The Masonic lodge known as the Lake Lodge of Ophir was built in 1863, the year after gold was discovered in the Queenstown district. With the arrival of hundreds of miners into the area, a town sprang up on the shores of Lake Wakatipu to service the miners. A number of the merchants, bankers, hoteliers and government officials who moved to Queenstown met on 6 June 1863 to form a Masonic lodge. At a time when there was no welfare assistance from the state belonging to a benefit lodge such as the Freemasons was an insurance against illness and accidents. Lodges also performed an important social function. Almost every town had a Masonic lodge and the Masons were often influential in public affairs. The Queenstown group quickly raised the funding necessary to build a lodge, and the foundation stone was laid with all the traditional Masonic pomp and ceremony on 15 July 1863.
There is a tradition that the land the lodge was built on was donated by W.G. Rees, the original Pakeha settler at Wakatipu, who was also a Freemason. However, historian Neil Clayton feels that this is unlikely and the original tenure of the section remains unclear. The Freemasons did purchase the land in early 1864, when the other town sections were sold off but by this time the Lodge had already been built.
Lake Lodge of Ophir is a simple rectangular stone building, set on a lakefront section. It was constructed from local schist collected from the water's edge and beech culled from the head of the lake. At the time the foundation stone was laid the local newspaper stated that the 'fair propositions, stern solidity and picturesque position of [the building] ... will be an ornament to our town and a monument of our progress.' Originally the interior was lined with tongue and groove panelling up to the dado rail and plastered above with a mixture of mud and horsehair. The upper wall was finished with a lime wash and the ceiling was canvas lined with paper. Raised sections run along the bottom of three walls and a freestanding organ, purchased in 1870, is located in the south-east corner. The lodge is lit through a skylight set at the apex of the roof, a form of lighting typical of Masonic lodges. This skylight opens into the wooden barrel-vaulted ceiling from which hangs the original rise and fall candelabrum. It is said that the light from the candelabrum, visible through the skylight, was also used, in early days as a navigational beam for boats on Lake Wakatipu.
Lake Lodge of Ophir was formally constituted on 18 July 1864 and the first initiations took place a week later. The name of the lodge derives from the Old Testament and refers to a fabled region of gold. As the only stone building in Queenstown for a number of years the lodge was a distinctive feature of the early town. It was also used by a number of other groups, including the Forresters Lodge. In return, after the major flood of 1878, when Lake Lodge lived up to its name, being three feet deep in water, the Masons held their meetings in the Foresters Lodge for a number of months.
The Masonic Lodge in Queenstown, Lake Lodge of Ophir, is almost certainly the first Masonic hall to be built in Otago and is the sixth oldest Masonic lodge in New Zealand. It has now been used as a lodge for over 130 years and it is believed to be the oldest Masonic lodge building still in use as a lodge in New Zealand. The Freemasons played an important role in the social history of New Zealand as a philanthropic organisation and as a force within local politics. The lodge building in Queenstown also played a significant role in the social history of the town. It is also associated with W.G. Rees, the founder of Queenstown, who was closely associated with both the establishment of the lodge and with the Anglican church. The use of the local stone in its construction is typical of the region, which had little timber. The Masonic Lodge is also part of the Williams Cottage Historic Area, which serves as a visual reminder of the domestic scale of early Queenstown.
There is a tradition that the land the lodge was built on was donated by W.G. Rees, the original Pakeha settler at Wakatipu, who was also a Freemason. However, historian Neil Clayton feels that this is unlikely and the original tenure of the section remains unclear. The Freemasons did purchase the land in early 1864, when the other town sections were sold off but by this time the Lodge had already been built.
Lake Lodge of Ophir is a simple rectangular stone building, set on a lakefront section. It was constructed from local schist collected from the water's edge and beech culled from the head of the lake. At the time the foundation stone was laid the local newspaper stated that the 'fair propositions, stern solidity and picturesque position of [the building] ... will be an ornament to our town and a monument of our progress.' Originally the interior was lined with tongue and groove panelling up to the dado rail and plastered above with a mixture of mud and horsehair. The upper wall was finished with a lime wash and the ceiling was canvas lined with paper. Raised sections run along the bottom of three walls and a freestanding organ, purchased in 1870, is located in the south-east corner. The lodge is lit through a skylight set at the apex of the roof, a form of lighting typical of Masonic lodges. This skylight opens into the wooden barrel-vaulted ceiling from which hangs the original rise and fall candelabrum. It is said that the light from the candelabrum, visible through the skylight, was also used, in early days as a navigational beam for boats on Lake Wakatipu.
Lake Lodge of Ophir was formally constituted on 18 July 1864 and the first initiations took place a week later. The name of the lodge derives from the Old Testament and refers to a fabled region of gold. As the only stone building in Queenstown for a number of years the lodge was a distinctive feature of the early town. It was also used by a number of other groups, including the Forresters Lodge. In return, after the major flood of 1878, when Lake Lodge lived up to its name, being three feet deep in water, the Masons held their meetings in the Foresters Lodge for a number of months.
The Masonic Lodge in Queenstown, Lake Lodge of Ophir, is almost certainly the first Masonic hall to be built in Otago and is the sixth oldest Masonic lodge in New Zealand. It has now been used as a lodge for over 130 years and it is believed to be the oldest Masonic lodge building still in use as a lodge in New Zealand. The Freemasons played an important role in the social history of New Zealand as a philanthropic organisation and as a force within local politics. The lodge building in Queenstown also played a significant role in the social history of the town. It is also associated with W.G. Rees, the founder of Queenstown, who was closely associated with both the establishment of the lodge and with the Anglican church. The use of the local stone in its construction is typical of the region, which had little timber. The Masonic Lodge is also part of the Williams Cottage Historic Area, which serves as a visual reminder of the domestic scale of early Queenstown.
