Humphries Street (Inglewood)

Thomas Humphries died at his residence in Lower Hutt in 1928, at the age of 87 years. He had been surveyor-general for New Zealand and had held several appointments including commissioner of Crown Lands.

Born in London in 1841, Thomas Humphries came to New Zealand with his family in 1850. He joined the Survey Department in Taranaki as a cadet on first November 1857, at the age of 16, training as a surveyor with the Carrington brothers.

While regular survey work was stopped by the First Taranaki War of 1860 and 1861, Humphries and his two brothers joined Harry Atkinson's rangers. Later he was employed by the military in making surveys, as well as taking part in the actual warfare.

Humphries was promoted in 1861 to assistant surveyor. He became chief surveyor of Taranaki in 1870 and oversaw the settlement surveys from Inglewood to Hāwera and round the Mountain by way of Opunake.

Promotions continued, and Humphries held the offices of chief surveyor and commissioner of Crown Lands in the land districts of Auckland, Hawkes Bay, Taranaki, Nelson, and Canterbury.

With an interest in astronomy, and in his official capacity, he observed the 1882 transit of Venus and the total eclipse of the sun in 1885.

In 1889, he led a survey party to map the Waitomo caves, which had been first explored by local chief Tāne Tinorau and surveyor Fred Mace; the Humphries report was published for the New Zealand Parliament.

Finally, in 1906, he was appointed surveyor-general for the Dominion, retiring in 1909 after 52 years' service. Following his death, an annual meeting of the New Zealand Institute of Surveyors held in New Plymouth paid tribute to Humphries; he was described as the father of modern surveying.

This story was originally published in the Taranaki Daily News.