Register Number
2985
Registration Type
Historic Place
- Category II
Region
Tasman Region
Date Registered
11-Dec-2009
Location Description
When travelling north from Nelson and entering Motueka township via State Highway 60/Coastal Highway/High Street turn east into Old Wharf Road. Upon its termination this road leads into Motueka Quay. Motueka Wharf is situated towards the south end of Motueka Quay opposite house number 21 Motueka Quay. The reserve adjoining the wharf has a car park.
Legal Description
Pt Sec 143MR Motueka District and Sec 100 Square 3, (NZ Gazette 1989, p.2377) Nelson Land District
Other Names
- Old Wharf (granite)
- Jetty and Warehouse Reserve
- Old Motueka Wharf
- Trooper Tarrant Memorial
- Boer War Memorial
Status Explanation
Registration confirmed 11 December 2009 (BD2009/12/12).
Brief History
Motueka Wharf and Memorial, constructed in 1887 and 1903 respectively, form an integral and prominent part of the shoreline at Motueka. The wharf is representative of other small mid to late nineteenth century ports around New Zealand that facilitated coastal shipping; one of the main and essential modes of transport in New Zealand during this period.
The settlement of the Nelson region by the New Zealand Company began in the early 1840s. However, the expansion into rural areas was difficult beyond the Waimea Plains because of the rudimentary nature of the land-based transport routes. As such, when relatively peripheral communities, like Motueka, began to coalesce during the 1850s, and looked to develop further, it was necessary to construct coastal shipping facilities. By the 1880s local people bemoaned the quality and capacity of the existing wharf at Motueka. Therefore, to enable the further growth of horticultural and other local industries, Motueka Wharf was constructed in 1887. The port was the main local portal for goods, communications, and passenger conveyance in the area, and because it was such a high profile site it was appropriate to erect the Trooper Tarrant Memorial there in 1903. The concrete memorial features a lamp and drinking fountain and honours the son of a prominent Nelson man Leonard M. Tarrant, who was killed in the South African (Boer) War.
The increased trade that Motueka Wharf enabled was eventually its downfall as industry developed to a point that the existing wharf facilities became insufficient. As such, the port was moved to a new location in 1916 and Motueka Wharf became redundant in terms of its original function. Subsequently, the Motueka Wharf and Memorial became a focal within the recreation area along the shoreline as the area gradually changed from an industrial to a residential area.
The Motueka Wharf and Memorial form a prominent landmark along the coastline at Motueka. The remains of the wharf include a causeway and seawalls constructed from locally sourced granite, the durability of which is demonstrated by contrast with the single timber pile which survives from the original timber section of the wharf. Despite this relative resilience several peripheral areas of the causeway and seawalls now show signs of age with the disintegration of some of the masonry. The wharf, and the area surrounding the square concrete column memorial, are grassed and form part of a leisure area along the coast which is connected by a walkway and lined with vegetation.
Because of its stone construction the surviving section of Motueka Wharf is nationally rare among other wharf structures. Within this group the use of granite for a causeway is unique. This means that Motueka Wharf is a nationally significant structure, but is also important because it is a remnant of coastal shipping, which was a representative feature of New Zealand's early transport and economic history. The wharf enabled efficient and essential conveyance of local goods and people, and as such was a key component in the development of Motueka district. The local social and historical importance of Motueka Wharf, as well as the community's loyalty to the British Empire, is physically demonstrated at the nearby memorial.
Current Use
- Monuments, memorials and sites of particular events - Memorial - Particular person or group
- Monuments, memorials and sites of particular events - Memorial - South African War
- Civic facilities and recreation - Recreation Area/Picnic Ground
Construction Dates
- Original Construction - Motueka Wharf constructed: 1887
- Original Construction - Trooper Tarrant Memorial completed: 1903
- Other - Operations cease at Motueka Wharf and related structures are dismantled. Timber section left to degrade: 1916
- Addition - Addition to memorial of a plaque commemorating the area's use as the port of Motueka: 1920 (circa)
Construction Professionals
Other Information
A fully referenced version of the registration report is available from the Central Region Office of the NZHPT.
Entry Written By
Karen Astwood
Entry Date
8-Sep-2009
Information on
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