Bulletin No. 11: Sir Julius von Haast 

Simon Nathan

ABSTRACT: This short biography has been prepared to summarise the life and work of Sir Julius von Haast and to put the papers that follow into context. It has been largely compiled from similar biographical accounts in the New Zealand Dictionary of Biography (Maling 1990) and the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Langer 2004), updated with more recent research, especially by Nolden (2016).

Simon Nathan, Sascha Nolden

ABSTRACT: Sir Julius von Haast was a prominent personality in late nineteenth-century New Zealand and he was photographed many times. About 25 photographs of him have been identified from the Haast family collection held in the Alexander Turnbull Library and other archival collections, and a checklist of these has been prepared. Unfortunately, several recent publications have used illustrations, supposedly of Haast, that have been misidentified. No images of Haast as a young man have been found. The earliest photograph was taken in 1859, soon after he arrived in New Zealand. Aged 37, Haast is a tall solidly built man with black hair and a beard. Portraits taken over the next 5 years are similar, including one taken with his new bride, Mary Dobson, whom he married in 1863. Work-related photographs show him with the spectacular exhibition of moa skeletons that he organised at Canterbury Museum. He also appears within a group of notables at the opening of the Colonial and Vienna Exhibition in Christchurch in December 1872, when his beard had turned grey. The remaining photographs are of Haast as a much older man, several taken in between 1885 and 1887 when he was Commissioner at the Colinderies Exhibition in London. An oil painting, commissioned by Canterbury Museum, was created by Allan Bowles Cambridge soon after Haast’s death, and is based on one of these photographs.

Julia Bradshaw

ABSTRACT: Julius Haast has been widely credited with ‘discovering’ Haast Pass and his words, quoted in the title, are an example of Pākehā blindness to indigenous knowledge and occupation. The pass, previously known as Tioripātea, was well known by Māori and its existence was noted on  maps published in 1851 and 1858. After Haast’s journey in early 1863 it became known as Haast Pass. Since 1998 it has been officially known as Haast Pass/Tioripātea. The author prefers its original name and has used that throughout this article. 

After the discovery of gold in Otago in 1861 there was great interest in finding a route to the West Coast. Symms and Sutcliffe, Patrick Caples, Captain Alabaster, James Hector, Charles Cameron and others spent time searching for a route to the West Coast. In relation to Tioripātea, the most significant man is Charles Cameron who sent details of his explorations to both the Otago and Canterbury Provincial Governments, hoping for a financial incentive to continue his exploring. 

Although no support was forthcoming Cameron started out again in early January 1863, in advance of Haast. Both men had information from Māori about a pass at the head of Lake Wānaka but the journeys they made were very different affairs. Cameron travelled fast, alone and with few provisions whereas Haast had four companions, a lot of equipment and, at least initially, ate very well. 

From his own description, Cameron travelled over what is now known as Māori Saddle at the head of Blue River and into the Okuru River, a route that Māori preferred to the long trek down the Awarua (now Haast) River. 

Cameron claimed to have reached the West Coast about 24 January by which time Haast had only just crossed Tioripātea. It is likely that Cameron saw Tioripātea but it is doubtful that he actually crossed it. Cameron returned to Makarora on 29 January 1863 after a journey of 3 weeks while Haast and party took 6 weeks and did not return to Makarora until 2 March 1863. 

Though neither man ‘discovered’ the pass they were both keen to receive credit for doing so and there has been significant debate over who was first. This paper examines the journeys made by both men and discusses their respective contributions. 

Rosi Crane

Although not directly responsible for building the Otago Museum or its collections, Sir Julius von Haast (1822–1887) exercised a surprising influence over Dunedin. From surviving correspondence in scattered archives, it is clear that the relationship between the Canterbury and Otago Museums was complex. Haast and his contemporaries collected museum specimens to fill their respective cathedrals of science at a time when museum building was a global enterprise. The first Otago curator, Captain Frederick Wollaston Hutton (1836–1905) had a love-hate relationship with Haast through the 1870s, but called on him to help the southern museum in a variety of ways. For instance, by trading specimens, by sending Otago’s taxidermist to learn from Andreas Reischek (1845–1902) and by providing information on opening hours. Hutton fomented interprovincial rivalry between the provincial councils in a more-or-less successful attempt to get the Otago bureaucrats to provide funds. He copied Haast’s approach with his successful exploitation of moa bones from Glenmark Swamp when a similar stash was  found not far from Dunedin. Hutton argued with Haast over some of his ideas to the exasperation of the older man. The second Otago curator, Thomas Jeffery Parker (1850–1897), was less argumentative and sought Haast’s help with selling specimens at the Indian and Colonial Exhibition in 1886 when Haast was the commissioner. Parker used an innovative technique to preserve cartilaginous fish and internal organs of various mammals. Haast sold fish and invertebrates preserved by this technique to natural history museums in London and Dublin, where they remain, proving that both Dunedin and Christchurch were part of a flourishing global trade in natural history specimens.

