Hokitika Customhouse
Hokitika Customhouse is an historic building in Hokitika on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand.
| Hokitika Customhouse | |
|---|---|
 Hokitika Customhouse in 1993 | |
| General information | |
| Address | Gibson Quay |
| Town or city | Hokitika |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 42°43′11″S 170°57′41″E |
| Completed | 1897 |
| Cost | NZ£400 |
| Owner | Westland District Council |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Timber |
| Floor count | one |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | John Campbell |
| Designated | 28 June 1990 |
| Reference no. | 1700 |
The West Coast Gold Rush of 1864 established Hokitika as an important regional town and port.
The first customhouse was erected on Gibson's Quay, where the current Department of Conservation annex stands, in July 1865. It was enlarged the following year.[1] The current building was erected by the Public Works Department in 1897 at a cost of £400 to a design by John Campbell. After the Hokitika port closed in 1954, the building was no longer needed as a custom house, and was used by the Ministry of Works. In 1985 it was taken over by the local council and shifted to its present site, where it was officially reported in March 1990.[2]
The Customhouse is a small plain building clad in rusticated weatherboards, with Queen Anne influences.[2]
The Customhouse is registered by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust as a Category I structure, with registration number 1700.[2]
References
- "The Month". West Coast Times. No. 125. 10 February 1866. p. 3. Archived from the original on 18 October 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2020 – via Papers Past.
- "Customhouse (Former)". New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero. Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
