'Woodlands' Otepopo'

‘Woodlands’ was a 600 acre property owned by Duncan Mains and features in many of the Paterson’s births, deaths and marriages. Thought to be built by Edward McGlashan possibly in the 1850s, Duncan Mains and his wife Isabella Paterson and family lived in the house in the photograph below. Once the Mains family moved to Auckland, George and Jessie Paterson and his family took up residence and are depicted in the below photo. At times there may have been several families living together in this large house and there were two ‘Woodlands’ houses in close proximity. A wonderful article entitled ‘Chats with Farmers’ in 1888, which was a chat with George Paterson says ‘in selecting a site for the house, or rather both houses, a great deal of forethought and taste were displayed, evidences of which were seen in the buildings themselves’.

‘Woodlands’ with George Paterson’s family, according to McKenzie 2005, p. 6

I recently met with Dorothy McKenzie, author and local historian, who confirmed that there were two houses on the property in close proximity on two ridges on the edge of the bush, on the southern side of Woodburn Road. The house in the photograph above had views out to the ocean and across the land. Dorothy recalls going to the house as a child, approximately eighty years ago, but it was already in ruins. She said it had basically been built straight onto the dirt, but was well insulated with sun-dried bricks in between the interior and exterior cladding. More recently when she visited the site, all she could find as an indication of where the house had been was a periwinkle flower.

The second house on the property was described as being at the edge of the bush on the side next to the sea ((McKenzie 2005, p. 7), and was Otepopo’s first accommodation house, as it was located on the north / south track long before the main road and State Highway One was formed. It was built in the 1850s and still forms part of the McMillan’s shearing shed at 338 Woodburn Road. This is the house that the Budge family lived in for some time.

Further facts I have found to date about ‘Woodlands’ include:

• Duncan Mains advertised for tenders for alterations and additions to his residence at in May 1869, with Thomas Glass named as the architect

• Elizabeth Paterson and Duncan Mains lived together at ‘Woodlands’, after their marriage in 1869 and three of their children were born there in 1871, 1874 and 1876

• ‘Woodlands’ is referred to as an estate in 1875, where monster potatoes were grown

• Duncan Mains advertised for tenders to extend his house in January, 1876, and again Thomas Glass was the architect

• ‘Woodlands’ was named as the place of several sales on behalf of Mains and Robertson during the 1870s till 1880

• George and Jessie’s sons Henry Little and Thomas Little reportedly died at ‘Woodlands’ in 1880 and 1886

• Waitaki District Council Historical Records clearly show that by 1887 John Budge as well as George and Anthony were leasing separate blocks of Duncan Main’s property

• ‘Woodlands’ was referred to as George’s property and was the venue for farmers to visit farmers on 21 March 1888

• the ‘dwelling house’ of George and family at ‘Woodlands’ was described as being within three miles of the railway station, and standing on a ridge on the edge of the bush, ‘from what a splendid view of the ocean and surrounding landscape is easily obtained’ in 1888

• the marriage of John William, Anthony’s son, to Elizabeth Boyes was held at ‘Woodlands’, the residence of George on 24 July 1889

• the marriage of John Munro McKenzie to Isabella Budge was held at ‘Woodlands’ on the 24 April 1896, and the venue is described as the ‘residence of the bride’s parents’, and a Mr Paterson is one of the speakers. The Oamaru article describes the wedding in detail and gives a list of presents and who gifted them. Amongst the gifts given were a pair of vases from Mr J. Paterson, china egg cruet from Mrs and Miss Paterson, and a dozen silver spoons from Mr and Mrs Paterson.

• John Mains said he had no issues with road being deviated through the ‘Woodlands’ property in 1901, and he had seen Mr Budge who also offered no objection

• ‘Woodlands’ was the site of the clearing sale of livestock and farm equipment on the 19 March 1903 on behalf of George, recently deceased

The second house at Woodlands where the Budges lived for some time and still forms part of a shearing shed at 338 Woodburn Road