John Samuel Browning (1831 24 July 1909), also known as John Spence Browning, was a British-born pioneer

surveyor Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. These points are usually on the ...

in the

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

of New Zealand.

Life

John Browning was born in

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

in 1831. Browning's family held shipping interests, which in September 1844 at the age of just thirteen, would lead to him travelling to the

East Indies The East Indies (or simply the Indies) is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The ''Indies'' broadly referred to various lands in Eastern world, the East or the Eastern Hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainl ...

. Later, at the age of 24, he would navigate the Pacific (18551856) as captain of the whaling vessel ''Susan.'' Browning first arrived in New Zealand in 1856 to trade with goods from Australia. In 1857, Browning entered the New Zealand Government Service as an assistant

and draughtsman with the

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

Public Works Department. In 1862, on closure of the afore-mentioned department, he became Assistant Surveyor with the newly formed Lands and Survey Department and was employed in exploring the mountain passes between Canterbury and the West Coast. He later became District and Mining Surveyor, and set up the Survey Department in

Hokitika Hokitika is a town in the West Coast region of New Zealand's South Island, south of Greymouth, and close to the mouth of the Hokitika River. It is the seat and largest town in the Westland District. The town's estimated population is as of ...

. In 1876 he was appointed Chief Surveyor at

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

, as well as being appointed Commissioner of Crown Lands in 1891 a position he held until his retirement on 1 October 1896.

Wilberforce expedition

In 1864–65, at the commencement of the

gold rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, ...

era on the West Coast, John Browning and others were sent to explore the passes over the

Main Divide The Southern Alps (; officially Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana) are a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the range's western side. The name "Souther ...

in the

Southern Alps The Southern Alps (; officially Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana) are a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand, New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the range's western side. The n ...

with the object of finding a practicable route for a road. Browning was part of an exploring party along with

Richard James Strachan Harman Richard James Strachan Harman (14 April 1826 – 26 November 1902) was trained as a civil engineer. However, in Christchurch, New Zealand, he worked as a bureaucrat, politician and businessman. He was one of the Canterbury Pilgrims, having arriv ...

(after whom Harman Pass is named), and J. J. Johnstone, who in April 1865 negotiated the pass on the basis of information supplied by an elderly Māori man living in

Kaiapoi Kaiapoi is a town in the Waimakariri District of the Canterbury, New Zealand, Canterbury region, in the South Island of New Zealand. The town is located approximately 17 kilometres north of central Christchurch, close to the mouth of the Waimak ...

. This pass (Māori: Nōti Raureka) was subsequently named Browning Pass and the small lake at the pass given the name Lake Browning (Māori Whakarewa). One of the peaks overlooking the pass was called Mount Harman (Māori: Kaniere, ) after party member Richard Harman.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Browning, John 1831 births 1909 deaths New Zealand surveyors Canterbury Pilgrims