Story: Capital city

Nelson city

Nelson city

Nelson was established in 1841 and is the South Island’s oldest city. A pretty settlement, with fine weather, it competed with – but lost out to – Wellington as a centrally located site for the colonial capital.

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Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: C-018-013
Watercolour by John Gully

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Stephen Levine, 'Capital city - A new capital', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/artwork/34165/nelson-city (accessed 20 April 2024)

Story by Stephen Levine, published 20 Jun 2012, updated 1 Aug 2016