Christensen Family of New Zealand

The Christensen Farm 1871-1885

The farmhouse built by fellow Celaeno passsenger, Nils Christian Christiansen in about the 1890s following that family's purchase of the property from the Christensens in 1885. The Christiansens, in turn, sold it to the McCool family in 1923, and a member of that family still owns it. (These photos by Val Burr, 25/12/2000)

Note the Terrace running behind the house, which is sited on a higher part of the old Manawatu River bed. The river has meandered over a wide area over many thousands of years. The Terrace is rather higher that this photo suggests. The farm extended up over the Terrace onto a higher level of flat, but clay-based land. When the Christensens arrived in 1871, this land was covered in dense forest.

The original cottage built by Anders Christian Christensen, stood fairly close to the gates (fronting Napier Road/State Highway 3). However, the site would have been flooded in the big floods that struck the area over the years, such as 1880, 1942 and 1953. At some stage it was moved to the higher point on the property behind the present house, and by the time of its demolition in about the 1960s, it was used as a car shed.