Story: Nelson region

This watercolour of Thackwood, the Nelson house of politician and New Zealand Company agent Francis Jollie, was painted in 1849. Harvesters and stooks of wheat are in the foreground. Thackwood was on Jollie's 50 acre farm at Wakapuaka, just north of Nelson, where he grew the first hops in New Zealand. Jollie had arrived in Nelson in 1842 aboard the Fifeshire. In Nelson land was initially sold as a package – one town acre, 50 suburban acres and 150 rural acres. The idea was that farmers would create a vibrant rural economy and also have business interests and residences in town. But many sections were bought by English speculators and lay undeveloped for years.