A 1949 history of Lawrence and surrounds, Tuapeka – the land and its people, describes the early land allotments and refers to Run 52C: “The extent of the 20,000 acres of Run 52C can be well judged from the position of its boundaries, which are given as being within three miles of Lawrence, about the same distance from Waipori, and a few hundred yards only from Waitahuna”.
The map suggests that this would include where Matheson Road is now. The book goes on to describe how Run 52C was divided up into uneconomically small units in 1878: “The new settlers included John Rose, the McCormacks, G Mathieson (sic), and D J McDonald”.
So that might be the explanation for the road’s name. It’s not clear whether the road name or the book accurately record the settler’s name (or perhaps both, as the settler himself may have not been bothered about spelling).
