building from Customhouse Quay, moved from the 'Seddon' site 1906, demolished 1961
B Hector/Dominion Observatory Opened 1907
C
King Edward VII Memorial Observatory / Thomas
King Observatory Opened 1912
D The Wellington City Observatory was located approximately here Opened 1924 Closed 1941
E Carter Observatory Opened 1941
1 Outline of gun pit from 1896 battery
2 Site of battery range finder, dome housed astrolabe
used in 1927 International Longitude Campaign and 1957/58 Geophysical
year. As a result centre of dome location is more accurately known
with respect to other parts of the world than any other point in NZ
3 Line approximate boundary of the car park proposed in 1952.
Included the scout den and significant contouring of the land,
approximately one third of the reserve , plus some garden land.
4 Meteorological enclosure, established 1925, still in use
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Observatory
reserve
In
answering the above question, another issue arises which needs to be
answered first, what is the status
of the land where observatories have been constructed, and how does
it relate to the rest of the Garden?
Light
shading 1930 proposed Observatory
Reserve.
Proposed road highlighted, which fortunately was not
constructed
The
proclaimed observatory reserve, and the additional separate Carter
Observatory land.
Shaded area 1896 Defence (battery) Reserve.
Maps from Winsome
Shepherd and Walter Cook; The Botanic Garden, Wellington A New
Zealand History 1840 - 1987
Highly recommended for the story of the Garden
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The
Wellington City Council took over the management of the Wellington
Botanic Garden in 1891 under the authority of the Botanic Garden
Vesting Act. 6 acres
(2.4 ha.) of land part of the original Garden area was designated as
an observatory reserve
with the boundaries determined by Sir James Hector, the first
director of the Garden. The Garden retained the use and upkeep of the
land, as until then it was an integral part of the Garden. In 1886 4
½ acres (1.8 ha) of the identified reserve area was taken for the
battery reserve as part of the defence preparation for a possible
Russian invasion, under the authority of the Public Works Act, and
this area has remained Crown Land ever since.
The
battery
was designed to contain a 7 inch, 7 ton disappearing gun.
Stairs leading to the underground bunkers remain, and the range
finder position now houses the astrolabe dome. Unfortunately the
land was never formally proclaimed for observatory purposes, and when
the Defence Department took over the battery area, the Garden lost
control of this area. Complications arose when the battery closed in
1904, and with the building of the Hector Observatory in 1906/07,
primarily involving the management of the area, an issue which
continued to raise difficulties for many years. In 1930 an attempt
was made to tidy up the legal position of the reserve. At this time
there was also a proposal by the Wellington City Council to create a
road between Upland and Salamanca Roads, but fortunately as it
involved some of the Crown land, they did not agree, and it was not
completed. (For proposal see map above). The observatory also
objected to this proposal, as the planned road could have affected
the operation of the observatory. The objections, fortunately,
prevented what would have been the virtual destruction of this
important part of the Garden.
In
1952, the Government when discussing the reserve area, stated “the
Reserve 'to' remain accessible to the pubic for recreation and in
terms of landscaping to be developed as part of the Garden”.
The Garden continues to be responsible for management and visitor
services of this area, and for practical purposes can be considered
as part of the Garden. It was not until 1962 that an amended
Observatory Reserve of 5 ½ acres (2.2 ha) was finally proclaimed.
Before leaving the issue of the land, it is interesting
to note that in late 1952 the Council proposed that a car park be
established on the observatory reserve. This would have involved the
removal of the Seismological
Observatory (presumably only the underground battery areas), the
King Observatory and the Scout house (originally built for the
battery commander of the Garden battery, but occupied by the scouts
from 1913), and the levelling of around one third of the ridge area,
mostly reserve, but some Garden areas. This could only be completed
with the co-operation of the Government, which fortunately consent
was not given, thus preventing the destruction of an important area
of the Garden, and ensuring the continuance of an effective Cable Car
entrance for the Garden which we enjoy today.
The Meteorological enclosure was established in 1925 and
continues to record Wellington's weather today. For 1945 photo see
notes on the first garden observatory following..
