The Auckland University Cartographic and Geospatial Resources Repository contains a wealth of maps, both past and present. The site can be a bit difficult to navigate though, so here are some notes from club member Kay Taylor:
I've found some index sheets. There were there all the time... From the main page, click on the PDF link to go to the index info.
For example, the PDF for New Zealand Mapping Service (NZMS) series maps brings up a list from 1-347.
- Series 1 Topographical NZ 1:63,360
- Series 310B is the sheetlines for NZMS 260 & NZMS1, overlain.
- Series 319A is the sheetlines for NZMS 260 & NZMS 262, overlain.
- Series 260 is the metric 1:50,000 topo maps for tramping (kind of equivalent to the 1:63,360 NZMS 1)
- Series 273 National Park Series
- Series 335 Trackmap Series... and so forth.
Note that maps issued before 1969 were in imperial. The 1:63,360 scale is the 1 inch to 1 mile series used for tramping.
Also that every edition of a map has been scanned, so check the year of issue to get the most up to date map.
Click on the high-lighted lettering to go to the actual maps.
The maps take up to a minute to download.
...If you want to, say, look at Natasha's trip to Lake man Biv ...
Go to the Cartographic and Geospatial Resources Respository;
For the Imperial Inch to the Mile Series 1:63,360
Go to New Zealand Mapping Service (NZMS) series maps (select)
Go to NZMS001/ ... this takes you into the NZMS1 maps...
Go to NZMS001 Index SI This is the Index Map for the sheetlines.
We want to find Lake Sumner S 53
Go to NZMS001 S53 ...there are 5 maps scanned, from 1944 to 1983. Tif gives more detail but Jpg is quicker to load.
Metric Maps 1:50,000
This is the NZMS 260 series. That is, these are the first set of metric maps that replaced the imperial maps.
If you want to see the metric topo 1:50,000, you can find the equivalent map like this:
Go to NZMS 310B and see the sheet lines overlay
We want L32 /M32
Go to NZMS260 and scroll down to L32. There are 3 editions, 1993, 1996 and 1999.
M32 has 3 editions - 1989, 1995 and 2001.
NZTOPO50 Series 1:50,000
The latest maps you buy are not the NZMS260 series.
They are the NZTOPO50 and they have been assigned sheet numbers from AS21 to CK08. The co-ordinates used on these maps are the ones used by emergency services. The difference is about 100 metres on the ground.
This is because NZ changed the Projection from the NZ Map Grid Projection (based on the Geodetic Datum 1949, which is based on the International Hayford Spheriod), to the NZ Transverse Mercator 2000.
And thus made many people's maps out of date!
Access the current NZTopo50 series
Go to the Repository and click on Topographic (Topo) series maps..
Go to NZTopo50/
I haven't found an index yet for the sheet lines, but no doubt it's there somewhere!
Happy Viewing!