39 Facts About Charlie Douglas

Charles Edward Douglas was a New Zealand surveyor and explorer, who came to be known as Mr Explorer Douglas, owing to his extensive explorations of the West Coast of New Zealand and his work for the New Zealand Survey Department.

Charlie Douglas was awarded the Royal Geographical Society Gill Memorial Prize in 1897.

Charlie Douglas was born on 1 July 1840, in Edinburgh, Scotland, the youngest of six children, to parents Martha Brook and James Charlie Douglas.

Charlie Douglas's father was an accountant with the Commercial Bank of Scotland.

Charlie Douglas was educated at the Royal High School and worked at the accountant's office of the Commercial Bank of Scotland from 1857 to 1862.

Charlie Douglas emigrated to New Zealand, arriving in Port Chalmers in 1862.

For five years, Charlie Douglas worked at a variety of jobs, including working on a sheep run, and gold digging.

For 40 years Charlie Douglas explored and surveyed the West Coast Region of New Zealand.

Charlie Douglas was accompanied throughout his years of exploration by a dog, first "Topsy", then "Betsey Jane" and others.

When exploring Charlie Douglas carried little in the way of equipment beyond some basic provisions, including tobacco for his beloved pipe, and a swag.

Charlie Douglas camped beneath his two piece "batwing" tent of canvas or calico or crude rock shelters.

Charlie Douglas supplemented his food stocks by hunting native birds and living off the land.

Charlie Douglas worked for a part-time wage from the survey department for 20 years before becoming a full-time employee from 1889.

Charlie Douglas was a quiet, shy man, who was noted for his keen, accurate and entertaining observations relating to flora, fauna and geology in his journals, sketches, watercolours and survey reports.

Charlie Douglas condemned the changes to the natural landscape he saw occurring in Westland and he became increasingly embittered as old age and illness began to curtail his later explorations.

In 1868, Charlie Douglas accompanied Julius von Haast on a month-long expedition travelling down the West Coast, making stops and exploring at: Okarito, Bruce Bay, Paringa and Arnott Point before returning to Okarito.

Also in 1874, Charlie Douglas formed a partnership with Bob Ward and the two men bought 700 acres of land on the Paringa River and began cattle farming.

Charlie Douglas gave up cattle farming after his partner, Ward, drowned in 1881.

From a base in Jackson Bay starting in the 1870s Charlie Douglas continued to explore the: Paringa River, Haast River and Landsborough River, Blue River, Turnbull River, Okuru River and associated passes the Actor and Maori, Cascade River with Mueller and Arawhata River, travelling with Mueller and Roberts on the "Reconnaissance Survey" from Jackson Bay to Martins Bay.

In 1885, Charlie Douglas accompanied the chief surveyor, Mueller, exploring the Arawhata River valley.

In 1887 and later in 1888, Charlie Douglas visited the Balfour Glacier near Mount Tasman and the Fox Glacier.

From 1889 Charlie Douglas agreed to work for the survey department full-time for a wage of eight shillings a day.

Charlie Douglas was provided with: a prismatic compass, a survey chain and drawing tools.

For five months, in 1891 Charlie Douglas travelled up the Waiatoto River.

Charlie Douglas climbed Mount Ragan and reached the Therma Glacier at the head of the Waiatoto.

Between 1893 and 1895, Charlie Douglas was teamed with Arthur Paul Harper and the two first explored the Wanganui River in a dug-out canoe.

In 1896, Charlie Douglas returned to the Whitcombe River valley and crossed the Whitcombe Pass to the upper Rakaia.

In 1897, Charlie Douglas continued track work in the Whitcombe River.

Charlie Douglas spent the prize money on a camera that he ended up giving away.

From 1898 through to 1899, Charlie Douglas worked on hut making and track cutting around the glaciers and along the Whitcombe River valley.

In 1900, Charlie Douglas made his last major expedition along the Wanganui River that included a trip to the Lord Range.

In 1901, Charlie Douglas explored the Otira River and from 1903 he explored the Okarito district.

From 1904 to 1906, Charlie Douglas continued to explore and survey for the department but was increasingly restricted by illness and old age.

In 1906, while on holiday in Whataroa, Charlie Douglas met and was photographed with Richard Seddon, shortly before Seddon's death.

Charlie Douglas continued to explore for the department in 1907 and 1908 but his second stroke forced him to retire from the New Zealand Survey Department after 40 years of almost continual exploration of the West Coast Region.

Charlie Douglas spent much of his time from 1906 until 1916 being looked after by friends and Mrs Ward, the widow of his farming partner.

Charlie Douglas was in and out of hospital in 1911,1914 and 1916, where he was attended by Ebenezer Teichelmann.

Charlie Douglas died, two months short of his 76th birthday, of a cerebral haemorrhage in the Westland Hospital on 23 May 1916, and was buried in Hokitika Cemetery.

Charlie Douglas was awarded the 1897 Royal Geographical Society Gill Memorial Prize for "persistent explorations during twenty-one years of the difficult region of forests and gorges on the western slopes of the New Zealand Alps".