The
Battery Reserve
In the 1870's New Zealand was a young self-governing
colony of Britain. It had developed no coastal defences of any
consequence and was becoming increasingly sensitive to how vulnerable
its harbours were to attack by a hostile power or opportunistic
raider. In the aftermath of the Crimean war, Tsarist Russia seemed
particularly suspicious. While concern was widely expressed, the
Government took little action.
7 inch
7 ton RML disappearing gun of the type obtained for the battery.
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Shaded
area showing underground rooms in relation to Dominion Observatory
(on left)
Acknowledgement: Department of
Conservation
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Gun of the type purchased
for the Garden Battery
(Illustration Palmerston Forts UK)
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Battery
underground rooms
Acknowledgement: Department of
Conservation
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In 1873 an
Auckland editor
perpetrated
what has been hailed the greatest spoof in the country's history. The
Monday, 17 February 1873 issue of the Southern Cross
reported the sudden declaration of war between England and Russia. As
a result, the Russian warship Kaskowiski – whose very name
should have made sober readers suspicious ('case of whiskey!!')
– had allegedly entered Auckland Harbour on the previous Saturday
night and proceeded to capture a British ship, along with the city's
arms and ammunition supply, and hold a number of leading citizens for
ransom. The 954-man Russian vessel obviously meant business, with a
dozen 30-ton guns as well as a remarkably new advance in warfare, a
paralysing and deadly "water-gas" that could be injected
into enemy ships from a great distance.
The Southern
Cross article created panic and the Government commissioned its
first reports on the colony's defences. It was now clearly understood
that Britain would protect its territories and vital shipping routes,
but the defence of individual ports was the responsibility of each
self-governing colony. Then Russia declared war on Turkey in 1877
producing another "scare". The hoax was intended to try and
force the Government to take action on the nation's defence and a
decision was quickly taken to construct fortifications and purchase
naval boats which would protect the harbours
at Auckland, Wellington,
Lyttelton and Port Chalmers. The coastal artillery fortifications or
land batteries were to be based on British designs. Heavy artillery
pieces and ammunition were ordered from Britain. By 1885 work started
in earnest on the
Design of 7 inch disappearing gun in firing and loading position
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construction of what eventually became seventeen
forts, further encouraged by yet another Russian scare.
The garden
battery was commenced in 1896. (Some reports say 1892 or 1894, but
contemporary newspaper reports appear to confirm the later date.) A
7 inch RML
gun (British 7-inch rifled muzzle-loading naval and coast defence gun
introduced in 1865 and produced to the 1890s ) was obtained, but was
considered obsolete shortly after. The fortifications were
constructed, but the gun was never installed or fired although was
stored in the magazine. It was feared firing would blow out all the
windows within a half mile radius given the close proximity of
dwellings. The drawings show the underground structures of the
battery.
The gun emplacement was filled in shortly after the battery was
dismantled in 1904. Concreted over, the outline of the pit can be
seen today, and the trophy First World War Krupp Gun is placed in the
centre of the pit outline.
Why
Observatories?
To
consider the observatories, it is appropriate to ask “why where
they considered necessary?”
The
first two observatories in Wellington, including the first in the
Garden, where established for time keeping purposes. In colonial
times there was no need for accurate time keeping, and each district
observed their local solar time, with the result the clocks
throughout the colony varied by some 50 minutes. However the
development of coastal and international shipping, and in
particular the railway and the telegraph system showed the necessity
of a standard time throughout the country. In 1868, on the
recommendation of Sir James Hector, a standard time 11.5 hours ahead
of Greenwich Mean Time was set, altered to 12 hours ahead in 1941.
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| Original transit telescope now in the Dominion Observatory |
Time Ball Station on Customs Building, Queens Wharf.
The observatory was a short distance away on Customhouse Quay
Photo Carter Observatory archives
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Before modern technological developments, the only way
a mariner could establish his longitude was to utilise accurate
clocks and observations and appropriate tables. The chronometers
required accurate recalibration and this was achieved by special
observatories using astronomical observation to set the correct
local time. This required the location (longitude) of the observatory
to be accurately known, which is a story in itself, but beyond the
scope of this article.
