Tūātapere History - Business and Industry: Hotels - West's 'Angler's Rest'

Shared by Central & Western Murihiku Southland Archive

West's 'Angler's Rest' Hotel, West of Tūātapere & the West Family: Image 1 - West's 'Angler's Rest' after 1901, Public Domain photo. Image 2 - West's new Punt party in the river 1907, Public Domain Photo. Image 3 - The West's, Bill's parents William Snr. & Christina, his siblings and their families, taken 1905, Public Domain Photo. In 1901 William (Bill) Dugald Newsham West applied for a licence to build himself an accommodation house with six rooms, available to Guests, on the west or Papatotara side of the river. Known as 'Anglers Rest', by November 1901, guests were describing it as charming, picturesque and scrupulously clean. The meals were said to be excellent as was the fishing. Even back in those days, tourism was starting to grow and one pursuit of the 'gentlemen' of the day, was fishing, especially for trout. This incidentally led to the formation of many Acclimitisation Societies as wealthy immigrant settlers sought to bring some of 'home' with them. In 1896 Bill and Elizabeth had been in Clifden and William or "Bill" was the ferryman there until 1899 and the opening of the Suspension Bridge. More can be seen about the Clifden bridge and the puntmen employed there over the years, in this archive, under entry CWA.001.010.002 In 1899 Elizabeth Ordyno West (née Pilcher) and William West were legally married, it appears Elizabeth had taken his name long before the marriage. 'Common Law' marriage was quite common back in the early days, especially before there were many ministers to marry people and travelling a long way to a Courthouse was not always easy or affordable. Other times, it was simply more than a couple could afford for a licence. The couple then moved, along with a new punt built by Bill, to what is now known as Tūātapere, but at that time it was also known by various names, West Waiau, Ryans Island and most often Papatotara. The change in name is explained thus in the Cyclopedia of Otago & Southland: "...long known by the name of Papatotara... when this name was bestowed on a settlement about six miles from the punt, towards the mouth of the Waiau river, on its western bank, it was deemed advisable to rename the district when the post office was established, on the Ist of January, 1904, and the name chosen was Tuatapere." (see more about this in link under Place Notes, below). We know from early records that the punt at what was then called Papatotara, was under Government Contract to William or Bill West, who was referred to as, "The proprietor of a hotel on the western bank of the Waiau". That would have been his house, 'Angler's Rest'. Bill West employed Robert Drummond to operate the punt and for a time, the landings where Tūātapere is now, were also known as Drummonds Ferry. We find the story in early accounts of the area, that "Bob" Drummond was given the job of ferrying the punt and looking after the boats and it was this that led to the name of 'Drummond's Ferry', even tough the punt was operated by W. West, the owner of the 'Angler's Rest'. The punt was the only way settlers and travellers had to access the area west of the Waiau, and what is now known as Papatotara. It is said that early Tūātapere grew up around the 'ferry' which is what most people referred to the punt as, with the hotel being built first and more other buildings later. The Dairy Factory was also built 'across the river' as it was But it was on the eastern bank of the ferry site where the main of the growth took place, and this is where the township officially came to be. Further to the above, we hear that the totara poles for the telegraph line at Invercargill, were transported across this very punt at after being hauled from Papatotara. These were then taken via wagon to Orepuki and on further, where at Waihoaka, the poles were 'squared' by first a broad axe and then a small one. Hugh Erskine may have started off the settlement of Papatotara, but William "Bill" West started it at Tūātapere. William Dugald Newsham West, owner of the 'Angler's Rest' and later 'West's Waiau Hotel', was born 1st November 1864 in Invercargill, one of 11 children born to William John Newsham West, a native of Cornwall, and his wife Christina prev. Niven. A photograph of William Snr. and wife Christina, Bill's parents (from 1905) with all their family can be seen here. In a fascinating family history link, the West's have both well-known and rather notorious family members. Mrs Dugald Niven born Christina (often called Christian) Swan in Scotland and, written about in "On the Edge of the Bush", lost her first husband Dugald Niven at Taieri Plains in 1848. She then married John or "Jimmy" Kelly in 1850, they lived at Ruapuke Island before moving to Waihōpai, now named Invercargill. The first Europeans to settle here, Jimmy rose to fame as 'Kelly of Inverkelly', and his 4th wife Christian/Christina was often referred to as 'Granny Kelly'. The daughter of Dugald and Christina/Christian Niven née Swan (first marriage), also named Christina Niven, was to go on to marry William (snr.) John Newsham West in 1857, and these were the parents of William (jnr.) Dugald Newsham West (our "Bill" who this entry is about). In an even more bizarre twist of 'who's who', "Minnie" or Williamina Dean, the woman hanged in Invercargill for killing children in her care, was the niece of Christina/Christian Niven then Kelly, through her sister Elizabeth Swan, who had married John McCulloch. When you start to search the social history of families who immigrated here in the early days, you honestly never know what you might find out about them! At this stage, little is known of William (Bill) Dugald West's earlier life, between 1893 and 1895, he is living in Invercargill with Elizabeth Ordyno West, and he and his father are listed as Lightermen. Lighters are a type of flat-bottomed barge, used to carry freight to and from ships at anchor. In those days they were powered by long oars known as Sweeps and it required great skill by the lighterman to move them through the river currents. Thanks to one of our lead researchers Pam Quirke for her wonderful written illustration of what 'Lightermen' were. Bill and Elizabeth's only child, a son William Alexander Newsham West was born in 1902. In 1907 some new punts arrived for the West's, and Bill and Elizabeth West held a social to mark the event. Held mid-river on an anchored punt, the news reported guests had danced the night away. A photo of one of the punts in the party, full of people, is shown here. Bill continued to manage the river punts and the accommodation house thrived. It was not just angler's who visited. As more and more of the bush was worked, many a timber-man spent his nights here, as much of the timber was 'across the river'. However with the railway creeping nearer, Bill made the wise decision to build on the railway side and applied to have the Anglers Rest licence moved to his newly built hotel, 25 rooms available for guests, 'Wests Waiau Hotel', on the east side of the Waiau river. The licence was granted at 25 pound per annum. A bridge eventually spanned the river, finally opening in 1915, see more in this archive, under entries CWA.012.055.002 to CWA.012.055.010 and of course this would have further curtailed West's punt traffic, which is why he probably wisely decided to leave the hotel before that. Mr William Dugald Newsham West's new imposing two storied Hotel was opened on 6th February 1909 on the east side of the Waiau River at the newly established settlement there, named Tūātapere. More on West's Waiau Hotel can be seen under entry CWA.012.103.005 Sources used for the above are the excellent book, on Tūātapere, 'The Hole in the Bush, a Tuatapere Centennial Review', compiled by Des Williams, 'On The Edge of the Bush', by Sheila Natusch, West to the Fiords', by FWG Miller and published news items from Papers Past. Hopefully this entry will be added to as more information comes to hand. If you or anyone you know has any more information or photos to share or accounts of William and Elizabeth West during the years, please do share this with us in the comments section. You can do this by making a comment in the space provided under the image page. Or you can make contact with us as per the archive front page.