Webb's

It has been 140 years since the eruption of Mount Tarawera, one of the most violent volcanic events in Aotearoa’s recorded history. The eruption buried the village of Te Wairoa, causing significant loss of life, and obliterating the Pink and White Terraces of Lake Rotomahana, natural silica formations once described as the eighth wonder of the world and one of the great tourist destinations of the southern hemisphere.

Among the most important visual records of both the terraces and the aftermath of the eruption are the photographs by Burton Brothers, the Dunedin-based studio founded by Walter and Alfred Burton in 1866. Their photographs of the terraces, made in the years before the eruption, and then return to Te Wairoa shortly afterwards, constitute an extraordinary document: a world at the height of its beauty, then the same world swallowed by ash and mud.
Three Burton Brothers works from the Roger Ward Collection were offered in Part I of An Important Collection of Historic New Zealand Photography | He Kohinga o Ngā Whakaahua Ō-Mua o Aotearoa, achieving results that reflect both their rarity and their significance.

Bidding is open on Part II of the sale of Roger Ward’s extensive collection opens from 29.06.26—12.07.26, with highlights on view at Webb’s Mount Eden Gallery.

29.06.26—12.07.26
An Important Collection of Historic New Zealand Photography Part II | He Kohinga o Ngā Whakaahua Ō-Mua o Aotearoa 2
Online Auction | Bidding Open & On View

Megan Shaw, PhD | Manager, Art
[email protected] | +64 22 301 8259
33a Normanby Rd, Mt Eden
webbs.co.nz

Webb's Collectors' Cars, Motorcycles & Automobilia department is now inviting entries for its upcoming live auction which takes place in September.

Over the past decade, the department has built a reputation for carefully curated offerings that attract the most discerning collectors, facilitating close to $3 million in sales across auctions and private sales in 2025 alone. The market remains active, with growing demand for cars of latter 20th-century origin from marques such as Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, BMW, and Ferrari. Classic motorcycles, particularly British, German and Japanese examples, continue to perform strongly.

Contact our specialist team for a complimentary appraisal, and to discuss the sale of your vehicle.

Request Appraisal: https://www.webbs.co.nz/request-an-appraisal-cars

06.09.26
Collectors' Cars, Motorcycles, & Automobilia
—Live Auction | Entries Invited

Live Auction:
Sunday 6 September, 2.30pm
Entries Close
Friday 31 July

Contact
Chris Wiseman
Head of Collectors' Cars
[email protected]
+64 22 187 7693

Webb’s is pleased to launch the second iteration of An Important Collection of Historic New Zealand Photography.

This collection is a remarkable visual record of Aotearoa New Zealand in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Assembled over several decades by the late Roger Ward (1945–2023), this exceptional catalogue brings together photographs documenting communities, landscapes, and the built environment at formative moments in the country’s history.

The collection reflects a sustained engagement with Aotearoa’s history and culture, formed with discernment and deep knowledge of the medium.

Among the highlights are rare photographs of Tarawera before and after the 1886 eruption, alongside iconic landscapes are portraits of rangatira, scenes of everyday life, and works by pioneering photographers including Elizabeth Pulman, the Burton Brothers, Josiah Martin and James Valentine.

A selection of highlights are on view at Webb’s Mount Eden Gallery, with bidding taking place online. Browse the catalogue and place your bids.

View Catalogue & Bid: https://auctions.webbs.co.nz/auctions/catalog/id/963

29.06.26—12.07.26
An Important Collection of Historic New Zealand Photography, Part II | Online Auction
—Bidding Open + On View

Online Auction
29.06.26—12.07.26

Auckland Viewing
Weekdays: 29 June—3 July, 9am—5pm Weekend: 4—5 July, Closed
Weekdays: 6—9 July, 9am—5pm

Friday 10 July, Closed (Matariki)
Saturday 11 July, 10am—4pm
Sunday 12 July, Closed

Auckland Location
33a Normanby Road, Mount Eden

Contact
Megan Shaw, PhD | Manager, Art
[email protected]
+64 22 301 8259

Lily McCowan | Specialist, Art Online
[email protected]
+64 22 068 4932