Kaikawaka Villa

Tongariro Forest Park, RUAPEHU

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The rustic looking 'Kaikawaka Villa', near Raurimu, was constructed in the 1930s by the Bowley brothers and is now rare example of a shelter built for, and by, bushmen. Such quickly constructed bushmen's huts were only intended to last until the timber supply cut out: George and Charles Bowley built a number of huts during their time in the bush, but it is remarkable that even one has survived. The Kaikawaka Villa has physical importance as a rare remaining example of a particular construction technique. To erect the hut, the Bowley brothers used split kaikawaka timber slabs sourced on site for both walls and roof over a frame of timber in the round creating a one room gabled roofed structure. They also incorporated some recycled materials, such as flour sacks and bricks. The hut was occupied on weekdays by the brothers, who mainly produced hand-split kaikawaka and white pine fencing battens, which were valued for their durability and fire resistant properties. At weekends, they would don their suits and return to Raurimu where their family lived. Later, perhaps in the 1950s, another cutting contractor, Perry Smith, occupied the hut for an extended period with his wife, Biddy 'Ma' Smith. Despite working hard in often harsh conditions in dense bush, all occupants spoke fondly of their lifestyle. As the native timber industry declined, the vacated hut was used only occasionally by hunters and it became somewhat overgrown with plant matter. In 1987 State Forest 42 was transferred to the Department of Conservation after lobbying by various local groups. Now in an area known as the Tongariro Forest Park, the Kaikawaka Villa is managed as a historic hut. In 1996 the hut was restored and the framing was replaced with totara. Difficulty in getting sufficient kaikawaka for the restoration also prompted the use of totara in other sections of the hut. The roof, which was replaced, is still covered in kaikawaka shakes and appears to be unique in New Zealand. This remarkable survivor provides good opportunities for public education, surrounded by a landscape transformed by the early timber milling industry.

Kaikawaka Villa North Western Views | Katherine Mercer | 25/11/2004 | NZ Historic Places Trust
Kaikawaka Villa interior facing South | Katherine Mercer | 25/11/2004 | NZ Historic Places Trust
Kaikawaka Villa interior north end | Katherine Mercer | 25/11/2004 | NZ Historic Places Trust

Location

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List Entry Information

Overview

Detailed List Entry

Status

Listed

List Entry Status

Historic Place Category 1

Access

Private/No Public Access

List Number

7620

Date Entered

6th June 2005

Date of Effect

6th June 2005

City/District Council

Ruapehu District

Region

Horizons (Manawatū-Whanganui) Region

Extent of List Entry

The registration includes the building, surrounding clearing, and the steep bank to the east of the building used as a rubbish tip, and its curtilage on land described in NZ Gazette, 1926, p.1193.

Legal description

Pt F, ML Plan 1376, (NZ Gazette, 1926, p. 1193 (State Forest)), Wellington Land District

Location Description

The easiest access is through the Landcorp Farm adjacent to the Tongariro Forest Park which allows 4WD vehicles to get within a few hundred metres of the hut.

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