clockandwatchesqld

New Zealand - The latest postings are in Red. Click on underlined headings.

North Island NZ - Brisbane to Wellington Road Trip, Wellington, Levin, Palmerston North, Whanganui, Patea, Waverley, Stratford, New Plymouth, Kihikihi & Te Kuiti, Hamilton, Cambridge, Matamata & Tauranga, Rotorua, Napier, Hastings & Taradale, Havelock North, Waipawa, Dannievirke, Masterton & Carterton, Lower Hutt.

South Island NZ - Ashburton, Timaru, Kaikoura, Christchurch - (Diamond Jubilee, Edmunds, Arts Centre, New Brighton & Scarborough, The Canterbury Museum, Old Railway Station), Lyttelton Time Ball, Culverdon English Clock Systems, Motueka Rothmans, Motueka PO, Nelson PO, Blenheim War Memorial.

Sun Dials - Christchurch (Edmunds, Mona Vale, Botanic Gardens, St. John's), Rangiora, Kaikoura, Picton.

DAY 1 - Brisbane to Wellington flying Air NZ, to begin our North Island road trip.

Bris to Wtgn

Arriving at Brisbane Int. Airport, it was not hard to spot one of the reasons for this trip - a large white board with an electric clock on both sides. Off to a good start. A long day awaited as NZ is 3 hours ahead making Wgtn 6+ hours away.

Wellington Airport has two giant eagles hanging from the ceiling - one with Gandalf on its back ('Lord of the Rings'). Each weighs about 1 tonne & has a wingspan of 15m. Next step is to find a bus with my road trip companion Martin & head to our lodgings.

DAY 2 - Wellington - the morning started with a guided tour of Te Papa Museum before clock hunting.

Wellington

Old Bank Arcade Clock, corner of Lambton Quay and Customhouse Quay - built in 1901.

The outstanding timepiece of our trip was found here. An animated musical clock which turns & opens one by one 4 tulip petals each hour to reveal Wellington pioneer scenes along with a recorded commentary. This $150,000 clock was made & installed in 1997 by Timetech Systems Ltd of Lower Hutt, with robotic work by Robotechnology Ltd. A spectacular show lasting for round 3-4minutes. This video will explain –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFdbTIy2W_Y

During restoration of the near derelict building in 1997 the Australian Co. ‘Ipoh’ a Singapore Co. based in Sydney rediscovered the hull of the sailing ship that had sunk in Wellington’s harbour in 1849. The ships hull was converted to a wharf & named Plimmer’s Ark. Then in 1901 the foundation of the Bank of NZ was built over it. Ipoh dug it out in 1997 & has preserved the remains under glass in the old bank vault for all to see.

Central Fire Station - 2 Oriental Parade. Opened in 1937, this art deco building has a prominent clock tower.

The clock was originally in the Town Hall from 1922. In response to the 1931 Napier earthquake this structure had to be demolished in 1934. The clock was stored then transferred to the new Fire Station’s tower in 1937. It is an electric 60sec impulse 4-dial clock.

Central Railway Station - Opened in 1937, this U-shaped building sits on reclaimed land. With 105.5m long platforms, a 23.5m frontage, impressive 13m tall Doric columns - a great example of neo-classical architecture.

Time when travelling is obviously of major importance & this station still has many double-sided electric clocks hanging from platforms & walls to keep one on time - all synchronous impulse clocks mainly made by Gents of England. An impressive clock with a blue inner ring is mounted above the main entrance.

Courtenay Place today is a trendy restaurant & nightlife area. From the early 1900's, 152 C Pl. was a hotel. This address today is an eatery called Choo Choo's. It is up for sale. A non-working clock sits in the top gable.

MLC Building - a 45m tall structure opened in 1940. Has a similar story to the Fire Station. The clock was obtained from the Chief Post Office. When the latter was demolished in 1942 it was saved & installed into the MLC in 1954. In 1995 the MLC building was converted into apartments.

Old Government Building, Lambton Quay, was completed in 1876 to house the NZ Government and its public service. Built to mimic a stone palace it is actually made of wood. By 1990 all users had vacated. Between 1994 & 1996 a $25mill. restoration was carried out. The English-sourced clock installed in 1876 in the gable will be updated when info is available.