The first two observatories in Wellington were for time keeping, in
addition to meteorological and climatological purposes.
Wellington's first observatory was established
in 1863 on the waterfront, on Customhouse Quay, south of the 'new'
Chief Post Office, around the site of the present Intercontinental
Hotel. The time was indicated by a ball located on the Customs House
on Queens Wharf, being raised at 5 minutes to 12, then released at
12 midday.
Observatory no 1
the Colonial Time-service Observatory The construction of a 'new' telegraph office blocked the
view from the waterfront observatory of the essential meridian mark
on Tinakori Hill, requiring a new site to be found. Dr James Hector,
in his role as Government Advisor, and first director of the Botanic
Garden, quickly found a site where the Seddon Memorial now stands in
the Garden for the construction of the new observatory in 1869, on
what became known as Observatory Knob. It was the access to this
observatory that provided the name 'Observatory Path' which now runs
through the Bolton Street Memorial Park.
Problems occurred with this observatory as tree growth
quickly obscured views, and there was city encroachment. When
Richard John Seddon, Prime Minister suddenly died, a national
memorial was suggested. As no burials where possible in the Bolton
Street cemetery at the time, and a site close to Parliament was
considered appropriate, the block of land in the Garden occupied by
this observatory was selected, and the building was removed in 1906.
The observatory was subsequently transferred to a higher, more
suitable location, although for a short time was by the wooden
Government building.
Observatory
no 2 Hector Observatory
1907-1925
aka
Dominion Observatory 1925-1941
Seismological
Observatory
1941-1995
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Dominion
Observatory; Krupp Gun and battery area in front.
Astrolabe dome on
right – originally housing the range finder for disappearing gun.
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Underground
battery facilities Acknowledgement:
Department of Conservation
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DANJON IMPERSONAL ASTROLABE
The main purpose of
this instrument is to accurately determine the geographic position of
the observing site. At the time of the International Geophysical Year
(1958) this was known to within a
few hundred metres only. The astrolabe was able to refine this to within about 50 metres.
A number of these instruments were located in various sites around the
world, so that the positions of the continents became more precisely known. These days we can locate ourselves using the
GPS system to a much greater accuracy, so the Danjon Astrolabe is no longer needed.
The astrolabe is in effect a horizontal telescope, with an equilateral
(60 degree) prism in front of the lens. It sees the image of a star
reflected in the prism, and another image of the same star reflected
in the prism and also in a pool of mercury below the prism. When the
two images coincide, the star is almost exactly 30 degrees from the
zenith. This instant is recorded (automatically by the astrolabe,
not the observer - hence the word "impersonal" in the name). When a
large number of observations are made and averaged, the location of the
site can be determined accurately.
Carter Observatory archives.
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Built
in 1907, it was first called the Hector Observatory, after Dr (later
Sir) James Hector,
who was closely associated with the Garden. It was renamed the
Dominion Observatory in 1925 (recognising the changed status of the
country in the Commonwealth) and was renamed the Seismological
Observatory from 1941. The main part of the structure is built over
the magazine of the 1896 battery. A
new wing was added to the west side of the building to house 4
offices in 1926. Like its predecessor, it was for time-keeping,
meteorology and climatology, not astronomical observation, although
amateur astronomers were able to use its telescopes.
Dominion Observatory in cross section, showing underground battery areas
Acknowledgement Department of Conservation
.Krupp Gun
This gun was manufactured by Fried.Krupp AG, Essen, Germany in 1907 and
remained in service in the German Army during the First World War
1914-1918. The crest of the Prussian Foot Guards Artillery Regiment can
be seen on the top surface of the barrel.
The gun was captured
near La Vacquerie, northeast France, on 29th Sept.1914 by the New
Zealand Division. Two battalions of the Wellington Regiment were engaged
in this action which was part of an allied attack on the Hindenburg
line of defences.
