History
Kingston played a pivotal role in the economic development of the Queenstown Lakes District through its position at the foot of Lake Wakatipu. Initially it provided a key transfer depot for gold and agricultural cargo and it also opened up the area to tourism. The Kingston wharf represents the importance of transportation and communication in an era where roads were still not built.
The gold rush to the Wakatipu district in 1862 combined with early farming activity triggered a hive of activity in the small town of Kingston at the foot of the lake. It quickly assumed the role as the major lake port providing an access route to the Lakes District from the south. Its location lent itself to servicing both rail and lake transport systems that were heavily relied upon to support and communicate with this rugged isolated area. The first ounces of gold and wool came down the lake from Queenstown on one of William Rees‟s early launches.
More and more cutters, launches and steamers were to follow and Kingston quickly became the central turnaround point for gold, grain, wool, stock, timber, mail and visitors to and from Queenstown. The Railways Department had accepted responsibility for providing a railway wharf at Kingston. A structure 100 feet by 25 feet with two lines of railway track was built in 1878 by Mr J Whittaker at a cost of ₤2668.3s.1d.237 By 10 July 1878 the railway line from Winton to Kingston was completed and the Kingston wharf soon became a key transfer point for gold, timber, grain, wool and stock being supplied from the isolated mines and high country runs based around Lake Wakatipu. Miners, millers and farmers were reliant on the shipping and rail service to get their supplies and produce to the market, particularly prior to 1936 when the Kingston to Queenstown road was opened. This train – steamer link also opened the opportunities to early tourists to access the scenic wonderland of the Southern Lakes District. The Kingston wharf was at the rail-to-lake junction point and as such was an important structure necessary for the development of agriculture, tourism and business in the district. Directly connecting to the wharf structure is a long stacked stone retaining wall which follows the wharf entrance back for about 150 metres along the lake edge side of the road. This wall would have been an important part of the construction of the access road and railway to and from the wharf, and was required as a support structure to prevent erosion from the lake. It is unknown at this stage who actually constructed the wall. There have been rumours over the years that convicts from Invercargill prison may have been involved, given that they were a common source of labour in public works schemes. However there has been no written evidence sourced to date.
It seems that the wall and fill that would have gone in behind it, to build up the road width, helped to make more room for the railway marshalling yard required for the busy wharf. The wall had to be constructed to last given that the steamers wake and the lakes forces would be pounding it daily.
In 1829 the District Engineer wrote to the Foreman of works stating that he had made “arrangements for six wagons of ballast pit round boulders up to 9 inches diameter for filling between the newly driven sheathing and earthworks on the approach to the wharf at Kingston. This was probably in reference to the ballast stones that were required at the immediate earth – wharf entrance. There is reference to boulders coming from the Josephille quarry and Castle Rock pit (near Lumsden) to Kingston. It is unknown however whether any of this rock was used in the wall construction earlier. In 1959 there were suggestions that the retaining wall could be renewed in concrete. This obviously never went ahead. The retaining wall remains today as a mostly intact and very authentic example of early stone wall construction. From viewing early historic photos c;1880-1900 it appears that the wall still retains its original length, apart from a few metres at the wharf entrance that have been replaced with gabion baskets. There are some stone blocks falling onto the beach from the upper road edges and ideally these should be restored as soon as possible. Early photos show the wall very clearly and place its importance as a structure in context with the wharf, the railway station and the rail tracks reinforcing the importance of protecting and maintaining this structure as a vital part of a wider rail heritage landscape or precinct area.
Sourced from Queenstown Lakes heritage. https://www.qldc.govt.nz/media/3evdln41/pc3-s32-draft-heritage-assessment-kingston.pdf
Today the wharf is used as a place to come and view the lake.The TSS Earnslaw does not come to Kingston.She travels to Walter Peak Station carrying tourists to visit our beautiful country.
Many people fish off the wharf, and many youngsters jump off the water into the cold water!.. see my own photos!!
Logging requirements are simple, and no, you do not need to jump off the wharf, however if you want to... well, why not!!
- Take a picture from the wharf, with the lake and or mountains in the background- you can also be in the photo(but not compulsory) and upload it in your log.
- Tell me in you log what the weather was like on the day you where there,, what the lake looked like, was it busy with boats, swimmers, kayakers?? and how were the sandflies...
- Enjoy!
Virtual Rewards 4.0 - 2024-2025
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between January 17, 2024 and January 17, 2025. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 4.0 on the Geocaching Blog.