George Hook

ABSTRACT: A reproduction of Julius Haast’s 1866 painting of the Lyell Glacier in the headwaters of the Rakaia River has recently been used on science news websites to  illustrate the extent to which glaciers in Kā Tiritiri o te Moana (the Southern Alps) of New Zealand have retreated by comparing it with an aerial photograph. This raises the question of whether Haast’s landscape paintings, and the field sketches on which they are based, are accurate environmental records of the extent and volume of those glaciers. There was little commentary on the veracity of Haast’s sketches in the scientific or art-historical literature until the late twentieth century. In a more recent book on Haast’s glaciological research, ecologist Colin Burrows included many field sketches by Haast, which he asserted are largely accurate based on his visits to many of Haast’s sites, but little visual confirmation was provided. 

In the research underpinning this paper, the fidelity to nature of Haast’s illustrations was investigated by comparing a sample of Haast’s field sketches, and the corresponding landscape paintings, with site photographs or   virtual views generated by Google Earth Pro from, or close to, Haast’s vantage points. The set of nine views selected were encountered on an expedition to investigate the headwaters of the Rakaia River in Canterbury and to document the glaciers that fed that braided river. For all of those views, Haast produced landscape paintings based on his field sketches, which were eventually reproduced in his official report as lithographs. 

The fidelity analysis described here involves comparing enduring geographical, geomorphological and sometimes ecological features illustrated in his works with those recorded in contemporary site photographs or in virtually generated imagery. Faithfully rendered features and those modified for scientific or artistic reasons, are identified, leading to a significant conclusion about the reliability and value of Haast’s glacial works as historical environmental records. Finally, the findings of this research project on the fidelity to nature of a sample of Haast’s works are compared with Burrows’ judgement.

Marianne Klemun

ABSTRACT: Like Persia and the Ottoman Empire, New Zealand played a greater role at the 1873 World Exhibition in Vienna than in previous exhibitions. As one of 40 British colonies, out of which only 11 were represented in Vienna, New Zealand was determined to showcase its resources, artefacts of trade, natural history objects, maps and illustrations independently of Australia and London. The representation of New Zealand’s natural history was particularly shaped by the expertise of Julius Haast and Ferdinand von Hochstetter and their on-going cooperation after their shared research trips in New Zealand from 1858–1859. 

Hochstetter was involved in the organisational body of the Viennese World Exhibition and influenced its design and promotion in the press, while Haast as the director of New Zealand’s Canterbury Museum contributed sensational and internationally admired unique objects. Moa skeletons were articulated and 60 birds mounted under the direction of Hochstetter. The exhibition provided them both with the opportunity and resources for ensuring their ongoing international fame, and  stablished the authority of both naturalists among the general public. The moa skeletons were the main stars in this respect at the Vienna exhibition and contributed to the fame of both Haast and Hochstetter. 

This article opens a broader perspective on the role of the Vienna World Exhibition as a third space between the “centre of calculation” (Latour 1987) in London and the supportive position of the colony and the self-promotion and media response to the activity of Hochstetter and Haast in Vienna. It shows how London’s intentions to attract trade and commerce was shifted towards attention to New Zealand’s physical uniqueness in terms of nature under Hochstetter’s influence. Lists in catalogues and labels provided an interface between the objects on display and their perception by visitors. The article aims to give an understanding of how this medium of inscription at the exhibition connected materials, landscapes, knowledge and display as a comprehensive perspective of instructive sensations and interplay with the audience.

Martin Krenn

ABSTRACT: The article deals with one aspect of Sir Julius von Haast’s biography in detail: his elevation to the Austrian nobility in 1875. Haast, who by this time had been living in New Zealand for almost 20 years, was knighted by Emperor Franz Joseph, not so much for his outstanding services to the exploration of New Zealand, but more for his outstanding donations of objects to Austria (especially moa skeletons). Henceforth, he was entitled to call himself “von” Haast. Particular attention is paid to the influence of Haast’s colleague and friend Ferdinand von Hochstetter in the historic process of Haast’s ennoblement.

