O
ne of the few remaining historic buildings from the ‘gold rush’ era
is the Town Hall. It served as “the primer’s room of the Kuaotunu
School” according to Alf Simpson. Originally built around 1894, it was
relocated to its present position in 1940 on the corner of Black Jack and
Irishtown Roads, across the street from the footbridge, similar to the old
bridge seen in photo on page 17. Even the Kuaotunu Stream maintains
traces of its historic winding path. View it from above on Google Maps!
Now called the Kuaotunu Centennial Memorial Hall, the building is used
for small concerts, weddings, and other gatherings. Alf’s granddaughter,
Rebecca Simpson, lead the restoration project in 2009 when the hall
was in state of disrepair that could have lead it to being demolished. “I
just thought ‘the hall needs to be saved’. And, as a descendant of many
of the families that settled Kuaotunu and passionate about Kuaotunu’s
history – why not me.”
“Many people came on board either by picking up a piece of sandpaper
or paint brush and working beside me”, adds Rebecca. “Momentum
grew quickly and soon we had donations of money, materials and more
people!” And the effort continues even now, with a dedicated group of
volunteers. This past year, they did a complete refit of the kitchen and
ladies bathroom with other improvements in the pipeline.
Inside, the walls are adorned with historic photographs and the
Kuaotunu
Roll of Honour
recognising those who attended the school and served
the military in WWI. Outside the hall are mining artifacts, including a small
ore push cart and a berdan (shown below), used in mercury processing of
the crushed ore; cyanide vat processing later replaced this. Signs nearby
describe the items, and visitors are welcome to browse the grounds if the
hall is not open.
KUAOTUNU HISTORY
REMNANTS & RESTORATION
KUAOTUNU GOLD RUSH HISTORY
SURVIVES IN THE ROAD NAMES
To get your bearing to location of mining areas, look for street names
off SH 25: Pumpkin Flat, Cemetery Road and Waitaia Road are
southeast of Kuaotunu, and Bluff Road is to the west (a scenic shore
route into Matarangi). In town, note Irishtown Road and Black Jack Hill
Road. There are no mine tours, but you can ‘Geocache’ to one of the
abandoned Try Fluke mine shafts. See next page for details.
- CW
Above: the historic Kuaotunu Town Hall in current location. Below: Inside
the restored hall are photos of Kuaotunu’s gold rush days, an historic
signal light, and a Roll of Honour, listing those who served in WWI.
Left: To the side of the hall are an old ore cart from the Try Fluke mine
and a berdan, used in mercury processing.
The Thames Coromandel District Council has now listed the hall, the old
school house on Waitaia Road, and a former mine manager’s house on
Kuaotunu Wharekaho Road as historically significant.
25
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