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Story: Bicycles

Velocipede arrives

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Velocipede arrives

Velocipede in the main street of Temuka. This photograph was probably taken around 1869, which is the year newspaper reports of velocipedes in New Zealand began to appear. The velocipede, with its heavy iron frame, wooden wheels, and a pair of cranks and pedals attached to the front wheel, had been invented in France around 1861.

Using this item

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Reference: O.020707

by William Ferrier

Permission of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Jamie Mackay, Bicycles – Bicycle manufacturing, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/23422/velocipede-arrives (accessed 24 June 2026).

Story by Jamie Mackay, published 6 April 2010.