Bluff Heritage Trail details rich maritime traditions
Monday, 18 January 2016
The sea port town of Bluff has a history fitting of a famous spot by the sea.
The town is settled at the base of Bluff Hill and steeped in a long history of whaling, fishing, sealing and shipping.
Bluff was founded in 1824, when European settler James Spencer founded it as one of the first European settlements in New Zealand.
Today Bluff remains an important coastal shipping route.
The Bluff Heritage Trail is 17 stops throughout and on the way to the town.
The first stop on the trail is the Greenhills Church, a small and decommissioned church which is about 10km from Bluff.
From there, the next stop is a stroll along Greenpoint walkway to the Ship's Graveyard, where many ships have been left to dissolve with time.
Once proud oystering and fishing vessels were scuttled there, some dating back to the 1870s.
At low tide, many of the rusting wrecks can still be seen between the rocks.
On Bluff's main street are three of the town's grandest buildings: the ex post office, the Club Hotel and the Bayview Hotel.
The old post office looks imposing beside many of the buildings nearby.
When it opened in 1900, there were intentions to use the second storey as a courthouse, a dream which was never realised.
The Club Hotel survived many fires in its time and retains its charm.
Its exterior is reminiscent of hotels in much larger towns and cities, which reflects the bustling nature of Bluff in the late 19th and early 20th century.
Similarly, the Bayview Hotel is reminiscent of the old Bluff.
It was built in 1892 and in its time as a hotel it has been through more than a dozen operators.
Bluff's involvement in wars is noted on the War Memorial on Marine Parade, but the trail's particularly interesting homage to war time is a short drive away.
Hidden in bush and overlooking the town and harbour is the Bluff Gunpit Coastal Defence Camp.
The army selected this area in 1942 as the Southern Military Command.
The building consisted of gun mountings, overhead cover, magazines, battery observation post, sleeping quarters, wash and bath house, mess room and stores.
Before Pearl Harbour, Bluff was not seen as under threat from attack and the harbour went unprotected until the attack when Japanese invasion became a real fear.
Before World War II ended, the army decommissioned the Bluff camp because it saw the only real threat of attack as coming from submarines.
Back down the hill and along the coast I found myself at my final destination - Stirling Point.
The point was established as a pilot station in 1912, to help ships find their way into the harbour.
It was de-manned in 1986 and nowadays Stirling Point is a popular tourist destination.
Many thousands of tourists visit the point each year to take photos with the world famous signpost which points to twelve different destinations, including Invercargill's sister city Kumagaya, Japan.
From the point and depending on the weather Dog Island and Stewart Island are visible.