Newspaper Article 2021 – Historic homesteads of Hawke’s Bay

Historic homesteads of Hawke’s Bay

By Angus Gordon

These gracious homes — dotted across the sun-drenched uplands of Hawke’s Bay — rose unashamedly from the golden fleeces on the sheep’s backs, to become monuments to our settler heritage. Set in spacious grounds and framed by enormous exotic trees, they stand as testament to the dreams of our ancestors who came to this fresh canvas of a country, which already had its own rich M ori [Maori] culture, with a determination to put their own individualistic mark on the landscape.

Hawke’s Bay played its part in the New Zealand pastoral revolution and strong crossbred wool started that process. This neglected product has lost its golden touch — yet these grand homes, mostly in very good repair, remain as symbols of the wool boom which helped to shape our colonial past and to prepare us for our place in the new order.

Angus Gordon has lived all his life — on and off — within the magical walls of Clifton, one of the houses described in this book.

Published by Mary Egan Publishing rrp $50.00