DAY 3 - Wellington to Wanganui (via Palmerston North) - distance 222km

Levin

Levin - a clock with a temperature display.

In the early 1980’s the 100-year-old Levin Post Office was demolished & a new one constructed with a suitable base left to sit a future clock on. 1999 saw an electric 4 dial clock put in place. By 2009 this clock needed another makeover costing $66,000.

Another makeover was again needed in 2019 as two of the four clock face motors had failed. All four clock face motors were replaced & a German made satellite-linked GPS world timer control fitted. The cost $13,000.

Palmerston North (PN) -

P North

Palmerston North has a 4-dial clock tower in the CBD’s 7-hectare park – the Hopwood Tower. It was built in 1957 & used a Joyce turret clock from Whitlow, England that had resided in PN's Post Office tower demolished after the 1942 Wairarapa Earthquake. The clock with a double three-legged gravity escapement & Westminster chimes was given a motorised winder to lift the 90kg pendulum.

This tower has had several renovations. In the 1960’s a stone cross was added to the top of this 26.5m structure. In 1990 the sound shell at its base was removed. In 2007, $1.7m. was spent with the tower demolished & replaced with a matching stronger structure. Also the height was now 30.5m with the addition of a lantern cross & glass panels at the base, both lit at night.

Ansett Tower, the former T&G building constructed in 1938 remains – a fine example of the Art Deco style. The 4-storey structure (costing £46,000) has a prominent 4-dial clock tower. The clock was not working.

Square Edge Arts Centre Building – first opened in 1892, home to the Colonial Bank of NZ. In 1905 it became a library & then Council Offices in the 1920’s. In 1945 an upgrade resulted in this art deco front. This was probably when the existing electric 60second impulse clock was added. In 1980 it became the Arts Centre & given its new name. In 2010 it was refurbished & painted in its present colours.

Whanganui - after a long day this city provided one of the highlights of the trip - the Durie Hill elevator, tunnel & tower. There are only two public underground elevators in the world that service a hill suburb (the other is in Lisbon, Portugal). The lift rises 66m & was built in 1919 to enable the hill-top residents to easily get down to the city. A 213m tunnel with coloured lighting awaits at the bottom. A spiral staircase for views of the city is beside the lift.

On top of Durie Hill, built in 1925 is 34m tall WW1 memorial tower with 176 steps to the top. It has views of Whanganui & on clear days Mt. Taranaki.

Wanganui

Waverley

DAY 4 - Whanganui to New Plymouth - distance 163km

Waverley - War Memorial Clock Tower – a small town with 900 residents

Has 38 names of local men who died in WW1 & twelve from WW11. Built in 1925 the 4- dial clock was made by W Littlejohn & Sons costing £400, the tower £1,400. The bells came from England. Full restoration of this electric clock was carried out in 2013. Smith of Derby in England were used to silence the clocks bell mechanism at night.

Waverley has a black sand coastline due to iron-sand deposits. It also boasts the home of that famous racehorse 'Kiwi' who won the 1983 Melbourne Cup.

Patea - a small township with an iconic replica waka sitting on a concrete plinth.

Patea

We arrived as 300 people marched through the main street protesting proposed seabed mining. The quaint building with a clock was erected in 1927 as a library with Plunket rooms. In 2013 it closed for renovation & repair of earthquake damage & was reopened in 2019. The 4-dial electric clock still works off a Synchronome Electric Master with Coltman, Auckland on the dial.

Next to this building is a waka built in 1933 with 10 lifelike figures – even a mother with a baby. In 2023 the figures were meticulously repainted.

Stratford - the town with a Glockinspiel & links to Shakespeare

Stratford

Named after the birthplace of William Shakespeare, the town has many street names from Shakespearian plays. The main attraction though is the Glockenspiel (German for playing clock). This electrically operated clock performs Romeo & Juliet daily at 10am, 1pm, 3pm & 7pm. Six life-size figures appear from different doors, their performance lasting 5 minutes played via a sound system across the street.

