Story: History of immigration

The Remutaka Road

The Rimutaka Road

The large-scale immigration of the 1870s was part of Premier Julius Vogel’s scheme to revive the economy. He borrowed money from overseas and spent it on recruiting immigrants and constructing roads and railways. In the early 1870s people could only cross from Wellington to the Wairarapa by horse or bullock over the Remutaka Road. In 1878 a rail connection was opened.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, James Bragge Collection
Reference: PA7-30-03
Photograph by James Bragge

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:

Jock Phillips, 'History of immigration - The great migration: 1871 to 1885', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/2115/the-remutaka-road (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Jock Phillips, published 8 Feb 2005, updated 1 Aug 2015