This is another of Dunedin’s wonderful historic buildings and like so many others there’s an interesting wee story to it. As a result of the Otago gold rush, the Bank of Otago was established in late 1863. The first chief executive of the bank was a 54-year old Scottish solicitor named John Bathgate who diligently set about his work with the bank in Otago and Southland upon arrival. That was until 1866 when a financial panic in London set in. Believing that banks might fail, and wanting to protect their funds, a large number of investors withdrew their money causing numerous banks to slump. One of which was the Bank of Otago. Needing a scapegoat for the failings of the bank, the London-based directors singled out John Bathgate who reluctantly agreed to resign.
Needing someone to take over the running of the bank, the directors turned to a person by the name of William Larnach. Who, at the time, was branch manager of the Bank of New South Wales in Geelong, Australia. Having moved his family to Dunedin from the Australia gold fields and needing somewhere to live, Larnach moved his family into the upstairs rooms of the bank where he worked. The Bank of Otago lasted under William Laranach until April 1873 when it was finally absorbed by the National Bank of New Zealand with the building becoming the main branch for the Bank. Originally only two stories, a new four story building was constructed on the site in 1911 and is the same one that graces Princes Street in Dunedin today. William Larnach eventually moved out of the banking business and among other things, went on to build a nice wee home on the Otago Peninsula and had a career in politics. As for John Bathgate, he too went on to become a politician, holding the position of Minister of Justice and was Commissioner of Stamps which I’m sure at the time was a very important position!
Here’s what I can tell you about this piano (organ) which I discovered in the Owaka Museum. The antique organ is carved and turned in wood and finished with red fabric along the front while the keys are constructed of wood with white plastic and ebony. Made by the Cornish Piano & Organ company, the business was established in Washington, New Jersey in 1879. Once production started, the reputation of the company quickly grew and it was known for producing products with excellent craftsmanship. So popular were the pianos and organs, by the 1890’s, the Cornish company was producing over 10,000 instruments a year, shipping them all over the world.
Unfortunately, in 1922 a devastating fire ripped through the Cornish company, bruning the factory to the ground. The company was never rebuilt, instead replaced over time by a gas station and later a food store. These days, the pianos and organs made by the company can be found all over the world, including this one in the Owaka museum.
There’s a popular misconception that the town of Outram was the first town in New Zealand to have electric street lights. In fact, Outram’s streets were not lit until around 1900, 11 years after the West Coast town of Reefton had lights switched on in 1888. The Outram Pub however is one of the town’s historic sights, as the original pub was opened in 1878. It was then rebuilt on the corner of Hoylake and Holyhead Streets where it still stands today.
Primarily a sheep, beef and dairy farming area, you’ll find the small town of Clydevale 30 kilometres north-west of the South Otago town of Balclutha. Close by is the Danone milk factory which produces the Karicare brand of infant formula, there’s a few local businesses, a rugby club and that’s about it. Yet, there’s something quite delightful about the whole area. Maybe it’s the very big river that runs through the town or maybe it’s just that, a small country town.
Dunedin really does have some wonderful heritage buildings when you stop to look at them. Personally, I don’t think I do that enough. I was talking to someone last week from Auckland who was spending a few days in the city on an IT mission and the first thing he commented on was all the buildings. I think his comment was “I wish we had more of them in Auckland.” This is one of the buildings he commented on, the former Bank of New Zealand Building at 205 Princes Street which if you go back far enough in time was once a hotel.
Alexander Garvie’s career as a surveyor wasn’t particularly long, however he did achieve one remarkable accomplishment in his lifetime. British-born, Alexander Garvie left the English port of Gravesend on the ship Blundell, arriving in New Zealand in September 1848. Initially working as a carpenter and builder, Garvie retrained as a surveyor in the early 1850’s and went on to obtain the position of Assistant Surveyor in the Otago Regional Council. Taking part in many surveying developments in Otago and Southland, his most notable legacy is in naming The Remarkable mountain range in Queenstown. The story goes that during a reconnaissance survey in 1857, Garvie came into view of a spectacular and stunning mountain range that he exclaimed was “Remarkable.” Unfortunately Garvie he died only four years later in Dunedin, in 1861. For Alexander Garvie, his surveying career lasted less than 10 years but within that time he named a spectacular piece of South Island scenery.
The Remutaka Hill road is a narrow and winding 14km stretch of state highway, north of Wellington that snakes its way from Upper Hutt, over Remutaka Hill to the Wairapapa. Now, I can tell you that when you find yourself stuck on the Remutaka Road, in a very long line of traffic that isn’t moving, you have lots of time to ponder. So, that’s just what I did and within the great many things that crossed my mind, one question I kept coming back to. Who was the first person to drive over this road? That question ruminated in my mind for quite some time and while I didn’t discover the answer, I did find out the interesting tale of the Greytown to Wellington train from September 1880.
