Wānaka History

Wānaka History Wānaka History promotes stories of Wānaka and the surrounding areas in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Wānaka History is a project of the Upper Clutha History Society, using records from their archive.

The SS ‘Makarora’, 1901-1909This image shows a group of locals greeting the SS ‘Makarora’ with tourists and freight on b...
09/06/2026

The SS ‘Makarora’, 1901-1909

This image shows a group of locals greeting the SS ‘Makarora’ with tourists and freight on board at the Makarora jetty.

To see more images of lakes, rivers and boats, head to our website here: www.wanakahistory.org/lakes-rivers-boats-gallery

Winter, c.1940Winter view across the intersection of Ardmore Street and what is now Lakeside Rd, looking towards Roys Pe...
02/06/2026

Winter, c.1940

Winter view across the intersection of Ardmore Street and what is now Lakeside Rd, looking towards Roys Peak.

To see more pictures from our past, head to our website here: www.wanakahistory.org/maps-images

Wānaka, 1956This photo captures Stella Anderson travelling into town along Brownston Street. If you look closely, you ca...
26/05/2026

Wānaka, 1956

This photo captures Stella Anderson travelling into town along Brownston Street. If you look closely, you can spot the White House building in the background, which still stands on the corner of Dungarvan and Dunmore Street.

To learn more about local history, head to our website here: www.wanakahistory.org

Transporting the Tangaroa, 1923The first image shows the Tangaroa being readied for the seven-day journey from Dunedin t...
19/05/2026

Transporting the Tangaroa, 1923

The first image shows the Tangaroa being readied for the seven-day journey from Dunedin to Lake Wānaka. Prior to this it was being worked in Dunedin for some time. The photo is dated as the 17 October, 1923.

The second image has the hand-written visible date of the 24 October 1923 and was taken after the Tangaroa reached Pembroke – now Wānaka.

The Tangaroa was sold to Lake Wanaka Ferry Co in 1928 which was placed in receivership in 1931. It was sold by the receiver and was moved to Queenstown later on.

To see more historic photos, head to our website here: www.wanakahistory.org/maps-images

The 2026 AGM for the Upper Clutha History Society will occur on Thursday 28th of May, at 7pm in the Lake Wānaka Centre A...
13/05/2026

The 2026 AGM for the Upper Clutha History Society will occur on Thursday 28th of May, at 7pm in the Lake Wānaka Centre Armstrong Room.

All interested parties are welcome to join.
After the proceedings have concluded, everyone is invited to stay for a cup of tea.

If you are interested in being a part of our Committee, please get in touch.

Pembroke (now Wānaka) c.1940Looking down from above Pembroke town to the intersection of Ardmore St and Brownston St (se...
12/05/2026

Pembroke (now Wānaka) c.1940

Looking down from above Pembroke town to the intersection of Ardmore St and Brownston St (see the Willow tree) before the latter was extended past Russell St.

To learn more about local history, have a look through the Timeline on our website that details important events for the region: www.wanakahistory.org/timeline

Luggate Punt, c.1900In this image, James Smith is shown going through the landing procedure at the Luggate Punt. You can...
05/05/2026

Luggate Punt, c.1900

In this image, James Smith is shown going through the landing procedure at the Luggate Punt. You can see travellers waiting patiently behind him. The punt closed when the Red Bridge was opened on 28 Oct 1915.

To learn more about this region’s history, click here: www.wanakahistory.org

Edit: Originally this post stated that there was a 'horse and cart' waiting patiently, but it very well could be a coach or otherwise used carriage.

Pembroke (now Wānaka), c.1906-7This image is from a postcard sent from Arrowtown on 23 December 1912 to Mr and Mrs John ...
28/04/2026

Pembroke (now Wānaka), c.1906-7

This image is from a postcard sent from Arrowtown on 23 December 1912 to Mr and Mrs John Walsh at Queenstown. The view is from the south across Pembroke Park and Roys Bay.

To learn more about Wānaka’s history, head to our website and check out our many stories here: https://www.wanakahistory.org/stories

The Makarora II, c.1920sThe Makarora II was bought by the Paterson brothers of Makarora Station. She was originally name...
21/04/2026

The Makarora II, c.1920s

The Makarora II was bought by the Paterson brothers of Makarora Station. She was originally named ‘Query’, and was brought from Dunedin to ply between the head of Lake Wānaka and Pembroke (now known as Wānaka).

To read more about lake shipping, read our article ‘The Wānaka Wharf and lake shipping’ here: https://www.wanakahistory.org/stories/the-wanaka-wharf-and-lake-shipping

Wānaka and Roys Bay, 1946The late Bernie Gunn compiled his memories of growing up in Wānaka into stories that are now pu...
14/04/2026

Wānaka and Roys Bay, 1946

The late Bernie Gunn compiled his memories of growing up in Wānaka into stories that are now published on our website. One of these collections is called ‘Tales of the Air’ and focuses on his time learning to fly in Dunedin, and his knowledge of planes in those early days.

To read Bernie Gunn’s recollections, head to our website here: https://www.wanakahistory.org/stories/bernie-gunn-tales-of-the-air

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