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Letter to the editor

As your Heritage New Zealand magazines are excellent, the following are some thoughts related to increasing audited circulation.

When members are visiting a GP, dentist, hospital and so on they could leave a past copy of the magazine in the waiting rooms.

The above concept should achieve the following objectives: increased funding for Heritage New Zealand as a result of additional membership. There would be no increases in costs to Heritage New Zealand as it is envisaged the members would use their own copies of the magazine to distribute to waiting rooms. It would also “promote and encourage public interest in, and care for, the beauty, history and character of heritage sites throughout New Zealand”.

On this subject, Heritage New Zealand magazine does a great job.

Ashley Shewan

Ed’s note: Nice idea, we just suggest you ask first. Some businesses may prefer to manage what’s displayed for visitors.

Correction

We’re sorry! Due to a production error we incorrectly stated that the bridge pictured in the WW100 story on page 54 of our last issue (Autumn 2018) was the ANZAC Memorial Bridge in Kaiparoro in the Tararua District. The bridge pictured was actually the primary subject of the story, the Edith Cavell Bridge in Queenstown.

BEHIND THE STORY: BRENNAN THOMAS

Photographer Brennan Thomas is a regular Heritage New Zealand magazine contributor and captured images for our story on the mapping of Hungahungatoroa Pā on page 36.

Around a decade ago, my wife and I had hit the high-water mark of our Wellington existence. We both had solid jobs and a great circle of mates and all those good things, but we felt a push to leave the capital.

We gave the dice a roll, deciding to drive the North Island over a period of weeks with the objective of finding a new place to nest. The alternative plan was to leave New Zealand, as a lot of our mates were doing at the time.

Gisborne blew our minds, so we dropped anchor on a gut feeling. It was mid-winter when we arrived in this amazing place, but the residents were still t-shirt clad and had a massive affinity for both whānau and whakapapa, as well as the land and the ocean. The pace and pressures of modern city life were non-existent.

The total jewel in the crown for both of us was, and still is, the East Cape – especially Te Araroa and Hicks Bay and their surrounding areas.

We have had some truly amazing experiences here. It’s not just the incredible beauty of the physical landscape, it’s also the people of Ngāti Porou that make me respond to this area. Photographically, experiencing both is often mind-blowing.

Some of the most awe-inspiring human beings I’ve met have been in this far corner of Aotearoa over the past 10 years. This will undoubtedly continue.

Generating interest

AUTUMN 2006, ISSUE 100

SINCE WE WERE THERE

After undergoing an ‘extreme makeover’, a restored Hawke’s Bay Opera House was revealed on Heritage New Zealand magazine’s cover back in Autumn 2006.

And now, while undergoing a significant earthquakestrengthening project that is due for completion next year, the Category 1 building continues to reveal surprises.

In a small room at ground level, those working on the project recently discovered the theatre’s original backup power generator – a piece of machinery dating back to 1913 and of such epic proportions it is believed the theatre was literally built around it.

Using the generator’s serial number, workers traced its origins to an English manufacturer called Mawdsley’s – a firm founded in 1907 in the town of Dursley in Gloucestershire, and which is still in existence.

With the help of the company and some of its retired engineers, they found that the generator was an early Mawdsley M-type machine, manufactured circa 1907 to 1918, with an American motor – and that it is extremely rare. When Mawdsley’s celebrated its 50th year in business in 1957, it could find none of these models to showcase.

The generator is so heavy, and so tightly wedged under a set of stairs, that moving it out of the heritage theatre to preserve it elsewhere isn’t tenable.

So instead it will be celebrated in situ: once the opera house, considered one of New Zealand’s most significant examples of Spanish Mission architecture, is reopened, visitors will be able to view the spruced-up generator from its own special viewing platform.

CORPORATE MEMBERS OF HERITAGE NEW ZEALAND

We thank all members for their commitment to our work and acknowledge the following Corporate Members: Antigua Boatsheds • Aon New Zealand • Apt Design • DLA Architects • Holmes Consulting Group • Resene Paints • Salmond Reed Architects • The Church Property Trustees • The Fletcher Trust • WT Partnership NZ (ChCh) •

... WITH BRENDON VEALE

SUPPORTER SPOTLIGHT

... WITH BRENDON VEALE

I have recently spoken with a committed supporter Malcolm, who is interested in continuing to protect heritage long after his own lifetime.

With Malcolm’s blessing, I am able to share his story.

Malcolm is interested in leaving a bequest to Heritage New Zealand, and because there are so many ways of leaving a heritage legacy, we had a fascinating conversation that touched on the benefits of perpetual endowment-style funds, the changing needs and landscape of heritage protection and also Malcolm’s own wishes as someone who wants to make a long-lasting difference to heritage in this country.

This is, of course, just one of many conversations I’ll be having with Malcolm and I see my role as ‘matchmaker’ really: to enable members and supporters to make a difference – no matter how small or large – to the unique heritage, culture and history of this beautiful place we all call home.

Leaving a gift in your will or similar ‘planned giving’ (as it is called in some parts of the world) can be transformational for historic sites and built heritage in New Zealand. This often allows for much more significant projects to be enabled than through conventional charitable donations.

So please do get in touch with me if you’d like to have similar conversations about how to give heritage a helping hand in New Zealand. I’d love to listen to your ideas and plans.