At the end of the First World War this gun and
many other captured arms were sent to New Zealand as war trophies. In
1920 this piece was gifted to the City of Wellington in honour of the
soldiers from the Wellington District.
For almost 80 years the
gun was displayed at Newtown Park. It is thought to be the only one of
its kind remaining from about 190 manufactured.
The Krupp Gun was part of a restoration project in 1999-2001.
The outline of the original 1896 gun emplacement can be clearly seen
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G A Eiby Time Service Equipment at Dominion Observatory NZ Journal of Science and Technology May 1948
Carter Observatory archive
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Dominion Observatory original plans, ground and first floor
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Dominion Observatory around 1920
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The
new observatory was built at the top of Wellington’s Botanic
Garden, partly so that the lights of the growing city wouldn’t
interfere with the work of the astronomers who, at that time,
depended on sun and planet sightings to make their time observations.
Telescopes allowed the time to be determined to an accuracy of a
quarter of a second
and was disseminated from 1911 by coloured lights on a mast on the
Observatory, visible to ships in the harbour. In 1916 the use of
time signals by radio was adopted which eventually led to the
introduction in 1937 to the familiar 6 pips played on the hour over
National Radio. Astronomical determination of time continued until
the 1950's, when more accurate methods became available.
In
1962 quartz-crystal clocks formally replaced the astronomical
regulator pendulums which had been used since New Zealand first
started keeping standard time. Through the 1970's and early 1980's
the quartz clocks continued to be maintained at the observatory, and
radio signals were still relayed from there, but the clocks were now
calibrated to three caesium clocks monitored by the Industrial
Research Limited Measurement Standards Laboratory in Lower Hutt. The
responsibility for maintaining New Zealand’s standard time was
officially transferred to that company in 1992.
In
1916, the observatory also began to house the government’s
fledgling Seismological Service. There are still measuring
instruments near the building, utilising the underground bunkers of
the earlier battery. It continued being used for seismological
studies until 1995 when the Institute of Geological and Nuclear
studies was established. Unfortunately
the underground areas are not open for public viewing.
The
building was designed by government architect John Campbell in the
Edwardian Baroque style. The architectural style was used in the
design of many public buildings built in the British Empire during
the reign of Edward VII (1901–1910). When completed in 1907, New
Zealand’s new observatory had a number of similarities to England’s
Royal Observatory which had been designed by Wren in 1675. Restored
in 2003, the Dominion Observatory building is maintained by the
Department of Conservation. It houses several private companies but
is not open to the public.
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Professional
astronomers where not employed for many years, but there were many
enthusiastic amateurs able to use the telescopes. Of those involved
with the Garden, Dr (later Sir) James Hector was one such individual. Another was George
Vernon Hudson,
who is not so well known. A Post Office clerk he is better known for
his comprehensive insect collection, which later became the founding
collection of the Dominion Museum, subsequently Te Papa. Only a
teenager when he came to Wellington he was the first to work out the
life cycle of the glow worm. The
entomological establishment did not like this 'youngster' barely out
of his teens, telling them things different to what they believed,
and it took some time for the truth to be generally accepted. In 1890
the insect was named by an entomologist from the Australian Museum in
Sydney who accepted
Hudson's conclusions and observations.
He was Frederick
Skuse, who used specimens provided from this Garden.
Purchasing a home on Messines Road in Karori, Hudson used his own
telescope to observe the total eclipse of the sun in 1885.
On
9th June 1918 he discovered a new star, subsequently known as Nova
Aquilae,
which attracted world-wide attention. Perhaps his greatest
contribution to astronomy arose from his being the original advocate
of what has come popularly to be known as “Daylight Saving.” His
initial paper in 1895 was not well received but he followed it up
with another paper 3 years later. It was not until 1927 that
daylight saving was first introduced into New Zealand. Not popular,
there were several changes, but in 1941, as a war time measure, half
an hour daylight saving was introduced for the year, which remains in
force. An additional hours summer daylight saving time also applies.
