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Historic
Sites at Burkes Pass Township
The Burkes Pass Heritage Walk is a journey of discovery. It is a marked grass
track that meanders through the village providing a valuable insight into
the rich history of the town that played an important role in shaping the
pioneering settlement of the Mackenzie Country. Pick up a brochure at the
church or the Musterer’s Hut.
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St Patricks is a category one historic
place registered with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust.
In 1871 the settlers recognised the need
for public worship and at a meeting on August 26 decided to build a church
for all denominations. Built by Timaru firm
Ogilvie and Jones, the church was one of the earliest union churches in New
Zealand and now is the oldest one remaining on its original site.
It was opened in August 1872 on a bitterly cold day. Snow lay thick on the
ground. Parishioners drove up to 25km in drays and spring carts to attend
church services. They were devoted, as were the clergymen who rode in all weathers,
often across flooded rivers, from Temuka or
Geraldine to deliver their sermons. The
land was donated by John Burgess the proprietor of the hotel.
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The Musterer’s Hut
This is a
replica hut built by the trust to honour the early workers. It contains old
photos and stories and has a collection of many old hut “things” and an
original fireplace. Outside in the wood shed is the original limestone
horses trough used by teams of horses before they attempted the pass into
the Mackenzie.
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The
Cemetery.
There is
many a story of pioneers at the cemetery. This cemetery was the only one
for the Mackenzie and so includes several climbers from accidents at Mt
Cook.
Established on land donated by runholder A B Smith of Rollesby,
the cemetery tells the difficult story of settlement; the struggles,
hardship, and heartache of the pioneers who braved the harsh Mackenzie
Country climate to carve out a new life in the wild, untamed landscape.
Burials date from 1873.
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The first hotel licence in the Mackenzie was in July 1861 for a public house at Cabbage Tree Creek,
Burkes Pass. It was opened by John Burgess. Conditions governing the
licence required provision for four beds for travellers and yards for 50
cattle and 2000 sheep. The Burkes Pass Hotel, which was the heart of the
community, was gutted by fire in October 1994.
The oak tree outside the remains of the
hotel was planted on June 23, 1897 to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond
Jubilee.
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Local government began in the Mackenzie in 1864 with the establishment of the
Mount Cook Road Board. The house was the first headquarters for the
governing body. Built from concrete by Fairlie builder Thomas Foden, the house remains as a legacy of the political
forefathers. (Locally it has been called The Stone House but it is made of
concrete.)
The board held its first meeting in the
building on June 6, 1876 and its last on October 19, 1891, voting to
relocate to Fairlie which had displaced Burkes Pass as the business centre
for the Mackenzie. The board was reconstituted as the Mackenzie County
Council and then Mackenzie District Council. It is now a private home.
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photos
The Burkes Pass School (above left) and
Schoolhouse (below right) were built in 1878. The school opened with a roll
of 20 and two teachers in 1879. By 1898, the roll had grown to 53 and there
were three teachers. Population drift to Fairlie saw the roll sink to nine
in 1913 and the school close at the end of the year. It re-opened in March
1920 with 12 pupils but its existence was precarious, closing permanently
in 1943. The building was given to the community in June 1958 for use as a
hall. Today it is owned privately.
When the school closed, the schoolhouse
was taken over by the YHA in 1958. There were 12 beds for men and six for
women. In 1966, 651 people stayed at the hostel but by 1969 Burkes Pass was no longer a desirable stopover for travellers and
the YHA closed. The building is now a private
residence.
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Alma Cottage
Bridget and James Keeffe
built Alma Cottage (right) soon after arriving in New Zealand from London in
1876. It was built from a mixture of clay, chopped tussock, and manure -
inexpensive and readily available materials that provided a well-insulated
and solid home - using the pise technique of
ramming the mixture between moveable shutters, building up layers as in a
giant coil pot. Alma Cottage, the original farm buildings, and trees are
protected by a heritage covenant and the cottage is registered with the
Historic Places Trust and in the Mackenzie Council heritage schedule.
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Alma Cottage
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Elm
Tree Cottage
Elm Tree Cottage was built by William and
Jane Anniss in the late 1870s. Known locally as
Whyte’s Cottage for many years, Elm Tree Cottage has been repaired
and is in good condition.
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Elm Tree Cottage
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The
Anniss Cottage
John (William's brother) and Margaret Anniss worked at a number of jobs in the district
including shepherding, working on the Rollesby road , and at the Burkes Pass and Tekapo
Hotel. When they successfully won a balloted farm, Curraghmore Station, in 1911 the small cottage,
close the Opihi
River just north east of Alma Cottage, was no longer needed and the roofing
iron was removed for reuse at the farm. The Heritage Trust has given it a
roof that stands on poles. The cob work is now slowly being repaired.
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Anniss Cottage
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Highfield Cottage.
This is a delightful old cob
cottage located near the Mt Dobson ski field road.
The Burkes Pass Heritage Trust has been working on maintenance and restoration
since about 2000. It is not part of the Heritage Walk. See separate
story.
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Highfield
Cottage
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