PO 1920's

1970's

Today

The fascinating history of this clock. Stratford’s first clock was on the PO built in 1924. When demolished in 1967 the clock & bells were stored to be put into the next replacement building. In 1969 a new 21m tower had been built with the cast iron faces used but the old electric mechanism had to be replaced. In 1996 the tower had an ‘Elizabethan’ makeover & in 1999 the glockenspiel was fitted. Well worth viewing.

DAY 5 - Relaxing in New Plymouth

The New Plymouth clock tower is a replica of the 1877 Post Office clock tower. This building was demolished in 1969. Its clock had been installed in 1905/06. Today's stand-alone tower erected in 1985, has an electric 60sec. impulse clock.

Te Rewa Rewa Bridge is a pedestrian & cycleway bridge across the Waiwhakaiho River. Opened in 2010 it is 68.8m long. On a clear day Mt Taranaki is framed within the 19 'ribs'.

New Plymouth

!969

2024

Te Rewa Rewa Bridge

Mt. Taranaki

Scenic Views common

Power station chimney 198m

DAY 6 - New Plymouth to Hamilton, distance 240km

Te K KihiK

First stop was the Waitomo Caves to see the glow worms - highly recommend, then on to Te Kuiti.

Te Kuiti - An interesting clock tower with a 4-dial electric clock erected in 1960 has now had a new electronic mechanism from England installed. Also of interest is the statue of Sir Colin ‘Pinetree’ Meads, the All Black named NZ’s player of the 20th Century.

Kihikihi - The 4-dial turret clock here was built in 1881 by Littlejohn & Sons in Wellington for the Timaru Borough Council. It was then bought for the Te Awamutu Post Office in 1912 & used there to 1934. Taken down it was rescued by the town of Kihikihi, just 3km South in 1960. As a manual wind clock its mechanism finally ceased in 2021. To repair, upgrade & automate would be costly at $70,000.

Hamilton - Anglican cathedral of St Peter built in 1916, was modelled on a 15th Century Norfolk church. The 4-dial clock in the tower came from England with the 8 bells cast by Mears & Stainbank of Whitechapel in London arriving in 1933. 6 more bells were added in 1948. Consequently there is a very active group of Change Ringers. A beautiful interior to this church.

A welcome diversion made to the the famous Hamilton Gardens. On display are 18 beautiful, enclosed gardens each showcasing a country or theme. A must see.

Hamilton

DAY 7 - Hamilton to Rotorua via Tauranga - distance of 170km

Cambridge

Cambridge - Set in a war memorial garden, this 13m tower was erected in 1934 with the 4-dial clock procured by W. Littlejohn of Wellington out of the 1908 Post Office that had to be demolished after the 1931 Napier earthquake. In 2023 the aging clock was removed, automated & reinstalled. The tower sits beside the 1909 Town Hall & the bronze statue of a mare & foal installed in 2004 with information on the 12 Melbourne Cup winners bred here.

Matamata - Matamata is known for its horse racing background. Beside this 4-dial electric 15m clock tower of reinforced concrete built in 1978, is an awesome full-size racehorse & jockey in full flight. The town is also the home of Hobbiton – of the movies The Lord of the Rings & The Hobbit fame.

Tauranga - When the old Post Office was burned down in 1902 a new Edwardian style double cavity brick PO replaced it in 1907. A 0ne dial clock made by Dent, an English turret clock manufacturer (the son of E Dent maker of Big Ben) was ordered. It was also to strike a 3cwt bell at a cost including delivery of £112. In the 1990’s the building was saved from demolition & it is now a boutique hotel & restaurant. The clock was not working.

Mata Taur

DAY 8 - Rotorua a day to relax & experience that geothermal atmosphere.

Rotorua

Rotorua has an unusual Tudor-style building for this clock tower. When built in 1914 this was a Post Office with the clock a memorial to PM Richard Seddon. Today it acts as a visitor information centre. The clock with bells installed was manufactured by J B Joyce & Co., Shropshire, UK. costing £300. The bells weighing about 2.5 tonnes stopped in 1984 & were not renewed till 2014. It still needs winding once a week.

The day was very wet but a trip to the Redwood Forest was a must. It contains a stand of spectacular Californian Coast Redwoods planted from 1902 in a 5,600 hectare forest. A high walkway allows one to see these trees from a different perspective.

