Oamaru: For whom the bells toll

Everyone’s got a story to tell, but some of them are locked away, or hard to access. Our cadets have tracked down "the key" to some of their subjects’ most interesting yarns.

It is a small key with a white tag but it unlocks 129 years of history, graffiti — and a lot of dust.

Waitaki District Mayor Gary Kircher has the key to the Oamaru clock tower, conveniently located next to his office.

The internal walls of the tower are littered with the scrawled and etched names, dates and addresses of people leaving their mark.

That was his favourite part, especially when they had dates along with them.

Mr Kircher recognised some of the names while others were unknown to him.

People who had worked there felt a connection to the space, he said.

"It’s one of those places that evokes memories for them."

The tower has several floors, the first holding the 1903 W. Littlejohn and Son clockwork mechanism, the second the five bells and the third has the four 6-foot (1.8m) clock faces.

The stairs continued to the roof of the tower, but, citing health and safety concerns, Mr Kircher said he could no longer go to up there.

At 27m high, the tower was the highest point in downtown Oamaru and was a good vantage point.

Despite being a close neighbour to the clock that rang every 15 minutes, the noise no longer bothered him.

"It’s one of those things, like living next to a train track."

The clock tower is part of the Waitaki District Council building located in the former Oamaru Chief Post Office, a category 1 heritage building.

In 1894, 11 years after the post office was built, the clock tower was constructed.

Looking at pictures predating the tower, Mr Kircher said it did not look right.

"The building just wouldn’t be the same without it."

The clock tower was almost lost in the 1940s when the risk from an earthquake was realised following the devastating 1931 Napier quake.

Outcry from the community stopped the tower and its clocks meeting the same fate as many others around the country at that time.

The clock was still running well but did require the occasion tinkering from a local jeweller, Mr Kircher said.