Highwic offers a glimpse of life in Auckland during the second half of Queen Victoria’s reign. It was the home of the Buckland family and many of the displays feature toys and pastimes enjoyed by well-off children at this time.
Typical toys for younger children included a rocking horse, a dolls’ house, stuffed animals, dolls with china faces, and building blocks. The older children enjoyed reading or playing with toy theatres. Girls were taught to sew and they practised their stitches by embroidering samplers showing the letters of the alphabet or quotations from books.
The Buckland girls were taught to sing and play the violin and the piano. There are sheets of music with Maud’s and Florence’s names on them. Every properly educated girl was expected to be able to play the piano in those days. There is evidence that one or more members of the family learnt to play the zither as well. Henry Winkleman, a renowned photographer of the period, records visiting Highwic to give lessons, in his memoirs. Croquet was a new game then and considered particularly suitable for girls as it didn’t require too much strength, but the croquet lawn at Highwic would have been used by the older girls and boys as this was a very social game.
The tennis court seems small by today’s standards and like the croquet lawn was originally sunk lower than ground level. This helped contain the balls and offered by-standers a better view. It is thought that the tennis court and the croquet lawn were installed in the 1880’s. According to family records Highwic was the scene of many summer gatherings with the guests arriving in the afternoon to play tennis or croquet and staying on to enjoy music and charades in the evening.
The boys went to Auckland Grammar and judging by the photos in the boys’ barracks they were interested in sport. In the latter half of the 19th century games such as football, cricket and boxing were given proper rules for the first time. A newspaper report in 1885 records Walter Buckland winning 100 yard sprint races and the 120 yard hurdle race. Three Auckland Grammar medals on display in the house were awarded to Malcolm Buckland for winning running races in 1895.
The children enjoyed horse riding and would have attended the Pakuranga Hunt with their father as soon as they were considered sufficiently proficient. There is a photo of one of the Buckland children on his pony in the Billiard House. Other photos show members of the family with their entries for the 1895 Floral Fête held in the Auckland Show Grounds as a fund raiser. It is interesting to note the flower bedecked bicycle and pram of the time. Hazel Buckland, aged ten, won a prize for her entry. Picnicking was obviously another favourite pastime and there are many photos of the family enjoying the outdoors.
Alfred Buckland built a seaside home for his family at Buckland’s Beach which was named after him. On this property he established the East Tamaki Racing Course which held its first meeting in 1889. Going to the races would have been a regular family outing. No doubt the Buckland children would have enjoyed many beach activities such as swimming or paddling and hunting for small sea creatures in the rock pools.
Everybody fished in those days. There were fishing shops where you could buy all the necessary equipment. Shark fishing with harpoons was a common and popular sport and thought to be an art. One of the grandchildren remembers his uncles firing live ammunition across the water from model brass cannons. He recalled as well that his mother Mariamne once caught a large shark that had a dozen or more baby sharks inside.
The Billiard House was built at the same time as Highwic – in 1862. Subsequently it was extended as was the main house. The original house would have had thirteen children living there before the extensions, and there would not have been very much space indoors for games. Perhaps they used the Billiard House. All photos and records indicate that this was a very active family who enjoyed the outdoors, sports and trips away.
Book your school visit now - your visit includes
- An introduction with the Highwic educator
- a chance to try out a range of indoor and outdoor games and activities from the past
- Exploration of the house and garden
- resource material with information and pre and post visit ideas (pdf, 230 kb)
Call Highwic on (09) 524 5575 or email highwiceducation - please mark your school booking "Education".
Curriculum Links - Toys and Pastimes at Highwic
Social Sciences Curriculum Achievement Objectives
Social Studies - Levels 1-3
- Understand how the past is important to people. (Level 1)
- Understand how time and change affect people’s lives. (Level 2)
- Understand how groups make and implement rules and laws. (Level 3)
- Understand how people remember and record the past in different ways. (Level 3)
Technology Curriculum Achievement Objectives
Technological Practice - Levels 1-3
- e.g. Design, make and evaluate a board game.
Health and Physical Education Curriculum Achievement Objectives
Personal Health and Physical Development - Levels 1-3
- Regular physical activity
- Safety management
Relationships - Levels 1-3
Consider our Toys and Pastimes pre and post visit resource material (pdf, 230kb )