He made continuous studies of sun spots, recording with notes and
diagrams what he observed from day to day. His notes on these solar
phenomena in the Wellington daily papers were familiar items.
Observatory
no 3 King
Edward VII Memorial Observatory
aka King
Observatory
Thomas
King Observatory
Modern view of Thomas King Observatory
The Thomas King 12.5 cm (5-inch) telescope, made in 1882 by Grubb
in Dublin
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As
the Hector Observatory was only a time keeping station the members of
the Wellington Philosophical Society Astronomy Section felt there was
need for a public observatory. The society hosted many fund-raising
nights and secured ₤100
from the NZ Government. The observatory was built during September –
October 1912.
The observatory was
initially known as the King Edward Observatory as the King had died
in 1912; later this was shortened to the King Observatory.
The
first public observatory in Wellington, during the 1920’s and 30’s
public viewing nights were held. During the 1940’s the observatory
was unofficially renamed the Thomas King Observatory after Thomas
King who in 1887 took up a full time position as Transit Observer
at the Colonial and later Hector Observatory. On his death his estate
donated his telescope.
| The Grubb refractor |
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The 5-inch Grubb refractor was made in Dublin in
1882. It was owned by Thomas King, the observer at the Colonial
Observatory in Wellington. After King's death in 1916, it was
acquired by the Wellington City Council and erected as the King
Edward VII Memorial Observatory in 1918. Later this became
known as the Thomas King Observatory
 The Grubb telescope company was founded by Thomas
Grubb, born in 1800, an Irish engineer from Waterford who made a
living producing printers and other machinery. He always had a
personal interest in astronomy and optics, and built a private
observatory, which included a small reflector. But he was more
interested in larger instruments, and, as he became familiar with the
processes involved, his observatory and workshop grew, along with his
reputation.
Then, in 1833, Thomas received his first order
when Edward Cooper presented him with a 13.3 inch objective lens with
a focal length of 25 feet. He had purchased the optics in Paris two
years before, and commissioned Thomas Grubb to build what would at
the time be the world's largest refractor, to be installed,
equatorially mounted, in his observtory in Markree Castle. Next, a 15
inch reflector was ordered for the Armagh Observatory. In building
this reflector Grubb introduced new features that would become
standard, such as clock-driven equatorial mounts and eyepieces
situated at the rear of a telescope, the light coming to focus after
traveling through a hole in the center of the primary mirror.
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The observatory was
used for research into variable stars, comets, planetary work and
sunspots. After WW2 the use declined and the telescope was removed
in 1992 after the observatory had been vandalised. The Observatory
and telescope was repaired and restored.
Observatory
no 4 Wellington
City
Observatory – “The Tin
Shed”
The Wellington City Council 'Tin
Shed', the Thomas King Observatory visible to rear on hill.
Cooke telescope ready for
viewing,with the roof rolled away
Cater Overvatory photos
The 'Tin
Shed' with foundations for the new Carter Observatory in foreground (1940).
The roof of the Tin Shed is in its closed position and needs to be rolled away to allow the use of the telescope
Cater Overvatory photo
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Established
in 1924 by the Wellington City Corporation it was located to the
side of the current Carter Observatory. Made of galvanised iron and
with a roll-off roof it gained its nickname as “the tin shed”.
It hosted public observation sessions, and was used for some
research. It housed a 23 cm (9 ¾ inch) telescope built by Thomas
Cooke in 1867 which it acquired from the Marist Seminary in Meeanee,
Napier at a princely sum of £2,000, (in current money approximately
$178,000) and restored in 2001 by Gordon Hudson.
Now in Carter, it is the largest telescope they have.
The
observatory was used until the Carter Observatory opened in 1941.
Observatory
no 5 Carter Observatory
The fifth, last and newest observatory is the Carter.
