Wakefield is one of the earliest European settlements in New Zealand and now it has a map for a self-guided walking trail around its historical buildings and sites, plus the stories behind them.
A second map shows the wider Wakefield area to encourage visitors to spend a day exploring the activities on offer.
Bo Hensley grew up in South Africa with a local trail the family used to follow and she thought it would be a good idea for Wakefield to have a trail as it has so much history.
With the help of grants totalling $3,500 from the Tasman District Council and the Waimea South Community Facility Charitable Trust, an out-of-date Wakefield website was spruced up and that attracted businesses to advertise.
With the website revamped, visitors can either pick up a map from various retailers in the village or use the website - www.wakefield.org.nz - which has the full history of each building and site.
Wakefield designer Rawinia Grieder produced the map, complete with drawings of the historical buildings, resulting in a walking trail of 16 buildings and sites. It includes the story of the former Temperance Hall and Johnson’s Saddlery (now Sweetbites) which was the site of a heated dispute over the boundary line.
The dispute led to a local builder sawing four feet off the building and levering that portion to one side, where it later collapsed. The map also has the Baigent Sleeping Tree in the Wakefield Domain which is the tree that Edward Baigent slept under on his first night in Wakefield in 1843.
Bo says many of the local people have stories that have been passed down through generations that add a unique character to Wakefield. Putting those stories together on a map enables locals and visitors to enjoy the history of the village.
“I wanted something people could pick up and do on their own – give them some information so they can explore the village.”
