Westland Explorer's Monument

 

In the nearby town of Hokitka (half an hour away) is the cemetery with this monument near the entranceway. It commemorates 4 men who lost their lives between 1863 and 1866 ;

• George Dobson - road engineer, murdered in 1866
• Charlton Howitt - explorer, drowned in Lake Brunner 1863
• Charles Townsend - drowned at Greymouth (probably in the Grey River) 1863
• Henry Whitcombe - surveyor, drowned in the Taramakau River in 1863

Construction of the memorial started 1868 and the railings were added in 1869.

Linking up with Mosaic Monday.

Schooner Tambo

 

On the edge of Hokitika Beach is this big anchor sitting on the rocks which is from the Schooner Tambo which was shipwrecked at the bar in 1866. 

It was found during black sand mining in 1987 and is now part of the Tambo Shipwreck Memorial. The anchor was originally secured by the crew after the ship ran aground but a strong tide and current forced the ship back out to sea. The boat in the background is a reconstruction of the said ship.

Linking up with Skywatch Friday and Tom's signs.

Hokitika Heritage

This is quite a massive building for a small town like Hokitika, which is about 30 minutes from Greymouth. To me it looks a bit foreboding but being a former government building named "Seddon House" it's classed as a category 1 and was completed in the Edwardian Baroque style in 1913. Designed by architect John Campbell it covered the need at the time of a new courthouse and other government departments.

Prime Minister Sir Joseph Ward laid the foundation stone in 1908. Construction of the first half of the building was finished in 1909 and plans for the second half were not drawn up until November 1911. The original plans had both a Magistrates Court on the ground floor with a Supreme Court above. However in 1911 the Supreme Court was transferred to Greymouth so the plans were redrawn to contain a boardroom instead. The courtroom was closed in the 1970s due to the restructuring by the then Ministry of Justice. In 2015 it was sold to three Auckland investors and then put back on the market in 2017. In 2020 it was purchased by Heritage New Zealand and is apparently going through some earthquake strengthening to be used the Department of Conservation.

Linking up with Weekend Reflections and the Weekend Roundup.

The Hungerford Mausoleum

This was the first time I'd ever seen a mausoleum this size. It looks almost dark and forboding don't you think? I visited Hokitika Cemetery a few weeks ago on a sunny winter's day and have since found out that it was built for the infant sons of Thomas and Eliza Hungerford. Both babies were named Thomas Walter, one died in 1873 aged 18 months and the second died in 1874 aged 10 months. A local court bailiff named Thomas Christian who died in 1878 is also buried in there but not sure what connection he has to the family.

The mausoleum is a Heritage New Zealand listed category 2 structure.

Linking up with Through my lens, Ruby Tuesday, Tuesday Treasures, My corner of the world and Wordless Wednesday.

Hokitika Lighthouse

In early Winter 2 weeks ago I stopped up a side road in Hokitika to check out this icon. Named the Hokitika Lighthouse it was built in 1879 and is 1 of 14 in the country designed by John Blackett (the father of the lighthouse system). Made from Kauri it was fitted with a fifth order dioptic to burn coal from the town supply.

It is 5.4 metres high, 36.6 metres above sea level and the light is visible from 26 kilometres away. It was discontinued in 1924 as the light was dismantled and sent to Wellington. The tower was handed back to the nearby Seaview Mental Asylum's hospital department for demolition but instead was fitted out as an observation tower.

Over the years it fell into disrepair but was restored in 1999 by Heritage Hokitika Inc.

Linking up with Through my lens, Tuesday Treasures, Ruby Tuesday, My corner of the world, Wordless Wednesday.

Hokitika Clock Tower

This large clock tower is in the centre of Hokitika, I've been wanting to get a photo of this baby since we moved down. It was initially named as the Westland War Memorial, then the Coronation and War Memorial and was commemorated as the region's contribution to the 2nd Boer War not just for the 4 local men who died but all 130 who also gave their lives. An extra purpose was to provide the town with a well seen clock.

Linking up with Skywatch Friday and Tom's Signs.

Old Hokitika Fire Station

Down one of the main streets in Hokitika is this gem. The Old Hokitika Fire Station has been made into boutique accommodation consisting of 5 apartments. Apparently each of the apartments is named after a fire chief who once lead the brigade which I think is a nice nod to it's history.

Linking up with Our World Tuesday, Through my lens, Tuesday Treasures, Travel Tuesday, My corner of the world and Wordless Wednesday.

St Mary's Catholic Church

In Hokitika is this beauty of a church named St Mary's Catholic Church, why it's so grand and ornate who knows? This caught our eyes last week on the first day of our holiday. In 1912 the parish building committee agreed to call for tenders for a new church so a Greymouth architect named John Thomas Watson prepared a concept design in Roman or neoclassical architecture.

Alfred Luttrell won the tender and although he was guided by Watson's work, he introduced significantly different aspects. The previous 1866 church was demolished in February 1914 and Bishop John Grimes laid the foundation stone a month later. Owing to the outbreak of WW1 and funding difficulties it wasn't until 1920-21 that the portico and tower were added. The church was built of double brick but in 1927-28 the plaster was finally applied and the building achieved it's final appearance.

In 2004 the church was registered with the Historical Places Trust but unfortunately following a structural assesment triggered by the Christchurch earthquakes in 2011 the church was closed to the public in 2012. 

Linking up with Our World Tuesday, Through my lens, Tuesday Treasures, Travel Tuesday, My corner of the world and Wordless Wednesday.