Tudor Washington Collins
Tudor Washington Collins was a New Zealand seaman, bushman, photographer, businessman and farmer. He was born in Towai, Northland, New Zealand on 9 March 1898.
Collins was most notable for his photography of the native New Zealand bush. Many of these images were included The Story of the Kauri, by A. H. Reed which was published in 1953. Furthermore, Collins work towards protecting the Kauri trees in Warkworth was instrumental for the local community and he was honored for this contribution by the Tudor Collins Drive which was established in his memory at Parry Kauri Park. However the subject of his photographs also extended beyond the New Zealand bush. The New Zealand Herald often recruited Collins to cover current events that were taking place around the country. For example, he was one of the first photographers in Napier after the Hawke’s Bay earthquake of 3 February 1931; he recorded the riots in Auckland’s Queen Street on 14 April 1932; and he was the only photographer to meet the passengers and crew from the mined Niagara on 19 June 1940. On a trip around the Pacific Ocean in 1953 he recorded Queen Elizabeth II’s visit to Fiji.