Its name immortalises Charles Rooking Carter (1822-1896), a
Wellington businessman, politician and Wairarapa farmer who also gave
his name to Carterton. He had expressed deep concern about the
scarcity of scientists in New Zealand – particularly for the lack
of seismologists in an earthquake-prone country. In his 1896 will he
left £2,240 for the establishment of an astronomical observatory in
Wellington for public use and benefit. After many delays, the Carter
Observatory project finally bore fruit when it was adopted as a New
Zealand 1940 centennial project through the enthusiasm of the Royal
Society of New Zealand and the Wellington City Council.
| The
Thomas Cooke Telescope |
| Thomas Cooke was born in Allerthorpe,
East Riding of Yorkshire. His
formal education consisted of two years at an elementary school , but
he continued learning after this and he taught himself navigation and
astronomy with the intention of becoming a sailor. His mother
dissuaded him from that career and in 1829 he moved to York and
worked as a mathematics schoolmaster at the Rev. Schackley’s School
in Ogleforth,near York Minster. He also taught in various ladies'
schools to increase his income.
 His marriage to Hannah was to produce
seven children, five of whom were boys. Two of these Charles
Frederick (1836 - 98) and Thomas (1839 - 1919) subsequently joined
him in the business he founded in 1836 at number 50 (now renumbered
to 18) Stonegate, close to York Minster with the assistance of a loan
of £100 from his wife’s uncle.
Cooke studied optics and became
interested in making telescopes, the first of which was a refracting
telescope with the base of a tumbler shaped to form its lens.
This led to his friends including John Phillips encouraging him to
make telescopes and other optical devices commercially.
In 1837 he established his first
optical business in a small shop at 50 Stonegate, York, and later
moved to larger premises in Coney Street. He built his first
telescope for William Gray. At that time, the excise tax on glass
discouraged the making of refracting telescopes, which were usually
imported from abroad. Cooke was thus one of the pioneers of making
such telescopes in Britain.
He made more instruments and built his
reputation. He was not only an optician but had mechanical abilities
as well, and among other things, manufactured turret clocks for
church towers. He founded the firm T. Cooke & Sons. In 1855 he
moved to bigger premises, the Buckingham Works at Bishophill in York,
where factory methods of production were first applied to optical
instruments.
One of his finest achievements was
the construction of the 25 inch 'Newall' refractor for Robert
Stirling Newall; sadly, Thomas died before seeing it completed. For
some years the Newall was the largest refracting telescope in the
world. On Newall's death it was donated to the Cambridge Observatory
and finally moved in 1959 to Mount Penteli observatory in Greece. He
made a telescope for the Royal Observatory, also Greenwich and
another for Prince Albert. The firm amalgamated with Troughton &
Simms (London) to become Cooke, Troughton & Simms in 1922 and
this later became part of Vickers, but still run by his sons Thomas &
Frederick.
He is buried in York Cemetery.
The
Cooke 9 3/4-inch telescope in Carter was built in York in 1866-67
for the well-known English amateur, Edward Crossley. This telescope
came to New Zealand in 1907 for the Meanee Observatory, near Napier,
of the Rev. David Kennedy (1864-1936). In 1924 the
Wellington City Council purchased it from Kennedy's estate and
installed it in “The Tin Shed' and by 1942 the telescope was moved
to the then newly opened Carter Observatory
| The Ruth Crisp
Telescope |
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 The Ruth Crisp
Telescope is a research-grade 41-cm (16-inch) Cassegrain reflector
made by Boller and Chivens of the USA came to the observatory in the
1960s thanks to a donation by the New Zealand writer and
philanthropist Ruth Crisp. Once used for research at the Carter
Observatory's outstation at Black Birch, in the South Island of New
Zealand, it later moved to the main premises in Wellington.
A grant from Pub Charity allowed improvements to
the installation in December 2005: the Observatory had the dome
motorised and the primary and secondary mirrors re-aluminised.
Efforts have commenced to start a research programme based around the
facility, possibly involving deep-sky imaging, microlensing
capability and photometry.
