#1 – Paekākāriki Railway

By Christine Johnson Paekakariki’s original railway station was nothing like today’s one, being described in an early issue of the NZ Railway officers “Advocate” as a small, dark old shanty. In view of this, it seems unlikely that the station had some type of refreshment room. However, pieces of old china recovered by myself from … Read more

#2 – Signal Box

A Signal Box Returns to PAEKAKARIKIFrom “PLATFORM” – Issue #19 September 2008 – FRONZ Story & Photos by Christine Johnson For months and months, Paekākāriki people have been working hard alongside our heritage building carpenter, to complete the restoration of the south end signalbox. We set a target date of completion to speed things up, … Read more

#3 – Holtom’s Buildings

Francis Richard Holtom built Holtom’s buildings in 1920. He was born in Tredington, Warwickshire, England in 1881. By 1905 he was in Lower Hutt, advertising for carpenters for his building projects. He married Emma Ann Elizabeth Winnie in 1906. The couple embarked on a trip to England in 1908 on the Moldavia, with their new … Read more

#4 – St Peter’s Church

In it’s long history, there have been four different bells at St Peter’s Church in Paekākāriki. St Peter’s first bell was floral. In the first marriage service to be held in the new church on 21 October 1908, three days after it opened, Alice Irene Tilley married Gerald Stephen Smith. The floral bell was made … Read more

#5 – St Peter’s Hall

The first community hall in Paekākāriki was the social hall built and situated beside the early hotel. Unfortunately, this burnt down in 1896. Following this, the Surf Club rooms had been used for community gatherings, but these were destroyed in 1916 by heavy seas. The Anglican church was looking for somewhere to hold Sunday School … Read more

#6 – The Ballad of Pearl, Florrie and the Bull

Lyrics by Phill Simmonds ————————      PANEL ONE Paekakariki    is where it begins.Florrie and Pearl were Identical twinsThey went walking then they turned to go backThat’s when they saw there was a bull on the track! ————————      PANEL TWO Pearl said to Florrie, “Try to stay calm!”Florrie said, “Sister, I’m sure he means us … Read more

#7 – Murray Hill Point

Murray Hill was one of Paekākāriki’s notable residents. He lived a long life, born in Hastings in 1924 and dying in 2015. He was one of seven boys and one girl and learned to work hard from an early age, milking the family cow in the early mornings and spending hours digging his family’s vegetable … Read more

#8 – Playcentre House

The Playcentre House, at 22 Wellington Road, is possibly Paekākāriki’s first private residence. It was built by Emily Susannah Tilley, settler, some time between 1894 and no later than 1899. As accurately as can be established from government archives, this dwelling, if not Paekākāriki’s very first private home, is certainly amongst the first built and, … Read more

#9 – Paekākāriki Tennis Club and Library

The Paekākāriki Lawn Tennis Club was formally incorporated in 1931, and celebrated its Golden Jubilee in 1981. An early photo taken from Wellington Road shows two courts. On 18 October 1921, the Evening Post reported that in February that year several Wellington tennis enthusiasts had journeyed to Paekākāriki to play a friendly match against the … Read more

#10 – Paekākāriki Bowling Club

The Bowling Club opened on 6 November 1933 in newly filled swampland. In the early days, the land from Paekākāriki to Waikanae was mainly swamp and waterways that enabled Māori to travel by canoe up and down the coast. The 1852 Wellington earthquake drastically changed this land formation by uplifting the area by almost two … Read more