Pembroke (now Wānaka) was the last recipient of full postal facilities in the area, Cardrona, Luggate, Hāwea Flat and Albert Town having ‘beaten it to the gun’. This should come as no surprise, as Wānaka was a late developer as a residential and commercial area and most of the local population was resident at the other aforementioned places.

Nevertheless, in 1873[27] or thereabouts, Theodore Russell was appointed Postmaster and facilities were available from his business, the Wānaka Hotel.[28] This appears to coincide with the statement “Until 1873 it (Albert Town) was the post office for the district ….”[29]

It is recorded that in 1876, Theodore was given possession of the first mail to be transported over the Haast Pass to Pembroke, and he then transported it to the Cromwell Post Office. Unfortunately, the next year Theodore died (aged 32) and the work of Postmaster passed to his capable widow, Celia, who was also a considerable benefactor to early Pembroke until she died in 1905.

But it was not as if Pembroke had been entirely forgotten about. In 1879, a Post & Telegraph Reserve was created along what is now known as Lakeside Road (see the map below – you will note that it eventually became a Public Reserve in 1925).

[27] At a public meeting held on 15 September 1883, it was recorded that “Mrs Russell … has kept the Post Office here for 14 years…” which leads to suggest a start date of 1869. See “Telephone to Pembroke, Lake County Press, 28 September 1883, page 7”
[28] Irvine Roxburgh “Wānaka Story”, Otago Centennial Historical Publications, 1957, Page 114
[29] https//www.atca.org.nz/read-me , Albert Town History.

Then in 1881, a further Post and Telegraph Reserve was created on two sections on Ardmore Street, along with land for an Athenaeum (Public Library).

Finally, on 11 January 1883 it was announced that Pembroke, Arrowtown, Macetown and Cromwell were to get a telephone service “at once”.[30] “At once” became just over 5 months (understandable given there were no poles purchased let alone placed at the time of the announcement).

It was announced in the newspapers on 4 September 1883 that the line was intended to be officially opened the following day (5 September).[31] The first advertisement that can be found was:

[30] Special Telegrams, Dunstan Times, 12 January 1883, Page 3
[31] Latest, Cromwell Argus, 4 September 1883, Page 2

The opening was not without controversy in Pembroke and the surrounding district as to the location of the telephone office. The existing Post Office facilities were located in the Wānaka Hotel, and a small number of residents and the Police were not happy about that. Their argument was essentially based upon confidentiality of conversations. A proposal was put forward to have the telephone facilities installed in Robert McDougall’s store. Robert reported that he was not in favour of this idea as all Post Office facilities should be in the one location, and it was reported that he suggested that it should remain at the Hotel.

Newspaper articles indicate that a number of public meetings were held, led by the Progress Committee who were initially in favour of Celia Russell taking charge of the telephone office as well as the Post Office. Mr McDougall then wrote to the authorities and said he would be prepared to take over the Post Office and Telephone Office. Following on from yet another public meeting, Celia Russell resigned as Postmaster. A regulation had been discovered that said “No Post Office will be allowed to remain in a public house when a store or other suitable place is available.” As a result:

But at the meeting, Harry Maidman (previously the Postmaster at Luggate) moved that the “offices be removed to the reserve set apart for the purpose and an official appointed”. This was carried unanimously, and a committee appointed to “agitate” the matter.

Agitate they must have done, though no records have been located to date. Six years after the committee was formed, a new specially built Post Office and Telephone building was opened on 7 October 1889 with a Postmaster, William Canning, who had been transferred from Balclutha.

The building was described as “…all that could be desired, being very substantially built and neatly finished, and is a credit to the contractors. The addition of a porch, would, however, be a great improvement, as the door opens straight onto the street, which causes a tremendous draught on a windy day.”[32] The matter of the porch appears to have been addressed later when renovations were undertaken (see the following photo).

A Post Office Savings Bank was opened two months later and commenced operating on 16 December 1889 operating from the new Post Office.[33]

[32] Lake Wānaka, Cromwell Argus, 15 October 1889, Page 2
[33] Untitled, Cromwell Argus, 24 December 1889, Page 2

This is a photo of the Post Office and Telegraph Station that was built in 1889. The photo is believed to have been taken in 1908. Pictured from left are George Norman, Miss Vera Murdoch, Harry Norman, Charlie Norman, Johnnie King, Peter Vlietstra, a Wanaka Station cowman and his horse. On the right is the Postmaster’s residence and on the left is the Post Office. It has had a porch added to the Office entrance probably in 1900. There is a small shed just appearing on the woman’s left. The building was added to later and the roofline changed. The front right (original residence) remained relatively unchanged. Rabbits must have been prevalent judging by the wire-netting against the fence surrounding the residence (can be seen when the digital image is increased in size!).

Renovations and additions to the original building occurred from time to time. Exactly what was done is unknown and reliance is placed on advertisements for tenders published in newspapers.

October 1900 – alterations and additions
October 1909 – alterations and additions
May 1913 – additions and alterations
March 1918 – renovations etc
January 1928 – newspaper article conjecturing that improvements were going to be made
February 1936 – additions
July 1944 – new Post Office building opened
May 2020 – the Post Office closed down at the Ardmore St, building (now occupied by Kiwibank Ltd) and opened up an agency at Paperplus on the corner of Helwick and Dunmore Streets.

In 1939 it was reported that consideration was being given to building a new Post Office on the western side of the original Reserve.[34] Nothing seemed to come of that until 1944. A new Post Office with a residence attached was opened by the Postmaster General, the Honourable P C Webb on Saturday, 20 July 1944. It was of 3,190 square feet (296.3 m2).

[34] New Post Office, Evening Star, 17 Nov 1939, Page 8

It was described of having a public space, mail room, telephone exchange room, private boxes, strong rooms, Postmaster’s residence, and a cloak room. The outside walls were of rusticated weather board and a fibrolite roof. The inside linings were mainly of fibrous plaster with red pine panelling. But not only that, the residence had all modern conveniences and an electric range![35]

[35] New Post Office Wānaka , Evening Star, 19 Jul 1944, Page 6