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The Thomas Cooke telescope obtained for the 'Tin Shed' in use at the Carter Observatory around 1980
Carter Overvatory photo
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Gordon Hudson recently restored
the Thomas Cooke telescope shown here with the restored instrument in
the Carter Observatory dome
Carter Overvatory photo
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Modern view of Carter Observatory
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The Carter site was not in the defined observatory
reserve, and land was made available from the Garden for the
building. After delays caused by World War II, the Carter
Observatory was finally opened on 20 December 1941.
The Carter Observatory has undergone several major
innovations since its establishment. The first was in the 1960's when
the Ruth Crisp Bequest allowed construction of a two-storey building
and office wing and also provided a third telescope. In
1977 it became the official national observatory
Thomas Cooke telescope at Carter Observatory
Part of Pipehenge in foreground
Photo: New Zealand Almanac
Components during restoration
Illiustration: Kotipu Place Observator
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of
New Zealand. In 1991 the Golden Bay Planetarium was incorporated to
become its visitor centre, foyer area and theatre. Carter
Observatory’s priorities shifted from primarily scientific research
to public education. In February 2005 a review concluded that the Mt
John Observatory was more suited for the title 'national observatory'
because it was widely accepted as the major NZ observatory in terms
of national and international research.
The
Wellington City Council has maintained the observatory since 2007,
and in 2009 the Government transferred responsibility to the
Council, and it officially lost the title of National Observatory.
The Wellington City Council from 2006/2010 spent $2.2
million on refurbishing and upgrading the observatory as a
high-quality tourist attraction and education venue for national and
international visitors.
Carter Observatory has three major telescopes. The
first, housed in the Thomas King Observatory and until very recently
has been used for public viewing . The second the Thomas Cooke
Refractor acquired from the Marist Society in the main observatory
building, and the third, the Ruth Crisp telescope, is used for
public viewing.
The Carter Observatory has been the national repository
for astronomical heritage as neither the National Archives nor Te
Papa collect in this field. It had an active acquisition policy in
seeking items of significant heritage, research data, and was said to
have one of the best astronomical libraries in the Southern
Hemisphere. Much of the equipment was on display, but the latest
development has resulted in this material largely being placed in
storage. It would be unfortunate if it is never restored to public
display. ---000---
Sundial of Human Involvement
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While
we have been talking of time, at the rear of the Carter Observatory
is the Sundial of Human Involvement. It is accurate to
within a few minutes, and no corrections for daylight saving are
required as the bronze indicators on the granite columns are moved
twice a year. Constructed to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the
Plimmer Family in Wellington, its construction was funded by the
Charles Plimmer Trust. Designed by Peter Kundycki a Landscape
Architect and Sculptor with WCC it is dedicated to John Plimmer , a
founding father of Wellington.
It
is known as an analemmatic sundial
,
a type of sundial rare worldwide and unique in New Zealand. The 15
columns are constructed from rough hewn granite with inlaid recycled
gunmetal bronze hour numbers which are moved at the beginning and end
of daylight saving. Follow the instructions and see how accurate it
is.
Kowhai Trail walk marker
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Likewise,
pipehenge
, the celestial
climbing frame forming a skeletal sphere, with the summer and winter
path of the sun indicated by the arcs with the circle showing the
path of the Southern Cross around the South Celestial Pole and which
was outside the main entrance has been removed. Fascinating young
and old alike, it would be great to see its return.
From
the Cable Car Lookout you can follow the Kowhai
Trail Walk
(marked by brick path markers with a kowhai tile in the centre, walk
anticlockwise), a 15 minute walk around the existing historic
buildings and the Krupp Gun. A brochure is available from the
Treehouse, or from guides on duty during cruise ship visiting days.
View of historic fence from Cable Car lookout |
To
round off the historical features of this area, if you stand on the
Cable Car lookout, looking north, you will see the remains of a fence
on the slope in front of you. This is part of the first fence used
to enclose the Garden, erected in 1870/71, and is the oldest
remaining construction still in existence. Its conservation is
currently being considered.
This
is an area with a fascinating history, not only for the Garden, or
Wellington, but has left its mark on all of this County. Hosting 5
observatories over the years each with their fascinating stories,
this comprises an important part of the Garden heritage.
Sources
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