DAY 9 - Rotorua to Napier - 221 km

Napier

A long drive with stops at the Huka Falls & Taupo.

We arrived in Napier late afternoon. Had time to check out Marine Parade (with the Spirit of Nature fountain) & Bluff Hill which overlooks the port. The land area (hidden to the left) was once a lagoon. But in 1931, 40km2 of sea-bed was lifted 2.7m by a 7.9 earthquake to become dry land, now built on.

The thundering sound of a quarter of a million litres of water per second flow down this gorge into the Waikato River.

DAY 10 - exploring Napier

Napier - a city totally destroyed in 1931 by a 7.9 earthquake & fire, now famous for its Art Deco buildings.

Rebuilt in 1931, Napier has an unusual clock tower. It was once the T&G building (many built in Australia & NZ), now called The Dome. It is a 3-storey structure with a copper dome cap & a 4-dial electric clock on top. It was this earthquake that was instrumental in the demolition of most Post Office Clock towers in NZ.

Napier's Floral Clock was laid in 1955. Such clocks were popular from the 1900's especially as pictures on postcards. With an underground electric mechanism, a minute hand of 3.4m & the hour hand at 2.72m. it was made by Gents & Co of Leicester, England costing £423 plus £110 to ship over. Today it barely qualifies as a flower clock as the digits are grass separated by fine white stones.

Hastings (22km from Napier). A 26m clock tower was erected in 1935 as a symbol of recovery from the 1931 earthquake. In 1995 brass plaques were added in memory of those who had died. The 4-dial turret clock was procured from W Littlejohns & Co. Wellington. It has a Gents electric striking & chiming clock - the bells used had been saved from the destroyed PO built back in 1909. Cost all up was £1,126.

Taradale - a suburb of Napier 6km from the CBD. This concrete, hexagonal 3-dial 15m war memorial clock tower was built in 1923. The 1931 earthquake tilted the tower 0.76m, requiring new foundations. In 1997 murals depicting the 3-armed services were painted inside the 3 arches. In the 1960s a rose garden, fountain, flagpoles & sundial were added, providing a setting valued by ANZAC supporters.

Hast Tara

Havelock North

DAY 11 - Napier to Masterton, 231 km.

Havelock North - 25km from Napier

Found here a cute Arts & Crafts style building, the roof pointing three ways. Built in 1915 to hold an electric transformer it was damaged in the 1931 earthquake. The bell on top was replaced with this 2-dial electric clock in 1937. Since 2015 it has been the home of a tourist information centre.

Nearby the Te Mata Peak (399m) with fantastic views was a must to visit.

Waipawa - Small town with 2,500 people in 2024

Waipawa

A 16m tall concrete clock tower dominates the street landscape. Built in 1922 as a war memorial it has a clock made by Gillet & Johnston in 1909 with a grass-hopper escapement. It is still hand wound every three and a half days using 3 crank handles to keep the clock & bells running.

Beside the tower is a WW1 German field gun captured in 1918. It was restored in 1981.

In the towns centre the Clock Shop makes interesting viewing.

Dannevirke -

A small rural town (population 5,500) whose origin goes back to 1872 when 13 Danish & 8 Norwegian families arrived. A refurbishment of the town centre in 2009 saw a tower with an electric clock installed by the local firm Metalform.

Dannievirke still has many old buildings. At 97 High St. stands the now empty Post Office built in 1923. Nice to see it still retains the Gents double sided street clock though not working.

Dannevirke

DAY 12 - Masterton to Wellington, 105 km - final day.

Mast Cart

Just out of Masterton is a worthwhile visit to the Aotearoa Stonehenge. Although saying open it was closed. But we did see the video showing this amazing structure built in 2005. It has 24 pillars each 4m tall in a 30m diameter circle marking where the sun sets & rises at solstices & equinoxes. When open one can check out the museum & then wander around the outdoor complex.

Carterton's 13m tall clock tower was built in 1962. The clock & bells are those that were originally used in the 1907 Post office which was demolished in 1942 after earthquake damage. The clock was made by Joyce & Co of Whitchurch in England.

Lower Hutt - as part of the Council's Town Hall & Admin Block this 16m clock tower was opened in 1957. An example of Modernist architecture it houses the original town clock & bells from the 1906 Town Hall.