Brendon Veale

Manager Asset Funding 0800 HERITAGE (0800 437482) bveale@heritage.org.nz

News & views

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Auckland, p8, p42

Places we visit

Nelson, p30 Te Araroa, p36

Wellington, p10

Invercargill, p20

LOCAL AUTHORITY MEMBERS

Auckland Council Bay of Plenty Regional Council Central Hawke’s Bay District Council Dunedin City Council Gore District Council Hamilton City Council Hauraki District Council Invercargill City Council Manawatū District Council Marlborough District Council Matamata-Piako District Council Porirua City Council Rotorua Lakes Council Selwyn District Council South Taranaki District Council Tasman District Council Timaru District Council Waipa District Council Waitaki District Council Western Bay of Plenty District Council Christchurch, p12, p16

HERITAGE NEW ZEALAND DIRECTORY

National Office PO Box 2629, Wellington 6140 Antrim House 63 Boulcott Street Wellington 6011

(04) 472 4341

(04) 499 0669

information@heritage.org.nz

Go to www.heritage.org.nz for details of offices and historic places around New Zealand that are cared for by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga.

OUR PICKS

FROM THE ONLINE SHOP

A trip to the English city of Bath (the subject of this issue’s International story on page 48) is on many a heritage lover’s bucket list. But if time, money or other circumstances don’t allow, create your own winter spa experience at home with these products from the Heritage New Zealand online shop: shop.heritage.org.nz.

Chardonnay soap

$17.50

Anoint lotion bar

$14.50

Peach and pomegranate hand and nail cream

$15 FEATURED SUPPORTER

THREE QUICK QUESTIONS WITH WILF WRIGHT Wilf Wright has lived in the Reikorangi Valley, just outside Waikanae, for 63 years, where he and his wife Jan, a fellow potter, have run Reikorangi Pottery Park and Cafe for more than five decades. Here Wilf shares his special connection to St Andrew’s – Reikorangi’s Anglican church.

1How did you become involved with

St Andrew’s and the Reikorangi community?

My family was originally looking for a weekend cottage we could escape to from Wellington. I’d been to a picnic here and enjoyed the valley so thought it would be a good place, and we eventually bought a property here. In Wellington, we had a one of the very early craft shops, which was called Stockton’s. I was very fortunate that through that I met some of the pioneering New Zealand potters who were just starting out, like Barry Brickell, Len Castle and Helen Mason. I became interested in potting through them; eventually Barry decided a good place to build a kiln would be out here in Reikorangi so the pottery all started from there. We’ve been members of the church for the whole time we’ve lived here, and Jan and I were married in the church 55 years ago [pictured above]. Our Māori friends put on a hāngi for us, which was very special, and the marquee came from the local marae.

2How has the church changed over the

years?

In 2000 the community asked for a hall adjacent to the church for social occasions and so on. Jan and I found a Category 1 historic church at Tangimoana, which was originally from Parewanui; most unusually for a church, it has gun ports in its walls as it was used as part of a redoubt during its history. A generous donation from a parishioner helped to move the building from Tangimoana to Reikorangi, and with a lot of community fundraising we were also able to paint and restore St Andrew’s itself. More recently, as a result of a lot of effort from a lot of people, there’s been a tremendous amount of work done developing the garden and walkway around the church, so it’s looking exceptionally good.

3Many old church buildings are closed

and falling into disrepair in our rural communities. Why do you think this hasn’t happened with St Andrew’s?

As a church community we all get on well together. On average we get about 25 people to our morning services, which is pretty good, and not all parishioners come from the valley; some come from Waikanae, and I think they like the special spiritual feeling they get here by virtue of the beautiful natural surroundings. And even people who don’t come to services tell me they often wander around the grounds and get a lot of inspiration and meditation from that.

Crème perfume

$12

Heritage This Month – subscribe now

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The ice-skating tradition continues, as captured in this image of the Idaburn Dam taken last winter by Christchurch photographer Liam Ashby.

Chilling out

It’s around this time of year that the dams of Central Otago can transform into winter sports playgrounds – and as these ice skates (inset) attest, it’s been that way for some time.

Made to attach to boots, and consisting of wooden base plates with leather straps and steel skate blades, this pair of homemade skates is a well-loved collections item housed at Hayes Engineering Works in Oturehua.

Oturehua identity Ken Gillespie wears many hats in the community, including tour guide at Hayes, and says the engineering works sharpened local ice skaters’ blades until around 1970.

A particular stone, also still housed at the works, created the hollow grind required by figure skaters, he says, “and the sharper they are, the easier they are to skate on and the faster you go”.

The nearby Idaburn Dam (pictured above) is perhaps best known for the Bonspiel – a major national curling tournament that is called when there is sufficient natural ice to form a rink (the dam has been the venue since 1932, except for 2015 when the Centennial Ponds in Naseby were used).

But it also plays host to a range of other winter sports – from speed and figure skating to ice hockey – and for many years a community highlight was the Annual Ice Carnival, hosted by the Oturehua Winter Sports Club, which was formed in 1933.

Today, Ken says, if ice is going to form a natural rink on the dam it will be during a period of about six weeks, starting around Queen’s Birthday weekend.

“The winters here are not as long or as tough as they used to be; we can get substantial snowfalls, but they’re not so common now,” he says. “We go out with a drill and measure the depth of the ice, and if we can we’ll still skate and we do a lot of curling. I had my grandchildren skating on an inch and a half of ice last year.”