Historic building flooded

A month after Okarito’s biggest flood in at least three decades, the historic Donovan’s Store — possibly the oldest building on the West Coast — is still drying out.
Erected in 1865 as a hotel, later serving as a grocery store and now as a community library, it was soaked with at least 5cm of water in early August as the blocked Okarito Lagoon overflowed, spilling into the village.
Okarito resident Anne Hall said the old wooden floor was still damp, and recent wet weather had not helped the drying out process.
The lagoon began to flood after what was believed to be the biggest rainfall event in the area since the 1970s.
Despite opening the Okarito River bar, which had been blocked for three weeks, the morning of the flood, on August 2, floodwaters continued to rise, Dr Hall said.
Low-level buildings and garages took the brunt. Electricity was cut and some residents were without toilet facilities as their septic tanks flooded.
“The usual power and telephone was off,” Dr Hall said. “But, we are philosophical about such things, and the deep freezers are so crammed that nothing defrosts.”
Flooding from the blocked lagoon mouth is not uncommon. The gold diggers built the settlement on a sandspit within the lagoon.
Department of Conservation Franz Josef Glacier communications ranger Cornelia Vervoon said the mouth often shifted and became blocked. It was usually unblocked quickly by a local contractor, but last month that had been delayed.
DOC, custodian of Donovan’s Store, also had an adjacent accommodation cottage damaged by the floodwaters. However, there was no financial impact.
“The flooding did dampen the floor of Donovan’s Store, but this has happened in the past, and flooding of this kind is planned for in the conservation plan for the historic site,” she said.
“An inspection of the site during the flooding and then in multiple subsequent visits has assured the historic assets team that the building will suffer no lasting damage and that it is drying as expected.”
DOC and the Okarito Community Association have been working to transform the building into a “social hub” for a number of years. It now includes a community library, a small movie room and space for travelling musicians and artists.
At the height of the Okarito boom and bust gold rush in 1865-66, the township boasted a population of about 3000, including 25 hotels and three theatres. Within 18 months most miners had drifted to the northern goldfields.
Okarito today is home to about 30 people.