Coastwatchers Hut was located near Okakaho Stream at Fitzroy Bay on the Wainuiomata south coast.
It was built during the Second World War as part of New Zealand’s coastal defence effort. Its primary role was to act as the “eyes and ears” of Wellington Harbour by collecting information about shipping movements in the area. At the time, this part of the coast was remote and had no road access. Fitzroy Bay Road was not constructed until the early 1960s.
The hut was in existence from about 1940 until 1983. It stood in this isolated coastal location for more than 40 years before it was destroyed by fire and later demolished. Although the building itself is gone, its foundations still remain, marking the site where the hut once stood.
According to Frank Taylor, who later told the story to Carl Smith, he and his wife once stayed at the hut for a weekend. On the Saturday night, the weather became increasingly windy. Before going to bed, they left the fire to burn itself out, but Frank woke during the night to find that the back wall around the fireplace had caught fire. With strong wind and little water available, nothing could be done to save the hut.
With strong wind blowing and little water available, there was nothing they could do to save the hut. The fire took hold, and the building was lost. Today, only the remaining foundations show where Coastwatchers Hut once stood.
Credits
Special thanks to Jeremy Foster for some information in this article.
Special thanks to Carl Smith for some information in this article.
