Forest and settlement 23 km north of Geraldine. Milling of native timber on the south bank of the Rangitātā River, below Mt Peel (1,717 metres), began in the 1850s. Between 1865 and the early 1900s, Peel Forest was a substantial sawmilling village. Peel Forest Park was set up in 1926. Further up the Rangitātā River is historic Mt Peel Station, owned by the Acland family, who were among the region’s first runholders. It features a brick homestead completed in 1867 and a stone church consecrated in 1869.
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Meaning of place name
After Sir Robert Peel, a British prime minister, who died in the year of the foundation of Canterbury. The forest was named by Francis Jollie, brother of Edward Jollie. At one time the area was known as Gordon Forest.
