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The Early Canterbury Runs: Containing the First, Second and Third (new) Series

Day's Run — (Run 133, afterwards re-numbered 99, Class II)

Day's Run
(Run 133, afterwards re-numbered 99, Class II)

North of the Waimakariri the nearest run to the sea was a small one of five thousand acres on Kaiapoi Island. It was taken up on 15th February, 1854, by William Smith who transferred it in the same year to George Day. I am unable to identify William Smith. Day was a brother of Joseph Day, who was Harbour Master at Sumner for many years. For some years after he parted from Turner, William Smart was a partner in this run, either with Day or with one of his successors.

This run was close to Kaiapoi and contained some of the best agricultural land in New Zealand, so all the land on it except river bed and swamp was soon bought up by farmers.

By 1863 the run had been reduced to six hundred acres, and re-numbered 99, Class II. It had been transferred to W. H. Mein, an early Christchurch butcher whose shop was in Colombo Street near Cookham House, and had a boiling down and fellmongering works at Kaiapoi.

In 1865 the run had been transferred to William Coup. He transferred it in 1867 to Belcher and Fairweather who still had it in 1870 when it contained four hundred and eighty-two acres, and that is the last trace I can find of it. Belcher and Fairweather were carriers of wool and stores between Saltwater Creek and the stations in North Canterbury in the 'sixties. There are several of Belcher's descendants still living in the page 51district. Fairweather was for many years a farmer at Kaiapoi, and his widow died in 1929 in Brown's Road. Coup arrived in New Zealand in 1855 and bought land on Kaiapoi Island where Coup's Road is named after him. He was lost in the Matoaka in 1869.