Our North Island trip had proved to be a wonderful experience. The scenery, history & unexpected finds plus the clocks had been amazing. It was time to have another look at Te Papa Museum before catching a plane to Christchurch.

Lower Hutt

Wellington City & Harbour

Ashburton

South Island New Zealand

Ashburton

This clock is a must for those who want to see a tower clock movement in action. It has been encased in glass at the base of the 21m tall tower. Made by Little-John & Sons of Wellington, it was first put into the newly built Ashburton Post Office in 1904. The cost then was £820. After the 1942 Wairarapa Earthquake the PO tower was removed despite much protest (this area considered earthquake free). The clock & bells were saved though.

In the 1970’s the Ashburton Lions Club restored this clock. On Nov 26, 1976, the clock was put into the new tower in Baring Square East. The 4 dials are at the top while the movement is at ground level for all to view & admire - what an outstanding reminder of the town's past.

Timaru

Timaru - a beautiful city with many grand old buildings

The City Council Offices built in 1908/09 initially had no tower. It housed the town library. However, in 1934 a reinforced concrete tower was added to house a 4-dial clock (which was procured from the 1880 Post Office across the road set to be demolished). Interestingly this PO also had a time ball operating till round 1900. The building today has had extensive work with only the outer façade & tower still standing. Of note is the addition in 1946 of the Lamp of Remembrance atop the tower – a memorial to those who died in WW11. This lamp remains permanently on.

On top of the Community Building 27-29 Strathallan St (once Pyne Gould & Guiness built in 1877) a 1.5m diameter clock sits prominently. The old clock was replaced in 2008 with a $10,000 timepiece - a German designed electronic clock with an older-styled face with Roman numerals.

The Caroline Bay Soundshell with a 4-dial electric clock was built in 1936 to replace the band rotunda. The latter had a clock installed in 1915, so wondering if this was moved to the Soundshell? Beside it in the gardens there is a WW1 & 2 memorial sundial erected in 1919 with the words – "horas non numero nisi" meaning “I do not count the hours unless they are sunny”.

A non-working clock was also spotted on the Old Bank Tavern, corner of Church St & Stafford St. This hotel was built in 1876.

Kaikoura

A 7m high 3 dial clock with a 60sec. impulse built by the Lions Club & erected in 2011. The tower has 3 pillars - one depicting the past made of wood with Maori carvings, one made of limestone representing the present referring to Kaikoura's spectacular tectonic landscape & one of frosted glass representing the future, a story yet to be written. This pillar stands higer than the other two as a symbol of Kaikoura's growth.

On the main street atop of the BNZ bank exists an unnamed clock not working.

Beautiful Kaikoura

Christchurch - the Diamond Jubilee Clock Tower – a Survivor.

Diamond

This 30m structure made up of a combination of limestone and local volcanic stone features ornate wrought iron, coloured glass and a 4-dial clock. Skidmore and Sons of Coventry England built the iron work tower while John Moore and Sons of Clerkenwell London made the clock. It was shipped in 142 boxes in 1859 to Christchurch destined to sit on top of the Provincial Council buildings. The iron tower when assembled was found to be too heavy and so it was dismantled in 1864 and stored in sheds nearby and the clock put in another tower in Armagh Street where it could only be heard – not seen! The tower was reassembled in 1879 and it stood in the city Council yards for the next 18 years.

1879

1912

To commemorate Queen Victoria’s Jubilee the clock was sent back to England to have chimes installed and on its return was reunited with the tower and both were erected on a stone base at the corner of Litchfield and Manchester Streets in 1897. Due to traffic congestion it was moved to the present site (corner of Victoria and Montreal Streets) in 1930. In 1977/78 the tower was cleaned and the clock given new chimes. In 2010/11 both the clock and tower required major repair and restoration after earthquake damage. In 2014 it was revealed in its original glory – a reminder of the incredible detailed workmanship put into early buildings - a true survivor.

