page_title: Julius von Haast
section_title: Life in Canterbury
hierarchical_section_title: Julius von Haast / Life in Canterbury
caption_attribution_description: English: Grave of Julius von Haast at Holy Trinity Church in Christchurch.
context_page_description: Sir Johann Franz Julius von Haast KCMG FRS was a German-born New Zealand explorer, geologist, and founder of Canterbury Museum at Christchurch
context_section_description: When Haast arrived in Canterbury to begin his survey of their portion of the West Coast, the Superintendent of Canterbury William Moorhouse instead requested that he investigate the mountain range between Lyttelton and Christchurch. A rail tunnel was proposed through the mountain to link Lyttelton and Christchurch but engineers had encountered particular tough basaltic rocks which jeopardised the proposed route. As a result of Haast's work, the rail link was able to proceed. He became provincial geologist to Canterbury, a post which he held from 1861 to 1868.
  His work in this capacity saw Haast conducting numerous expeditions throughout Canterbury and Westland, making geological discoveries and topographical maps of the area. Late in 1861, he discovered a coal seam in Kowai and the following year searched for gold in the area around Mount Cook. He identified that the Mackenzie plains were once the bed of a major glacier and, as well as his geological observations, he collected numerous botanical specimens. He discovered and named many of the glaciers of the central South Island, including the Franz Joseph Glacier, in honour of the Emperor of Austria, Franz Joseph. He was the first person to study the bones of the extinct Haast's eagle.
  In 1870, Haast was appointed the curator of Canterbury Museum. The specimens that he collected on his expeditions of earlier years were a key part of the early holdings of the museum. Following the establishment of the Canterbury University College, he lectured in geology from 1873, and was made professor in 1876.
  His Geology of the Provinces of Canterbury and Westland, N.Z., was published in 1879. He was elected fellow of the Royal Society in 1867, and was given a hereditary knighthood by the Emperor of Austria in 1875. He was awarded the Royal Geographical Society's Patron's Gold Medal in 1884 for his explorations in New Zealand.
caption: Haast's grave at Holy Trinity Avonside
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