49 Facts About Thomas Brunner

Thomas Brunner was an English-born surveyor and explorer remembered for his exploration of the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island.

In December 1846, Brunner commenced an expedition, accompanied by four Maori including Kehu, which began from Nelson.

Thomas Brunner received honours from the Royal Geographical Society and the Societe de Geographie.

Thomas Brunner continued to work as a surveyor and in 1851 was appointed Government Surveyor.

Thomas Brunner surveyed the sites, which he and Heaphy had scouted on previous explorations, for what would become the towns of Westport and Greymouth.

Thomas Brunner retired in 1869 and died of a stroke on 22 April 1874.

Thomas Brunner was born in Oxford, England, in April 1821, and baptised four months later on 22 August.

Thomas Brunner was the oldest son of William Brunner, an Oxford attorney who was the county coroner.

Thomas Brunner was of Swiss descent, his father's parents having emigrated to England at the time of the French Revolution.

The Brunner family were active in the Oxford community, Thomas' parents raising him and his siblings to appreciate cultural and charitable activities.

In 1841, Thomas Brunner's father put his son's name forward to the New Zealand Company, which was seeking prospective emigrants for its proposed settlement in the South Island of New Zealand.

Thomas Brunner wanted to populate its new settlement with well educated young men of excellent character and with leadership potential.

Furthermore, apprentice surveyors, at the time known as "improvers", were in particular demand and Thomas Brunner, aided by character references from his employer and other notable residents of Oxford, was duly selected to join the company.

Thomas Brunner joined a party of six other young improvers which left England on 27 April 1841 aboard the Whitby.

Thomas Brunner was sent to scout the Motueka Valley but failed to penetrate far due to poor weather.

Thomas Brunner, accompanied by Kehu, a Maori he had befriended, was again defeated by poor weather.

Thomas Brunner had limited finances and tightened its expenditure which affected the salaries of its employees.

Thomas Brunner lived at Riwaka, a nearby village, and, in addition to carrying out survey work along the Motueka River, helped in the design and building of houses in the area.

Thomas Brunner ended his service with the company in August 1844.

Thomas Brunner was keen for further exploration and Fox persuaded him to scout along the West Coast to the mouth of the Buller River in the hope of finding suitable land for farming.

On 3 December 1846, Thomas Brunner began what became his longest and most arduous expedition.

Thomas Brunner planned to follow the Buller River to the sea and then trek down the West Coast as far south as Milford Sound.

Thomas Brunner hoped to discover this route and use it to cross the Southern Alps and reach Canterbury.

Thomas Brunner was accompanied by Kehu, who brought along his wife.

The wives proved problematic during the journey as they quarrelled, sometimes supported by their husbands, and Thomas Brunner would have to mediate.

Thomas Brunner was disappointed at the condition of the land along the banks of the Buller River as it neared the coast.

Thomas Brunner had briefly scouted the area on his previous journey and believed it had potential for pastoral farming.

Thomas Brunner now found it too damp and mossy to be cultivated.

Thomas Brunner wanted to continue on this route to Canterbury but Kehu and Pitewate would have none of it.

The party had to lay up for a week for Thomas Brunner to recover some use of his body.

Thomas Brunner wrote an account of his journey which was first published by Charles Elliott, the editor of the local newspaper the Nelson Examiner, and later, in 1850, in the Journal of the Royal Geographical Society.

Thomas Brunner's exploits were recognised in France, the Societe de Geographie awarding him a diploma in 1852.

Thomas Brunner's constitution was considerably impaired by his exertions and his health never fully returned.

The weather was poor throughout the six-week trip and Thomas Brunner was in discomfort for much of the ultimately unsuccessful venture, which determined that the existing route to Wairau was the fastest.

Apart from a short period doing contract surveying for the New Zealand Company in March 1849, Thomas Brunner remained unemployed and wrote numerous letters to his contacts.

Thomas Brunner's former travelling companion, William Fox, and Dillon Bell, chief agent of the New Zealand Company, sought to find him a job and through them, he was able to find work as a clerk with the Canterbury Association between September 1849 and February 1850.

Thomas Brunner returned to Nelson in May 1850 and secured full-time employment as a surveyor with the New Zealand Company, but with the proviso that he would be able to take on private work which did not interfere with his duties.

Thomas Brunner was kept busy for the next several years; in addition to carrying out and supervising survey work in the area, he took on responsibility for some public works.

Thomas Brunner drew up plans for roading, bridges and botanical gardens.

On 11 October 1855, Thomas Brunner married Jane Robson, the 26-year-old daughter of a labourer who had brought his family to New Zealand the previous year.

Thomas Brunner returned to the mouth of the Buller River in March 1861 but this time aboard a ship.

Thomas Brunner designed St Michael's Church in Waimea West in 1866, which was probably New Zealand's first memorial church.

Thomas Brunner retired in 1869 at the relatively young age of 46.

Thomas Brunner remained employed by the Nelson Provincial Council as a consultant surveyor and was head of the Nelson Survey Department.

Thomas Brunner continued to seek private work and contributed to a report on the suitability of the Buller region for settlement and this was published in early 1873.

In late 1873, Thomas Brunner suffered a paralysis of his left side which prevented him from working.

Thomas Brunner was survived by his wife, who moved to England soon after his death.

Thomas Brunner lived with her brother until her death in 1895.

Lake Thomas Brunner is located some 16 miles by road from here, upstream along the Arnold River; Thomas Brunner went there after his coal discovery.