above - the original Glens of Tekoa homestead built in 1857 by William McRae who arrived in Nelson on board the Lady Nugent in 1850.

This building was replaced by the still existing homestead in 1865

... and is now a private museum maintained by Beau and Georgie McRae the current owners and managers of the high country run The Glens of Tekoa in the Amuri district of North Canterbury.

In the photo on the left note the snow shoes in the rafters to the left of the saddle - testament to the extremes of climate possible in New Zealand's high country. On the lower right are stencils used to mark wool bales with the station's name, using black boot polish.

The construction of this building is a mix of mud bricks with a chicken type mesh for an exterior coat of mud based plaster to adhere - the idea being to use on-site materials. Such a building is then quite well insulated for the extremes of heat in the summer and cold in the winter. It has only survived because the roof and especially the eaves have been kept in good repair to ensure the walls stay dry.

Each summer the McRaes work on wall repair and restoration knowing full-well that to ignore this would be at the building's peril.

It should be remembered that in the early days the trees were not well established. Planted as a source of firewood, in such a climate maturity would have taken years to achieve - wind being the major factor in slowing growth until they're over a metre high. The eventual introduction of rabbits into New Zealand also hindered later plantings of further trees and establishment of gardens.