Wangapeka Valley by John Gully

Nelson painter John Gully was one of the better known 19th century painters, this painting shows part of what is now Kahurangi National Park.  As the DOC website describes the area today "Gold was discovered in the Wangapeka valley in 1859. This discovery, and the need for access to the West Coast, led to the building ofthe route between 1862 and 1899 by unemployed gold miners and diggers. Although the area attracted gold hunters for about 70 years, few fortunes were made. The first pastoral licence for sheep grazing inthe Wangapeka valley was granted in 1851. By the late 1860s, sheep had reached the alpine grasslands of the Wangapeka tops. Graziers tied small sack-bagsof grass seed to the sheep’s necks during summer, thus introducing new grass species to the area. Grazing attempts were abandoned after 1940 because of fierce competition for feed from deer. The 1929 Murchison earthquake caused severe damage to sections of the Wangapeka Route.  These sections were rebuilt during the 1930s depression when the Government introduced a gold-mining subsidy scheme for unemployed men."
 

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Gully John
New Zealand Colonial Landscape Prints