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Story: South Canterbury region

Driving to the Hermitage

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Driving to the Hermitage

This was one of the first cars to drive from Timaru to the Hermitage at Aoraki/Mt Cook in 1906. The party used two cars, one driven by John Rutherford and the other by Rodolph Wigley. The trip showed the district’s potential as a tourist destination, and led Wigley to found the Mt Cook Tourist Company. In 2006 a commemorative rally re-enacted the journey.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: 1/2-030458; F

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

John Wilson, South Canterbury region – Transport and towns, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/11397/driving-to-the-hermitage (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by John Wilson, published 2 March 2009, updated 1 February 2017.