The Edmunds Clock Tower in Christchurch NZ

This two-dial time only clock (the other two dials have sculptures) sits atop a 14m tower on the Avon river bank at Oxford Terrace. It was erected in 1929 with a donation of £5000 from Thomas Edmund of Edmunds baking powder fame to celebrate 50 years of business. The donated money went to the River Bank Improvement Scheme which built the clock tower, a telephone/drinking booth and a band rotunda. Halfway up the tower are the words peace, faith, hope and charity etched into the sandstone sides. It has had extensive restoration since the 2010/11 earthquakes.

Edmonds

Arts Centre Clock Tower Christchurch, N.Z.

ArtC

It was a privilege to be allowed up this tower to view the clock - part of today's Art Centre, which covers a city block and was originally used by Christchurch University. Designed by architect Benjamin Mountfort and built of limestone and basalt from the Port Hills, the two dial clock tower has bells and an impressive entrance - a tiled floor with beautiful stained glass windows and a divided staircase. From here, through a locked door, one climbs up two flights of narrow wooden stairs to reach the clock. Made by Gillett & Bland of Croydon, England in 1877 (same firm as the Ipswich and Sandgate clocks) it has been repaired since the 2010/11 earth-quakes. A small electric motor has been installed to wind up the two weights every 4 hours.

Scarborough and New Brighton - Seaside Clock Towers, Christchurch

Scar NBrighton

On 14 December 1934, the foundation stones for the Scarborough and New Brighton Clock Towers were laid. The towers were a very generous gift to Christchurch City by builder Richard Green in honour of his father, Edmund Green, who set up the first telegraph service in New Zealand.

Final product

Scarborough

80 years on both clocks & their towers were in poor shape. A seashore location of harsh saltwater exposure had left the Brighton tower with concrete issues while each clock tower had corroded dials, worn movements & structural steel issues (mostly from the 2010/11 earthquakes). A call for their renovation was sent out – the requirement for the repairer was to do both clocks.

The contract awarded to Cook Brothers Construction who started in 2018 with the towers being fenced off & the Brighton clock wrapped in protective plastic. The barriers came down in mid-2020. The cost to return these clock towers to their former glory - $740,000 for Scarborough & $994,000 for New Brighton.

Note the same dials on both clocks

New Brighton

Final product

The clock movements were imported from England, made by Gents of Leicester. Costing round £400 each they were pulsynatic – meaning driven by electric with an impulse moving the hour hand every minute. Such clocks were very popular at this time as the one ‘master’ could be linked to many ‘slave’ clocks particularly useful in Government departments.

Under wraps

Clocks at the Canterbury Museum Christchurch N.Z.

ChCh Museum

For horologists, museums offer some incredible treasures. The Canterbury Museum is no exception. On entering, one walks a replica street scene of Christchurch retailers from the late 1800’s. The jeweller’s shop, G Coates & Co. has a superb display of clocks and pocket watches.

Giles Coates had been well trained by his father (also Giles), a reputed clockmaker from Chedworth in Gloucester England. In 1850 Giles aged 43 emigrated to NZ and set up a shop in Bridge Street Nelson. Moving to Christchurch in 1857 he opened a jeweller’s shop at 218 Colombo Street – the museum shop frontage a copy of this original building. Besides clocks and watches, Giles also sold surveying and draughting equipment, optical and silver goods, barometers and precious stones.

A wide range of clock and watch types are featured in the window. From an impressive barometer clock with four sub-dials to cover days, weeks, months and the time to skeleton, wall, mantle and calendar clocks, this is a wonderful display. I have room for only a few.

What makes this shop special is to find displayed a link to the owner - a quality 2m tall regulator made by Giles Coates of London (probably Giles senior).

Railway Station Tower Clock in Christchurch NZ - Preservation and Restoration - Keeping Alive the Past.

Railway Stn

On a jeweller's shopfront in Nelson is a working double dial synchronous clock that was once hanging from the Christchurch Station's main platform.

Built in 1960 this Station lasted only 30 years as falling patronage made it uneconomic. Taken over in 1990 by Hoyts theatre and a Science Alive Interactive Museum, new life was breathed into it. In Sept. 2010 at 4.35pm a magnitude 7.1 earthquake stopped the 4 tower clocks. Cracks can be spotted in the brick work. Repairs to 3 of the clocks were made in November, but the 12.51 pm February 22 magnitude 6.3 quake in 2011 rendered the whole building unsafe. It was demolished in 2012.

