A brief History
A brief History of Waikouaiti
A place in the history books
History buffs will feel right at home in Waikouaiti, which was one of the earliest settlements in the area and is the site of the country’s oldest farm.
The town boasts three Grade 1 listed historic buildings: St John’s Anglican Church, Matanaka Farm and our 1869 BNZ Bank building. The early Post Office (north of the town) is a Grade 2 listed heritage building.
A brief history
Waikouaiti, well known as the birthplace of Otago, was first settled by Maori as it was rich in land and sea-based food sources. Whalers came next, followed by the first colonists who began landing in 1837; some heading for inland parts, and some deciding to settle in the area, then known as Hawkesbury. Waikouaiti was to have been the site for Dunedin but the harbour was too shallow. The first commercial buildings were erected closer to the bay than they are today, as Beach Street was then the main street.
Waikouaiti Museum
The building which currently houses the Museum collection dates from 1869 and has recently been classified as a Grade 1 listed historic building by the Historic Places Trust. It is one of an increasingly small number of buildings designed by well-known architect RA Lawson still in use in New Zealand. For more detail about the origins of the Museum, visit our About Us page.
Matanaka Farm
Matanaka Farm dates from around 1840 and is believed to be Otago's earliest farm, boasting New Zealand's oldest surviving farm buildings. Built on an exposed headland overlooking Waikouaiti for prominent Otago whaler and businessman John (Johnny) Jones, the group of farm outbuildings is made up of stables, a granary, schoolhouse, and three-seater privy.
John Jones came to NZ from Sydney and set up a whaling/sealing business in 1838, from Waikouaiti to Riverton. John’s brother Thomas came out on the ship the Magnet and took over managing the farm and whaling interests for John. It is clear from early diaries that John Jones and family were living here from 1843.
The homestead was built from local and imported timbers. Over the years many piles have subsided and, to maintain a level floor, wooden wedges were used to chock up the sleepers. The entire roof was covered with Tasmanian shingles, later replaced with corrugated iron in the 1890s. The chimney bricks were roughly made and bought in from elsewhere, most likely Sydney or Wellington. Over the years the house was added to, modernised and lived in by a succession of families until May 2022 when it burnt down.
The farm buildings (the barn, granary and stables) were constructed from precut dressed timbers brought over from Sydney by ship and hauled up the track to the farm site. The foundations, sleepers and floor joists were laid first, then wall framing was put together on the ground before being lifted into place. Corrugated iron (the latest thing in roofing materials at that time) was then used to cover the gables. The buildings were well spaced, painted red and looked very impressive.
There are five buildings owned by Heritage New Zealand on the private station, including a former schoolhouse, a barn, a storehouse, stables and a toilet promoted as “the ultimate loo with a view”.
A Grade One historic building, the Matanaka Farm reserve is open to the public, providing a rare insight into how life was lived early in Otago's history. It can be found by following the signposts from SH1, on the northern approach to Waikouaiti.
Please be aware that the road to the farm is private and is closed to public access from 14 August to 30 September due to the lambing season.
St John the Evangelist Church
St John's is reputed to be the first Anglican Church built in Otago and Southland and is the oldest surviving church building in Otago and Southland.
From 1850, Waikouaiti was a place of some importance, constantly growing in wealth and population. In addition, the number of Church of England people living in Otago had grown considerably, with many making their home between Dunedin and Oamaru. After a conversation with Bishop Harper in 1857, Johnny Jones cut up a large block of land in the township into quarter acre sections and set about planning the building of a church and parsonage. He promised the Bishop that he would provide for the upkeep of the church for all time, and his promise continues to this day.
Plans were drawn up by Benjamin Woolfield Montfort, who did not think wood was an impediment to Gothic style, and this church is a good example of that. Tenders were called for in the Otago Witness (newspaper) and Messrs Hardy and Winchester of Dunedin secured the construction contract. Windows and fittings were prepared in Dunedin and much of the construction material was brought by ship from Dunedin and off loaded on the beach. The roof was initially covered with wood shingles from Hawksbury bush and later replaced with Tasmanian shingles. In 1860, Hawthorn hedges were planted around the boundaries.
The first minister was the Reverend J A Fenton, who discharged his duties with “tact and ability, often in very trying circumstances”. Rev Fenton’s health was never robust and in 1863 he resigned his position and his familiar figure mounted on a white horse was no longer to be seen on his pastoral rounds.
On Sunday 19 December 1858, a formal opening of the church took place. The following January, the first meeting of the church committee was held. As well as passing a resolution to thank Johnny Jones for his generosity, it was quickly realised that an oversight had occurred in that no seats had been provided in the church. Eventually 26 pews were made locally for the congregation; presumably the congregation had to stand for services before the pews were completed.
The first recorded baptism was on 5 December 1858 of Albert Joseph Wynne and the first marriage took place on 7 January 1859 of Robert Redpath to Janet Leech. There was no school building in Waikouaiti at the time, and in 1862 a schoolhouse was built on two acres of land given by Johnny Jones, which adjoined the church and is still there today.
The church and surrounding cemetery was consecrated on March 20 1860 by Bishop Harper, with the “Church being dedicated to the Glory of God under the name of “St John the Evangelist”. The luncheon held afterwards was held in Johnny Jones’ store on Beach St, not far from the church. Johnny Jones’ gift of the church to the community was worth £576 at the time; a considerable sum. He went on to donate land for the other denominations, Methodist, Presbyterian and Catholic, which was an extremely generous donation.
This history was taken from “A Short History of Waikouaiti and St John’s Church” compiled by Reverend E J Neale (1918).
Old Post Office
A grade 2 listed building, Waikouaiti’s Old Post Office was opened in 1907 and stayed in service for 82 years. Sited on the main road on the northern approach to the town, the original public counter and mail sorting rooms now house the gallery and studio of two talented artists, potter Peter Gregory and painter Laura Gregory.
The gallery/studio is open to the public on Wed, Thurs, Fri and Sun afternoons from 1-5pm.