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Kiwi of the Week

Godfrey Bowen

Bowen helped establish sheep shearing as a legitimate sport and a form of entertainment. He was one of the inaugural inductees into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.

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Today in History

21 December

1964 NZ whalers harpoon their last victim

More than 170 years of New Zealand whaling history ended when J.A. Perano and Company caught its last whale off the coast near Kaikōura. more...

Internal links

Sealers and whalers - pre-1840 contact 1964 - key events

External links

Whaling (DOC)
Te Kahuoterangi Whaling Station (Historic Places Trust)
Perano whaling (Te Ara)
Whaling in NZ (1966 encyclopaedia)
Whaling in the Cook Strait film (Archives NZ)

1971 Full steam ahead for Kingston Flyer

A few months after the last steam locomotives had been withdrawn from this country's scheduled rail operations, New Zealand Railways launched a new tourist-oriented steam passenger venture in the South Island. more...