Gear Homestead

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Gear Homestead
Gear Homestead.jpg
Gear Homestead
Former namesOkowai
General information
LocationOkowai Road, Aotea, Porirua, New Zealand
Coordinates 41°07′26″S174°51′07″E / 41.123993°S 174.8518823°E / -41.123993; 174.8518823
Completed1887
Designated23-Jun-1983
Reference no.1328
References
"Gear Homestead". New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero. Heritage New Zealand.

Gear Homestead, named Okowai ('muddy water') by its owner James Gear, is a historic building in Porirua, New Zealand. It was listed by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust (since renamed to Heritage New Zealand) as a Category 2 historic place in 1983.

Gear Homestead is significant because of its association with James Gear, a butcher who founded the Gear Meat Preserving and Freezing Company. [1] The company was one of the largest employers in Wellington and also played a large part in the development of Petone. [2]

The building was designed by Robert Edwards and built in 1887 by William Hartley. [3] [4] It was constructed of matai, totara and kauri, and the wall on the south side is about 30 cm thick and filled with sawdust for insulation against southerly winds. [3] When James Gear's health declined and he was confined to a wheelchair, he had a cottage built behind the house, with a ramp connecting it to the main house. He lived in the cottage with a nurse and manservant, separate from his family. [3] The house remained in the ownership of the Gear family until 1967, and in 1975 it was bought by Poriurua City Council. [4]

In the early to mid 1980s, the historic building was used as a major location in Peter Jackson's first film, Bad Taste . The building was home to the Iredale and Tiegan family in the 1995 children’s TV series Mirror, Mirror (TV series), and in 2007 it was used as a location in the horror movie When Night Falls. [5] [6]

The homestead is now a cafe/bar/restaurant and is open 7 days a week. [7]

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References

  1. ↑ "Historic site: Gear Homestead – Library, Porirua City, NZ". www.porirualibrary.org.nz. Retrieved 18 January 2019.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. ↑ "Search the List | Gear Homestead 'Okowai' | Heritage New Zealand". www.heritage.org.nz. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 Johnston, Warwick (2012). The Gear: a history of the Gear Meat Preserving and Freezing Company. Petone, New Zealand: Petone Historical Society. ISBN   978-1-877572-51-7.
  4. 1 2 "Gear Homestead: A Porirua gem". Stuff. 9 November 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  5. ↑ Cardy, Tom (12 September 2007). "Is there a killer in the house?". Dominion Post– via Proquest Australia & New Zealand Newsstream.
  6. ↑ When Night Falls (2007) – IMDb , retrieved 23 April 2022
  7. ↑ "Historic site: Gear Eatery and Bar". www.geareateryandbar.co.nz. Retrieved 28 April 2021.

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