Nautical map of the entrance to Fox River drawn by Captain Thomas Wing 1840's.

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DescriptionThis photo was captioned 1830 which I thought was a little too early for this area of New Zealand. So I did some research on Captain Thomas Wing and he came to New Zealand in 1832 and most of his time was spent in the North Island mapping harbours.
I found a reference to him sailing from Nelson on the Deborah in 1844 with the New Zealand Survey Party so I would think that would be a more logical date for this photo.

Auckland Libraries Heritage Collection Map 84. Negative # 7-C249Date of Photo1840'sMap^[1]ContributorMaye Dunn

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Location (city or town)Fox RiverPersonCaptain Thomas Wing

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Category TagriverPeople

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Date Created21st August 2020CommentsCharlie Blanchett:
Coastal waters changing all the time

Brian Beban:
Not the rocky hard ones Charlie. They tend to change over eons, not short term.

Charlie Blanchett:
Brian Beban Hi Brian good to know you are still in the land of living cheers

John Rosanowski:
Presume that Fox's River was named after the renowned prospector, Bill Fox. If so, date more likely to be 1866, the year the rush to Brighton took place ??

Maye Dunn
He was travelling around mapping suitable harbours and entrances from 1835. I wonder when Fox River was named because it was obviously named when this map was drawn.

John Rosanowski:
There was another prominent Fox. William Fox. He was part of Heaphy's explorations, along with Thos Brunner, around 1846. Became a prominent NZ politician and was premier more than once. Later knighted by Queen Victoria. Was not on Heaphy's trek to the West Coast though.

Maye Dunn;
Foxton and Fox Glacier named for him and probably Fox River in South Westland. Because he spent time in the Buller area with Heaphy and Brunner this Fox River may have been named for him as well

Glenn Johnston
I've come across an account of the naming of Fox River. John O'C Ross a former chief of naval staff states that the river is named after William Fox who visited it in 1866 and the bay after the Woodpecker the ship he travelled on.

Ann Bradley
I am doing some research on Bill Fox the Irish Gold prospector who Fox River is reputedly named after. He was one of the original prospectors in Arrowtown which was originally called Fox’s(es). He apparently came to the West Coast prospecting after getting out of jail in Dunedin where he’d been incarcerated for fighting. He headed to the West Coast in 1865 and went prospecting in the Arahura Valley where Fox creek, a tributary of the Arahura River, was named after him. He then headed to Buller where Fox River was named for him. He eventually died in Reefton in 1893.
Not to be confused with the NZ Premiere William Fox who also died the same year.

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Nautical map of the entrance to Fox River drawn by Captain Thomas Wing 1840's.

Editing is temporarily disabled