Acker's Cottage facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Acker's Cottage |
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| General information | |
| Architectural style | Vernacular |
| Location | Leask Bay Road, Harrold Bay, Stewart Island |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 46°53′47.45″S 168°9′10.33″E / 46.8965139°S 168.1528694°E |
| Designated: | 26 November 1987 |
| Reference #: | 396 |
Acker's Cottage is a very old and special stone house on Stewart Island in New Zealand. It is one of the first stone houses ever built there. This cottage is so important that it has been added to the Heritage New Zealand list of historic places as a Category I building.
Heritage New Zealand and the Department of Conservation have worked together to fix up and protect Acker's Cottage. They wanted to show what an early "vernacular" building looked like. Vernacular means it was built using local materials and traditional methods. This cottage was built by a man named Lewis Acker. It is known as the oldest whaling cottage in New Zealand and one of the earliest stone buildings on Stewart Island.
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Acker's Cottage: A Historic Home
Acker's Cottage stands as a reminder of early life on Stewart Island. It was built using strong stone, which was unusual for the time. Most buildings were made of wood. The cottage shows how people used what they had around them to build homes. This style is called vernacular architecture.
The cottage is very important for understanding New Zealand's history. It tells a story about the whalers and early settlers. Because of its history, it was listed as a Category I historic place on 26 November 1987. This means it is a place of special national importance.
Who Was Lewis Acker?
Lewis Acker was a busy and important person in early New Zealand. He was born around 1817 in New York City, USA. Lewis had many different jobs throughout his life. He worked as a whaler, catching whales for their oil. He was also a skilled boat builder, making boats for fishing and travel.
Besides that, Lewis Acker was a trader, a farmer, and even ran a saw mill. He married a Kai Tahu woman named Mary Pui. Together, they had nine children. This family was part of the early community on Stewart Island.
Building the Cottage
After Lewis Acker stopped whaling, he decided to build a permanent home. He chose a spot on Harrold Bay, Stewart Island. Building a stone house was a huge job. Lewis got the stone from Oreti Beach, which is quite a distance away.
He had to carry all the heavy stones across Foveaux Strait in his own boat. This shows how determined he was! Lewis also cleared the land nearby so he could grow crops. This area is still known today as Acker's Point. Lewis and Mary Acker lived in this stone cottage until the late 1850s.
What Happened to the Cottage?
After the Acker family moved out, the cottage was used for many different things. It became a smithy, which is a place where a blacksmith works with metal. It was also used as a storeroom to keep supplies.
At one point, it even served as a brewery, where drinks were made. Later, it became a workshop. Each of these uses adds to the long and interesting history of Acker's Cottage. Today, it is preserved so everyone can learn about its past.
See Also
- List of Category 1 Historic Places in the Southland Region
