Hine Street

Hine Street is named after Mr John Hine Esq.

Little is known about the enigmatic Mr Hine. In fact, John Hine is an extremely common name. So, while we can find records of many John Hines, we cannot definitively find much information about our John Hine. He was a shareholder and director of the New Zealand Company; this fact shows that Mr Hine came from a privileged position in Victorian England. He could possibly have been interested in social issues and he had plenty of cash to invest in a speculative venture in the South Pacific. Mr Hine gave his address as New Zealand House, London - headquarters of the New Zealand Company. We can only speculate as to why Mr Hine never gave his home address or county.

Nevertheless, Mr Hine was quite obviously a respectable chap. Edward Gibbon Wakefield was in no doubt as to Hine's credentials when he stated: "The names of these gentlemen are sufficient proof of the respectability of the Company."

Visitors to New Plymouth often assume Hine Street to be of Māori origin and accordingly mispronounce it. Hine rhymes with sign.

This story was originally published in the Taranaki Daily News..