Preservation of two of these dials has occurred at Quake City – an interactive museum built in 2017 allowing people to see the impacts of the quakes. Two of the 2m dials can be found in the main office set to the exact time of each quake.

This Gents NZR ‘slave’ is typical of the many small impulse wall clocks once found in the rooms/offices of NZ railway stations.

The other two dials are now featured at Riverside Markets built in 2019. Here they have been restored to a working condition, one on the outside and one inside. Both have had new 60sec impulse synchronous movements added.

Lyttelton Time Ball in N.Z.

Lytelton

The very first Time Ball was erected in England in 1829 at Portsmouth. Greenwich was next in 1833. A time ball station consisted of a tower containing a regulator clock with a ball at the top that was dropped at 1pm. Ships anchored in the port used this to regulate their ships chronometer so ensuring accurate navigation.

Lyttelton, the port for Christchurch, nestling in an extinct volcanic crater, was a key launching point for Antarctic expeditions. The time ball built here in 1876, operated to 1934, and then lay disused to 1983 when a ten year restoration project brought it back to working order.

The original clock used at this station was made by E. Dent (of Big Ben fame). At 1pm the clocks electrical system triggered the dropping of the ball. This system was used to 1916 when the clock was retired and replaced by a telegraph signal from Wellington.

The ball and hoisting mechanism was made by Siemen Brothers of Germany. It was a 1½m hollow zinc sphere along with a hand wound rack and pinion mechanism to hoist the ball up a 3m wooden mast.

From 1993, the time ball was back in action and it became an on-site interactive museum attracting many tourists. Visitors could stand very close to the ball to watch it fall. Sadly, in 2010/11 nature intervened. A series of three major earthquakes reduced it to rubble.

In 2017 work began to rebuild this station – total cost a tad over NZ$3million. It was only the tower re-built using the original local scoria blocks. Digital scanning of the tower had been done before the total collapse and so an accurate reconstruction was possible. It is now run by a computerised system which releases the ball daily at 1pm. The new time ball station was officially opened in November 2018.

English Clock Systems Ltd.

ECSys

This company started in 1936 as Synchro Time Systems Ltd. installing and maintaining public clocks. In 1939 they became English Clock Systems Ltd, the Industrial branch of Smiths English Clocks Ltd. manufacturing a complete range of timekeeping equipment essential for office and factory. In 1948 their Head Office and Showrooms at Speedometer House, 179 Great Portland Street, London opened.

A snap dated 1950 of the ECS Showroom

Whilst holidaying in NZ, I came across two ECS Ltd. public clocks that bear a striking resemblance to the two hanging from the ceiling shown in the 1950 Ad. The first was a square double-sided synchronous ECS wall clock on the 1923 Bradford House building in Motueka. It was operated by a recently acquired electronic Gents Master clock.

The other found at Culverdon near Christchurch was a round ECS double-sided public clock hanging on the front of the now vacant 1929 Amuri Council building. The clock has not run for years and there is no record of the whereabouts or maker of the master.

Motueka NZ - The Rothmans Clock Tower, Motueka's Most Recognisable Landmark.

Motueka

Motueka a town of 7000 people at the Northern end of the South Island of NZ is a place for seasonal workers picking apples and kiwifruit and for tourists with its beautiful beaches and National Parks. At the entry to this township is an eye-catching structure – the bright blue Rothmans Tower. Recently restored to operating order, it features a 4-dial Gent’s synchronous clock.

Harking back to the 1930’s/40’s, Motueka had a thriving tobacco industry. In 1950 the owner of the main tobacco factory Gerhard Husheer gifted to the town this clock tower. In 1955 Rothmans bought his factory and added their name to the tower. When the industry closed in 1995 as the demand for tobacco had declined, the clock tower was left to deteriorate.

Then in June 2010 this clock tower, considered by many an eye-sore, was to be bulldozed. On demolition day a Clock Tower Trust stepped in and agreed to pay $150,000 for the small parcel of land with tower. Restoration followed included painting the tower in the old Rothmans blue colour, stabilising the tower walls and wiring in a new electronic master from Germany. Snaps below of my climb up this 12m tower.

