Jump to content

Donovan's Store

Coordinates: 43°13′20.12″S 170°9′53.95″E / 43.2222556°S 170.1649861°E / -43.2222556; 170.1649861
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Donovan's Store
Donovan's Store in 2020
Map
General information
TypeCommercial
Address17 The Strand
Town or cityŌkārito
CountryNew Zealand
Coordinates43°13′20.12″S 170°9′53.95″E / 43.2222556°S 170.1649861°E / -43.2222556; 170.1649861
Openedc. 1866
Technical details
MaterialTimber, corrugated iron
Designated28 June 1990
Reference no.5008

Donovan's Store at Ōkārito on the West Coast of New Zealand is the oldest wooden building in Westland. It was built in the 1860s as a hotel and converted to a general store in the 1890s which operated for over 60 years. It is now a Category 1 listed historic place.

History

[edit]

The Donovan's Store building was originally the Club Hotel, built on The Strand in 1865 or 1866 during the gold mining rush at Ōkārito.[1][2] The hotel was converted to a general store in the 1890s and run by James Donovan (1867–1960) and his wife Eva Donovan for about 60 years.[1][3] As well as the Ōkārito port the store serviced the gold dredge workers and flax cutters and Donovan was known for delivering supplies to isolated gold prospectors.[1][2] The store mainly sold foodstuffs but many household and other items were sold such as fabric and tools.[2]

Donovan ran the store until the 1950s, selling it to Keith (Robbie) Robertson of Whataroa who ran the store part–time until 1965.[2] In 1987 the building was bequeathed to the Historic Places Trust by Robertson. The Trust passed the building to the Department of Conservation (DOC) in 1988.[1][4] In 1990 the Trust gave the store a Category 1 listing, which designated it as a significant building meriting preservation.[1] It fell into disrepair but the local community decided in the 1990s to restore it to a usable building, with a library premises being one of the possible uses and in 1994 DOC began a five-year restoration programme.[4][5] The Ōkārito Community Association contributed $100,000 towards the renovation.[3] It owns and maintains the hall in partnership with DOC.[3]

In the 1990s the grounds surrounding the store were surveyed by botanist Elizabeth Woods who found roses, a holly tree, grapevine, oak tree and a mixture of other plants.[2]

In 2009, the governor-general, Anand Satyanand, visited the store while on the West Coast.[6]

Construction

[edit]
Rear view of Donovan's Store, October 2020

The front part of the building is the oldest with a lean-to at the back added later. Reconstruction work on the store showed it was built with a mixture of native timbers including kauri, rimu, kahikatea and imported Baltic pine, the latter possibly scavenged from shipwrecks.[2] The sides and back of the building are clad in corrugated iron.

Current status

[edit]

Since 1990 the building has been registered by Heritage New Zealand as a Category I structure, with registration number 5008.[7]

The building is now used as the Ōkārito Community Library with some of the book stock supplied by the Westland District Library.[4]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e Cawley, Nancy (8 September 1993). "Okarito store's decay upsets Donovan family". The Press. p. 14.
  2. ^ a b c d e f McCormack Ross, Trish (13 May 1996). "Donovan's a window to rich past". The Press. p. 13.
  3. ^ a b c "Great gigs for old digs". Conservation Action: 8. September 2010. Archived from the original on 12 October 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  4. ^ a b c "From dancing girls to Donovan's store: the story of the Okarito Community Library". Library Life. 440: 8–9. November 2015. Archived from the original on 12 October 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  5. ^ Attwood, Steve (January 1995). "Old Store". New Zealand Historic Places. 51: 39.
  6. ^ "Donovan's Store". Governor General of New Zealand. 2009. Archived from the original on 12 March 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  7. ^ "Donovan's Store". New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero. Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 13 October 2020.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Bishop, Jane and Malcolm Walker. 1977. Westland Country: a centennial album 1876–1976. Pegasus Press. p. 156–157.