Stories from the Top of the South

Welcome to The Prow, a website featuring historical and cultural stories from Nelson, Tasman and Marlborough. 

Te Tau Ihu o Te Waka a Māui is the Māori name for the top of the South Island. Legend tells us that Te Tau Ihu was the prow of Māui's waka, or canoe, from which he fished up the North Island.

Join our voyage and discover more about the history and stories of Te Tau Ihu. Search or browse the theme pages, our timeline or the map location feature, add your own story, or comment on any story. Contact us for further information or to provide feedback on our stories.

The Prow is a collaboration between the Nelson City, Tasman and Marlborough District Libraries, Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology and The Nelson Provincial Museum.  Images are supplied by supporting institutions, please check their terms of use.

Prow Features

Resources for teachers

From 2023, Te Takanga o Te Wā and Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories will be part of all kura and schools’ marau ā-kura and local curriculum. To support this focus on the histories of our region and community, Hilary and John Mitchell have suggested a range of relevant topics and resources, as a proposed curriculum across the school Year groups. Hilary and the late John Mitchell are authors of the four-volume "Te Tau Ihu o Te Waka" series, which charts the history of Māori of Te Tau Ihu. See more


Comments

You can comment on, or ask a question about, any Prow story - a comment feature is available on all stories. 


Top of the South Timeline

Find a story or an event using our timeline feature.


Resources

Includes curriculum resources for teachers, Nelson Historical Journal, Nelson Photo News and more..

 

Story of the Day Tuesday 15 October 2024

SeymourSquare1950.jpg

Seymour Square


Blenheim's Seymour Square, named after Henry Seymour, who with Alfred Fell, owned the land on which The Beaver (Blenheim) was built is at the heart of the town.


Read More »

Recently Added Stories

  1. The Rose family - Music and Methodism
  2. The Dobson family in early Blenheim history
  3. John Sharp 1828 - 1919

Recently Added Comments

  1. 23 days ago
    Fantastic story,very interesting,brings back many memories and names from the past.
    Had the privilege to know... read more
  2. 28 days ago
    I think that you will find that the organ was built by Fincham & Hobday... read more
  3. 1 month ago
    "South" needs changing to "north" in the opening sentence so that it reads ". .... read more

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