Johannes Mattes

ABSTRACT: This paper examines the institutional networks in which the New Zealand naturalist Sir Julius von Haast (1822–1887) involved himself and provides novel insights into the strategies and scientificdiplomatic practices with which scientists from overseas collaborated with their colleagues in Europe. In the second half of the nineteenth century, learned societies based in imperial metropolises were one of the most influential modes of scholarly organisation. They provided the infrastructure to validate knowledge, facilitate cross-continental exchange and channel the discussion between their members to the outside world. Overseas  nembers, such as the German born naturalist Julius von Haast, who left Europe for the British Crown Colony of New Zealand in 1858 and pursued his career there, benefitted from the associations’ resources. Besides the prestige of becoming a member, scientists working abroad used the societies’ publication series and their networks for their knowledge exchange, to facilitate bilateral cooperation, or as a means of showing presence from a distance. Due to their on-site expertise, and access to field sites and sources, they compensated for their inability to participate in decision-making processes and meetings in person in Europe. For imperial scientific societies, in turn, the integration of overseas members not only provided them with a loyal educational class in the remote parts of the empire, but it became a means of scholarly acculturation to how science was practised in European capitals. By studying Haast’s correspondence with selected scientific societies, this paper analyses the characteristics, claims and functions of his international membership and communication network as well as the extensiveness of knowledge exchange processes. Particular attention will be paid to the intermediating role of naturalists working at the intersection of personal benefits, local needs and imperial policies in the southern hemisphere.

Simon Nathan

ABSTRACT: The Life and Times of Sir Julius von Haast is a monumental biography in every sense. Researched and written by his son, Heinrich von Haast, it weighs 1.8 kilograms and contains 1,142 pages of text as well as several folding maps. It is one of the largest New Zealand books ever published. Heinrich had a successful career as a lawyer and set about writing the biography in his retirement, almost 50 years after his father’s death. He had access to all his father’s correspondence and papers that had been retained by the family (and which are now held by the Alexander Turnbull Library). The text is a detailed chronological account of Haast’s life after he arrived in New Zealand as well as the events he was involved with and the people he knew. The final chapters deal with Haast’s naming of topographic features, and his recognition of widespread glaciation in the Southern Alps, alluvial goldfields and the volcanoes of Banks Peninsula. Having completed the manuscript of the biography, Heinrich had great difficulty in getting it published, so he funded it himself and sold it by subscription. The book is so enormous that few people would read it simply as a biography. Today its main value is as a reference book for historical issues in mid-nineteenth century science as well as an account of the development of Canterbury Museum under Haast’s leadership. New research and changing concepts have modified some of the conclusions drawn by its author, but it remains the definitive account of the life and achievements of Sir Julius von Haast.

Sascha Nolden

ABSTRACT: This paper describes the correspondence of Sir Julius von Haast (1822–1887), with a focus on the primarily inward correspondence held in the collections of the Alexander Turnbull Library. The review of prior scholarly engagement with the correspondence looks at examples of letters published to date. After describing the correspondence and previous editions the concept for a project to prepare a Haast Bicentenary Edition is then presented. 

The overview of the archival holdings, including their arrangement and description, gives an insight into the organisation of the collection, the hierarchical structure of the finding aids and indexing through name authority terms, and how this assists discoverability for researchers. The review of the publication of letters comprising those published during Haast’s lifetime and posthumously, initially in the biography by Heinrich Ferdinand von Haast published in 1948, and then as part of various projects since the collection was donated to the Alexander Turnbull Library, shows the added value achieved through published editions. 

In outlining the concept for a project to prepare a scholarly annotated edition of correspondence, the possible arrangement is delineated, presenting letters grouped by language, correspondent, and date. Some of the tasks and requirements of the project are considered, and the options for forms of output in print editions and potential encoding for digital publication are discussed. 

As the extant collection held in the Alexander Turnbull Library comprises mostly inward correspondence, the value of looking at other archival holdings for outward correspondence is noted. With the ultimate aim being to bring together the two halves of conversations, gaining a fuller understanding of correspondence networks, and contributing to a richer documentation of nineteenth-century New Zealand history of science and the life and work of Sir Julius von Haast.

Full volume with foreword, preface and author biographies