History – Hopping on a hobby horse

Hobbies have possibly been a human pastime since time immemorial, but they are certainly known to have been practiced since the 15th and 16th centuries. At that time, a payment was made for a wooden horse, which was receipted as a “hobby horse”, designed for a child to imitate the riding of a real horse.

There was a cultural shift toward the acceptance of hobbies during the 18th century, evolving from a pastime mainly for children to its wider enjoyment by people of all ages. This was due mainly to the fact that more people had regular work hours and more leisure time to indulge a hobby horse, which they could hold with pride. Over the centuries, the word has filtered down to be associated with recreation and leisure. It increasingly became a social activity, with people building collections of their passion by exchanging items with other enthusiasts.

Long remembered are the days of our youth when we pursued the signature of friends, family and VIPs to insert their quips and names in our autograph books. A favourite with country boys was hunting for wild bird’s eggs. These were often taken to school where the teacher would help by researching each egg to find the names of those not known by the children, who were encouraged to take only one egg from the nest they were robbing! However, some did take more than one of a kind from the nest in order to swap with others and so build up their own collection.

Other real favourites were the collecting of coins and postage stamps. These pursuits were often sorted and reviewed in the evenings before cell phones, tablets and other electronic distractions took over the minds of our youth. Many hobbies have resulted in valuable collections that were never started with a thought for financial gain, but just for the sense of achievement they delivered.

The Mangawhai Museum currently has a special exhibition featuring hobbies and collections. The major display highlights kauri gum polishing, a pastime of farmers and gum diggers, who picked up pieces of kauri gum during cultivation of land or while employed in the task of digging the gum to sell. The exhibition also includes collections of seashells, birds eggs, coins, stamps, Boy Scout and Girl Guide badges, and handcrafts such as tatting, knitting, crochet, embroidery and tapestry. Model making is also exhibited.

What a wonderful pastime hobbies were, especially when they led the collector on a lifetime of discovery and achievement.

Editor’s note: My autograph book is one of my treasured keepsakes, full of little handwritten rhymes and poems, many penned by family and friends who are no longer here. What a shame they went out of fashion.