Hurunui to West Coast track

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DescriptionDiscover The Delights Of Peeling Back History
April 24 at 7:14 PM
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I believe James Belgrave Hammett (b. 1829) arrived at Lyttelton aboard the ‘Omeo’ in 1862. It had sailed from Melbourne and then Otago.
On the 1/1/1863, as a part of a 6 man surveying party hired by the Canterbury Provincial Government, James left Christchurch to help ‘…cut a track…’ from the Hurunui to the West Coast. Gold had been discovered on the Coast and hundreds of inexperienced hopeful future miners were taking on the Southern Alps without roads, maps or a lick of sense. It soon became apparent that the Provincial Government had to step in and supply a couple of safe routes before more lives were lost.
In fact, it was reported that this particular surveying party saved many lives during their assignment, coming across distressed and then assisting many on their way to the gold fields.
By that June, the party had shrunk down to 4 as 2 had already returned to Christchurch. One morning three of them (Howitt, Little and Mullins) headed out in a homemade canoe to check their eel traps on Lake Brunner, leaving James alone at the their camp site. These three men were never seen again. James stayed on site and searched everyday for a fortnight before deciding to head to the Coast. With another gentleman named Johnson, James attempted to then walk to Buller.
Only Johnson made it to Buller, and soon a search party was sent out to find James. He was found desperately exhausted and was rescued. He was given cash and passage back to Lyttelton by the Nelson Provincial Government and soon James was back on the East Coast. He was rewarded £50 from the Canterbury Provincial Council for his troubles and devoted service.
The following year James was back on the West Coast to assist with the developing gold fields. Not even a month later, around 1am in the morning, he became ill while in his bed at the Central Hotel. He was not seen by any doctors and died just 3 hours later. It was determined that he had died due to complications associated with delirium tremens.
He was buried at the ‘Barbadoes Street Cemetery’ and there is still no headstone. He was 35 years old.
It was actually really sad to see the scattered advertisements of the auctions where his estate was sold off bit by bit. The first being the selling of his horse which he had left at Weka Pass.
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Hurunui to West Coast track

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