Hochstetter Centenary

Ferdinand von Hochstetter (1829–1884) was born in Würtemburg, trained in Theology and Natural Sciences, and had risen to the position of chief geologist to the Bohemian Section of the Austrian Geological Survey when he was appointed geologist to the Novara Expedition—a voyage of scientific exploration round the world, sponsored by the Austrian Government, in the years 1857–1859.

Urged by the enthusiasm of Sir George Grey in Cape Town a year before and later by the plea of the Colonial Government for a geologist to examine the Drury coalfield, discovered by the Rev. Purchas, the Novara visited Auckland from December 22, 1858, until February 8, 1859. The Auckland Government was so impressed by Hochstetter's report on the coalfield that he was persuaded to remain behind when the Novara sailed, in order to make extended surveys at Government expense in Auckland and later in Nelson Province. Hochstetter, who was 30 years of age, accompanied by Captain George Dummond Hay as travelling marshal, by Julius Haast, whom he met in Auckland, and a party of assistants and porters, travelled up the Waikato and Waipa, deviated to Raglan (Whaingaroa), Aotea and Kawhia Harbours, pressed south to the upper Mokau and crossed to Taupo by way of the Ongaruhe valley and the west Taupo ranges. From Taupo he journeyed north to Orakeikorako, Rotomahana and Rotorua, thence to Maketu and Tauranga, came back to the Waikato at Aniwhaniwha (above Karapiro) and returned to Auckland via Kirikiriroa (modern Hamilton). On the way south he called briefly at New Plymouth. From Nelson he visited Dun Mountain, Croixelles, Lake Rotoiti and Cape Farewell .

Hochstetter's chief publications on New Zealand geology are: Neu-Seeland (1863), a book of description and travel later translated as New Zealand (1867), and Geologie von Neu-Seeland (1864) published as Vol. 1 (Sect. 1) of the Geological part of the Novara reports. The companion volume (Sect. 2), Palaontologie von Neu-Seeland, includes the formal description of Hochstetter's fossil collections by Zittel, Stoliczka, Unger, Karrer, Stache and others. The Geologisch-topographischer Atlas von Neu-Seeland (Hochstetter & Petermann, 1863), republished in English in Auckland (1864) and the collection of essays and lectures published as The Geology of New Zealand in explanation of the Atlas (Hochstetter & Petermann, transl. Fischer; Auckland, 1864) should also be mentioned. Many other papers on New Zealand topics were published in European journals.

Hochstetter's later career was described by his friend von Haast in a memorial published in the New Zealand Journal of Science Vol. 2, pp. 202–220, 1884. His later life was full of activity and distinction. He was appointed the first Director of the K. K. Naturhistorisch Hofmüseum, Vienna, but died in 1884, before the official opening of the new building constructed to house the Austrian national collections. His friendship with Haast and his lasting love for New Zealand forged many links between Austria and this country in the field of natural science.

Hochstetter was the first to describe and interpret many features of New Zealand geology. In the North Island he depicted the graben-like structure of what he called the Taupo Zone and related the distribution of hot springs to fault lines. He recognised the traces of active faults near Waimangu and the faulted structure of the Paeroa Range. He left the best description of Rotomahana and the Terraces as they were prior to the Tarawera eruption of 1886. He recognised Taupo as the source of the pumice alluvium of the Waikato and other North Island rivers and interpreted the lake basins as due to collapse of parts of the volcanic plateau. He named the Waitemata Beds and separated several other formations near Auckland City and described in detail the volcanic cones of Auckland Isthmus. He discovered Upper Mesozoic fossils at Waikato Heads and Kawhia, and the many Tertiary fossils he collected formed the basis for later paléontological advances.