Motueka unearths some more intriguing old clocks -

The main street features many old buildings. Westrupp Jewellers, who occupy Bedford House, feature a working double-sided square Smiths English Systems clock. These synchronous electric clocks were produced in Cricklewood, London from 1931 - 1955. Inside above the doorway was the master – a recently acquired Gents electronic unit from Europe.

Mot2

On the Guthrie Bowron building, once the Post Office and Telephone Exchange, is a working double dial Gents Synchronous clock. The master inside was recently bought from Europe and unavailable for viewing. The original master for this clock I was told was a Gents pul-syn-etic. A signal from Wellington’s DSIR atomic clock was sent daily at 9am to the NZ Post Office network and then these Gents electric impulse clocks could re-set to the correct time.

Nelson's Public Clock Tower.

Nelson

This clock tower is claimed to be NZ’s worst looking public clock. Most refer to it as an appalling edifice, brutalist, inappropriate, a monstrosity!

The 1906 original structure had a clock tower built for the Nelson Post Office by John Taylor and Co. of England. The clock had a similar designed mechanism to London’s Big Ben with four dials and five bells and a 5 metre drop for the weights to operate. It was Nelson's signature landmark.

Demolished in 1970 because of earthquake damage and the high cost of renovation, the new building would house Nelson’s Civic Centre and the GPO. The only design requirement was to reinstall the four old clock dials and bells. Objections delayed its construction and it was not until 1981 that the last hurdle - a dispensation from height requirements was granted allowing the “futuristic pipe structure” to be built.

What do you think - a modern marvel or modern mistake?

War Memorial Clock Tower Blenheim NZ

Blenheim

This tower clock located in Blenheim NZ, was constructed in 1928 as a memorial to 419 locals who died in the First World War. The clock was made in Wellington by Littlejohn & Son (this firm made 13 turret clocks put all round NZ) and the 5 bell set was cast in England. It was wound twice a week. The tower is 16m tall and constructed of stone sourced locally. interestingly the outer dial and the tower dome is made from Australian sandstone which symbolised Australian and NZ co-operation during the war. 'Lest We Forget".

Blenheim did have a prominent clock tower on its old PO built in the early 1900's. It was demolished in the early 1970's.

1919

1950's

The old PO had some changes over the years. The roof terrace taken down in the 1930's & the bell tower in the 1940's. The replacement clock now sitting in Cleghorn Square is a replica of the old PO tower top. The fancy band rotunda built in 1903 has also been removed recently as it had sustained earthquake damage over the years.

1996 Stamp of Memorial clock

Sundials

Sundials in the South Island.

Factory & gardens 1976

Edmunds Factory Gardens Christchurch - this famous flour factory built in 1923 was demolished in 1990. The garden was bought by the City Council & today is a beautiful reminder of this era. Even the seats have a back shaped like a rising sun! The sundial was erected here in 2007 with the appropriate motto "the sun is always sure to rise". It has a brass 'pyramid style' gnomon with half hour time intervals.

Mona Vale Christchurch - in this beautiful space an armillary sphere sun dial can be found. The metal rings represent the Equator, Tropics, Arctic & Antarctic Circles. The time is read from the shadow East of the staff that passes centrally through the sphere. Dedicated to A Macleod 1959 - 1989.

Christchurch Botanic Gardens - a SD with no gnomon (it was stolen). This was built in 1954 to honour gardener Thomas Stevenson. It consists of a black slate table with brass gnomon built on a octagonal granite column. The inner circle is a compass rose with the direction and distance shown for 7 world locations. There are two brass plaques at its base, one with the EoT for months, the other for 10day intervals throughout the year.

2012 Snap

2012 Snap

These 3 Snapped 2022

Christchurch - St. John's Anglican Church WWI&II remembrance, motto "some tell of storms & showers I tell of sunny hours"

Rangiora - in memory of Rule & Samson who died in the Sth. African war 1900-01. No motto but has Equation of Time.

Picton Holy Trinity Anglican Church. Dated 1872, badly worn brass dial, no motto.

Kaikoura - honours Tom Smith local diver killed by a Humpback whale in 2003 while freeing it from a craypot line. Motto - "be as true to each other as the dial is to the sun".

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