It seems that on the 11th September the train left Greytown at 8:30am bound for Wellington city. After stopping at Cross Creek where a second locomotive was added for preceding hill climb, the train set off over the Remutaka Hill. All was going well until about 1200m from the summit at a point called Siberia Curve when suddenly, a massive gust of wind hit the train. Estimated at nearly 200km/hour, the fierce wind swept three carriages off the tracks into the gully below, killing four people and leaving debris scattered across the hillside. Fortunately, following the accident the brake van remained gripped to the track enabling the rear brakesman to uncouple the van and coast back down the hill to Cross Creek to get help.
If there’s one thing New Zealand has a long history with, it’s boats. From the early migrations of the Polynesians who reached the south-west corner of the Pacific between 1250 to 1300 AD, to famous people like Able Tasman and James Cook, New Zealanders do seem to enjoy boats. In fact, boating is New Zealand’s largest recreational activity with 1.9 million people participating in boating activities each year and it being a $2.9 billion dollar industry. According to 2023 statistics, there are more than 1,540,000 boats in New Zealand with an annual growth of an estimated 45,000 vessels per year. That’s not bad for a tiny nation in the south-west corner of the Pacific.
Yesterday, on what was a stunning autumn day (it must be said), I was on my way to cover a rugby match in Outram between West Taieri and Toko when I found myself a few minutes early. Knowing that I had a good half an hour up my sleeve, I decided to call in to Outram Glen. A popular spot for picnicking and swimming on fine Dunedin days, it is also the start of the Outam to Lee Stream and Maungatua Summit track. An 8 kilometre (5 mile) walk along a tramping track that follows both the Taieri River and Lee Stream that takes around 3 hours (return). On this occasion, since I wasn’t feeling energetic enough for a solid 8 kilometre hike, I settled for sitting beside the river and admiring the autumn colours.
Finding myself within 20 or so kilometres of the Kerikeri Mission, I couldn’t resist and took a detour. The plan being to see the oldest European buildings in the country which I must admit, I was looking forward to seeing. I had read that both the stone store and wooden house were set in an enchanting riverside location in a sleepy basin, the two buildings sitting on a riverbank, surrounded by orchards and flowerbeds. It really was a tranquil, peaceful setting.
Fortunately when I passed by the museum was open – although it was hard to tell. With the entrance on a busy highway, I wandered how many people had driven past without even knowing it was open. However, on this day it was and I was extremely pleased as it meant I could spend all morning wandering around the backyard of an original Kiwi innovator such as Ernest Hayes and the famous Hayes Engineering Works, Museum and Homestead.
This is another South Island location that is popular in the summer months, Lake Tekapo. The first sheep farm in the area dates back to 1857 which was owned by John and Barbara Hay on the shores of Lake Tekapo. Soon after, a hotel was established in 1861 before a ferry was set up to cross the Tekapo River. These days it’s a popular holiday and tourist destination in the MacKenzie Basin.
If you go to Central Otago at the right time of year, one of the strange sights you’ll see are a numerous number of brides and grooms. Usually, they’re posing for photos in very public places with lots of people holding lighting gear and taking photos. However, I never know if they’re from an actual wedding party or if it’s a promotional shoot. This is a couple I found on the shores of Lake Wanaka.
The other week I went wandering along some of the bush tracks in Leith Valley, in North Dunedin. I started at the entrance to the tracks that start off Rockside Road and head into the bush from there. The stream that runs down from Ross Creek Reservoir and links up with the Water of Leith was on the low side meaning a few of the small waterfalls were easily accessible. While I was there I made a short view which I then forgot about until yesterday. I hope you enjoy it.
Once upon a time the streets around Queens Garden and Vogel Street in Dunedin were some of the busiest in the country. Close to the city docks, the warehouse precinct as it became known developed into the heart of Dunedin’s wholesale trade. With some of the industries in the area being built during or immediately following the Otago gold rush, some of the older more imposing buildings are a direct result of the wealth of gold brought into the city.
Here in this part of the world it’s that lovely time of year when all the colours of trees start to change. The sun is now a fraction lower in the sky, the mornings and evenings are becoming a tad colder with a definite autumnal feel to the start of each day. Around the city, the autumn colour palette of warm yellow undertones mixed with oranges, reds, ochre and olive colours is starting to appear. Before long the inner city will be covered in leaves.
When it comes to Larnach’s Castle, where do you start? It could be with the fact that it’s not a castle at all, or it could be with the castle rumoured to be haunted by William Larnach himself or even the story of the rise and fall of William Larnach as a businessman in Otago. He rose to prominence as a banker at the time of the gold rush and went on to have many successes in politics, business and other industries before losing much of his fortune and falling on harder times. He built a grand house on the Otago Peninsula, was married three times, had six children and finally committed suicide in Parliament in Wellington via a gun in 1898. The tragedy even had its own intriguing twist with details pointing towards the tragedy resulting from an affair between Larnach’s third wife Constance and his youngest son Douglas.
