Nicholas von Tunzelmann

Nicholas von Tunzelmann is famous as one of the first European explorers to settle in the town of Queenstown, New Zealand in the 1860s.

He and fellow explorer William Gilbert Rees were the first Europeans to settle the Wakatipu basin.

Nicholas von Tunzelmann (Nicholas Paul Balthasar Tunzelmann von Alderflug) was born in 1828 on the island of Oesel, Livonia, in the Baltic Sea (present day Estonia). He studied in Germany, Switzerland, and England. He studied medicine in Canada then London, but decided to go to India in the cavalry service as a veterinary surgeon, and studied at the Royal Veterinary College. He was naturalised in England at the age of 21.

He came to New Zealand in 1858. He married Gertrude Rose Von Tunzelman née Gilbert. She was the sister of Frances Rebecca Gilbert, who married William Rees. She died on 21 April 1918.

He established a high country farm at Mount Nicholas, but suffered much bad luck. He tried fruit farming in New South Wales, Australia for five years before returning when he heard his 100-acre section might be lost.

The Von River, Von Valley, and Mount Nicholas, Queenstown are named after him. He died in Frankton Hospital on 31 July 1900.

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