RARE CHANCE TO VIEW NZ’S OLDEST SPORTING TROPHY IN UPPER HUTT
Four great events in Upper Hutt are included in Wellington Heritage Week 2018 between 22-28 October .It is a community
sourced heritage festival that celebrates the region's people, places and stories. On Sunday 28 October New Zealand’s
oldest sporting trophy The Ballinger Belt dating back to 1861 will be on display at the Seddon Range , Trentham . Howard
Weddell will be there at 2 pm to talk about his book “ Trentham Camp and Upper Hutt’s Untold Military History .’
The Seddon Range is hosting the World Long Range Target Shooting Championships for the Palma Trophy in early February
2019
On the same day about 2 kilometres way The Blockhouse off McHardie Street will also be open from 11 am to 3pm where an
exhibition about its history is now displayed . The Blockhouse was built in 1861 to protect the colonial settlement in
the Hutt Valley but never saw action .
Silver Stream Railway have an open day on Labour Monday 22 October .
Golder Cottage will be open on Monday 22 October and Saturday 27 October .
Full details about all the events below .
l
The events in Upper Hutt are:
•Golder Cottage Open Days: Visit Upper Hutt’s multi-award winning Pioneer cottage Museum, showcasing how the first settlers lived from the 1860s
and how the house developed to accommodate “citification” into the 1980s. There will be a special Suffrage 125 Exhibition featuring names of all the women of the Upper Hutt who voted in the first election, including Golder relative Mrs
Elizabeth Martin (nee Brown) the first woman to record a vote in the Parliamentary Elections, “upper end of Hutt
Valley”. 1:30pm-4pm 22 Monday and 27 Saturday October. 707 Fergusson Drive. Adults $4; Children and students $2.
•Silver Stream Railway Open Day: See and ride a vintage train on the Silver Stream Railway. Trains operate over a 1.5km section of restored track that
was originally part of the Wellington to Upper Hutt main line. Return trips take approx.15 minutes return and run on
demand through out the day. Picnic facilities are avalible at our station and there is a shop where refreshments
including drinks and ice creams along with a range of souvenirs can be purchased. 11am-4pm Monday 22 October. Reynolds Bach Dr (off Eastern Hutt Road). Adults $14; Children 14 and under $8; Under 5 $4.
•Blockhouse Open Day: Visit Upper Hutt’s historic Blockhouse and its special exhibition. Built in 1860 during the New Zealand Wars to protect
colonial settlement in the Hutt Valley, the Blockhouse is one of very few of its type remaining in NZ. It never saw
action, but was used as a Police House and Court House between 1868 and 1876. 11am-3pm Sunday 28 October. Blockhouse
Lane off McHardie St. Free.
•National Rifle Association Open Day: A visit to the National Rifle Association at Alexander Road , Trentham is also recommended on between 11am-3pmSunday 28
October to view NZ’s oldest sporting trophy – The Ballinger Belt. 11am-3pm Sunday 28 October. National Rifle Association, Alexander Road. Free.
These events are hosted by community groups Bookings can be made via the event listings on the website www.wellingtonheritageweek.co.nz.