The track across the two swing bridges that lead to the Blue Pools in Makarora have been closed since May last year. That’s due to the bridges needing repairs and ongoing maintenance work so they last. Recently, I read a news article on this very subject that outlined how visitors are ignoring the closure and making their way through to the Blue Pools anyway. This can be done one of two ways. Firstly, simply climbing over the rather large and securely fastened fence that blocks access to the bridges. Secondly, pushing through the bush and wading through the rather rapid and swift river over to the opposite bank to the pool blue. Either way, the many tourists (into the hundreds) who venture to this wonderful area end up destroying the very scenery they’ve come to see.
The other month I went for a wander and explore at the Harington Point gun emplacements on Otago Peninsula. The site was first constructed in response to the threat of a Russian invasion in 1885 following Anglo–Russian tensions in Afghanistan. Anyway, while I was there, after scrambling up and down banks and pushing through gorse, I found one of the buildings that leads to a stairwell. From that point, it accesses other parts of the complex including subterranean communications tunnels, bunkers, observation points and a magazine and engine room.
This is right beside Fleur’s Place in the small village of Moeraki. A place that is known for its outstanding seafood cuisine. However, due to the fact that I don’t have a strong stomach for shellfish, calamari, octopus, shrimp, squid, sole, flounder or any other food source that lives in the ocean, I won’t be eating there any time soon. By all accounts it’s very good with a delightful setting to boot.
Back in my younger days, when I was a lot less worldly and knowledgeable than I am now, I never liked spending time at a Botanical Garden. I simply couldn’t see the point. Why on earth would I want to spend time walking around looking at plants! Now, many years later I’ve come to truly appreciate a slow, quiet amble in a peaceful, tranquil setting. One such location is the Mediterranean Garden at the Dunedin Botanical Gardens. I think it’s the view I like best. Although, I always seem to get slightly lost finding it and never fail to take a wrong turn upon leaving.
The other day I somehow found myself reading an article about the North Island city of Whanganui. It was written by one of these travelling news journalists who write paid advertisements about places that are published in the disguise of ‘news’. On this occasion after spending three or four days in the city, he concluded it was an ‘amazing place buzzing with creative energy that it’s the absolute highlight of any trip.’ Apparently he had visited museums, art galleries, parks and places of natural beauty, enjoying all the charm and friendliness that Whanganui offered. Well, I have to say that my experience of the city was the complete opposite. When I was there the weather was terrible, the main business district felt a tad neglected, my hotel wasn’t much better and everyone I met or spoke to seemed a little despondent. Now I’m sure Whanganui has some lovely spots but when it comes to being a ‘city buzzing with creative energy,’ from my experience, I would have to disagree.
Badly damaged in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, Te Matatiki Toi Ora (The Christchurch Arts Centre) has since undergone a massive restoration rebuild. Now, 13 years later the project is two thirds completed and being brought back to its former glory. That being a creative hub, artistic expression and entrepreneurship can thrive in Christchurch.
The previous evening a wonderful and very impressive thunder storm passed over the city. At some point it was accompanied with heavy rain and a great deal of wind. The next morning, while the thunder and lightning had passed, a set of heavy, dark clouds was left hanging over the city. The forecast for the day involved an awful lot of wind, more rain and a high of 10 or 11 degrees. Perfect conditions for those heading to the Pink concert that evening.
On Monday afternoon I took a detour via the Otago Peninsula on the way home. It had been a fairly responsible day, weather wise that is. However around 4pm a large set of dark, heavy clouds started to roll in over Dunedin City from a south westerly direction. It was the kind of weather system that foretold of more ominous things to come in the way of wind, thunder, lightning and a lot of rain!
If we’re being precise, this location isn’t actually Ross Creek Reservior. It’s just across the road near the northern entrance on Booth, Tanner and Wakari Roads. It does have a name, but I simply can’t remember it. The only things my notes say for this shot/day are ‘rocks are slippery when wet’ and ‘remember tripod next time.’ Clearly it was a day when I was thinking with great clarity and insight at my contemplative, psychological best.
I ended up spending a delightful afternoon wading in rock pools at Blackhead Beach, just south of Dunedin. It was one of those warm, still, late summer days that reminded me with autumn on the horizon, days like this will be less and less common. So it was, I spent a few hours stumbling over stones and sploshing through rock pools as seaweed gently drifted on the tide. I have to admit, there’s something delightfully delicious about wading through rock pools in your bare feet on a warm afternoon.
At the moment I’m currently planning my next trip. I’m heading to the North Island in about 6 weeks where I’ll spend some time exploring however I’m yet to settle on a specific location. At this stage I’ve got several ideas and a number of possibilities but I’m yet to fix anything. Any suggestions?
… from a Small City. My daily musings from Ōtepoti to get you inspired. Read the blog, view the photos, embrace the creativity.
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The National Bank of New Zealand 
205 Princes Street
The corner of 
Larnach’s Castle
Dunedin’s Mediterranean Garden 
