Culture, science & sport
6 events between 1869–1997, shown on the map in this colour.
University of Otago founded
Founded once gold had enriched the province, New Zealand’s first university opened in 1871; women could attend classes from the start but could not take degrees until the late 1870s.
DunedinErnest Rutherford wins the Nobel Prize
Born at Spring Grove near Brightwater and raised partly on a family farm, Ernest Rutherford won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, then discovered the atomic nucleus and split the atom.
Brightwater, NelsonEdmund Hillary summits Everest
An Auckland beekeeper and Tenzing Norgay reached the summit of Everest, and the news was released in London on the morning of the Queen’s coronation.
AucklandThe 1953–54 royal tour
Elizabeth II became the first reigning monarch to visit New Zealand. Perhaps three in four New Zealanders saw her in person.
Television broadcasting begins
AKTV2 went to air in Auckland for three hours on its first night, opening with The Adventures of Robin Hood. At first regular programmes went out only on Wednesday nights.
AucklandThe Sky Tower opens
At 328 metres it was the tallest free-standing structure in the southern hemisphere when it opened, built as part of a casino complex and quickly adopted as the symbol of the city.
Victoria Street, Auckland