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Hut beside the Clearwater creek on the Gillespie's beach road.1971.
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DescriptionHut beside the Clearwater creek on the Gillespie's beach road. Reeve Williams owned it.
Tourism materials claim that the beach got its name from a miner called Gillespie who discovered gold here. However, the memoirs of Robert Logan, a prospector who claimed to have been present at the time, tell a slightly different tale. He was a member of a party of five, including Gillespie, which was heading back up the coast in 1866 after suffering disappointment at Bruce Bay. As they passed the untouched beach, they felt that it might be a good place to find gold, so loaded up on supplies in Okarito and hurried back. Logan and another man named Nelson rushed on ahead, and the pair discovered the first traces of gold before the rest of the party caught up.
According to Logan family legend, Gillespie was a popular Scottish Canadian with a fondness for boozing and billiards. He let the secret slip while on a supply trip and thus the word spread of “Gillespie’s beach” as prospectors flocked to the site to try their own luck.
Lake Wanaka, 1971.. Westra, Ans, 1936-: Photographs. Ref: AW-0278. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/37119352PhotographerAns WestraDate of Photo1971Map[1] External LinkAlexander Turnbull LibraryContributorHeather Newby
Tourism materials claim that the beach got its name from a miner called Gillespie who discovered gold here. However, the memoirs of Robert Logan, a prospector who claimed to have been present at the time, tell a slightly different tale. He was a member of a party of five, including Gillespie, which was heading back up the coast in 1866 after suffering disappointment at Bruce Bay. As they passed the untouched beach, they felt that it might be a good place to find gold, so loaded up on supplies in Okarito and hurried back. Logan and another man named Nelson rushed on ahead, and the pair discovered the first traces of gold before the rest of the party caught up.
According to Logan family legend, Gillespie was a popular Scottish Canadian with a fondness for boozing and billiards. He let the secret slip while on a supply trip and thus the word spread of “Gillespie’s beach” as prospectors flocked to the site to try their own luck.
Lake Wanaka, 1971.. Westra, Ans, 1936-: Photographs. Ref: AW-0278. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/37119352PhotographerAns WestraDate of Photo1971Map[1] External LinkAlexander Turnbull LibraryContributorHeather Newby
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Category TagOld buildings
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LinkFacebookDate Created2017-08-01CommentsAllen Brereton I'd go with Fox flats
Heather Newby yes.. thats what I thought too..
Heather Newby there were quite a few little huts like that around when i was a kid.. now its all the rage.. lol
Paul Wright i seen Description Lake Wanaka
Heather Newby Its not Lake Wanaka.. the rest on that page are Lake Wanaka. A lot of Ans Westras photos were misnamed.
Vic Ollerenshaw It was the hut beside the Clearwater creek on the Gillespie's beach road. Slept in it a few times when the Creek was in flood. Fox glacier in the background. Got an oil painting of it.
Like · Reply · 2 · August 1 at 9:45pm
Manage
Heather Newby
Heather Newby thanks for that
Like · Reply · August 1 at 9:46pm
Manage
Vic Ollerenshaw
Vic Ollerenshaw Heather Newby , Reeve Williams owned it.
Like · Reply · 1 · August 1 at 9:48pm
Manage
Heather Newby
Heather Newby Vic Ollerenshaw thanks
Like · Reply · August 1 at 9:48pm
Manage
Heather Newby
Heather Newby I used to go to Grey High School with a girl with the surname Ollerenshaw.. that was from 1966-69.
Like · Reply · August 1 at 9:51pm
Manage
Vic Ollerenshaw
Vic Ollerenshaw Probably my younger sister Susan.
Heather Newby whats the little shed by the door? Vic Ollerenshaw
Like · Reply · August 1 at 9:55pm
Manage
Vic Ollerenshaw
Vic Ollerenshaw It was a cool cupboard for storing meat and food
Dea Minehan a 'safe' ??
Colin Gillespie Who was Gillespie,s Beach namedafter
Cheryl Johnston Is it the Carols Hutt? Burnt down by bikies?
Heather Newby Did it have a dunny?
Like · Reply · August 2 at 7:54am
Manage
Vic Ollerenshaw
Vic Ollerenshaw Not when we were using it.
Like · Reply · August 2 at 8:44am
Heather Newby Tourism materials claim that the beach got its name from a miner called Gillespie who discovered gold here. However, the memoirs of Robert Logan, a prospector who claimed to have been present at the time, tell a slightly different tale. He was a member of a party of five, including Gillespie, which was heading back up the coast in 1866 after suffering disappointment at Bruce Bay. As they passed the untouched beach, they felt that it might be a good place to find gold, so loaded up on supplies in Okarito and hurried back. Logan and another man named Nelson rushed on ahead, and the pair discovered the first traces of gold before the rest of the party caught up.
According to Logan family legend, Gillespie was a popular Scottish Canadian with a fondness for boozing and billiards. He let the secret slip while on a supply trip and thus the word spread of “Gillespie’s beach” as prospectors flocked to the site to try their own luck.
Cheryl Riley Yep it was burnt down by a big convoy of bikies with police escorts and they all camped at and around the hut. The dunny was the wide open spaces.
Colin Gillespie Thanks Heather sounds reasonable some do like a dram me included
Like · Reply · 1 · August 2 at 6:33pm
Peter Dennehy Is that where maye dunn is living now.
Cheryl Hedley What a cute wee hut
Annie Smith This hut was burned down by a bikie gang after overnighting there. It was on family land and many of us were devastated because it was a local icon. The hut was painted and photographed many times with the glacier and Mt Cook in the background. The interior walls had newspapers pasted as wallpaper.
Lynnie Alexander Annie Smith I'm so sorry about that..it is a thrill to even see the photo now...its postcard material
Annie Smith Lynnie Alexander I think you will have to go via Heather Newby to do that.Not sure, sorry.
Cheryl Johnston Lynnie Alexander click on the pic & then the dots on top right of pic, you should get save pic option??
Stuart McMillan That’s are real shame
Heather Newby why do people have to be so destructive! they should have left it alone..
Robin Coe Kenna Hill is this the one in the painting??
Vic Ollerenshaw Camped in it a couple of times when the Clearwater was in flood and we were heading out to Gillespie’s beach duck shooting in the 60’s.Cheryl Hedley What a cute wee hut
nnie Smith This hut was burned down by a bikie gang after overnighting there. It was on family land and many of us were devastated because it was a local icon. The hut was painted and photographed many times with the glacier and Mt Cook in the background. The interior walls had newspapers pasted as wallpaper.
Lynnie Alexander Annie Smith I'm so sorry about that..it is a thrill to even see the photo now...its postcard material
how can I share it?
i get …See More
Annie Smith Lynnie Alexander I think you will have to go via Heather Newby to do that.Not sure, sorry.
Cheryl Johnston Lynnie Alexander click on the pic & then the dots on top right of pic, you should get save pic option??
Stuart McMillan That’s are real shame
Heather Newby why do people have to be so destructive! they should have left it alone..
Robin Coe Kenna Hill is this the one in the painting??
Vic Ollerenshaw Camped in it a couple of times when the Clearwater was in flood and we were heading out to Gillespie’s beach duck shooting in the 60’s.
Robert McMillan Used to be one of my favourite views
Heather Newby yes.. thats what I thought too..
Heather Newby there were quite a few little huts like that around when i was a kid.. now its all the rage.. lol
Paul Wright i seen Description Lake Wanaka
Heather Newby Its not Lake Wanaka.. the rest on that page are Lake Wanaka. A lot of Ans Westras photos were misnamed.
Vic Ollerenshaw It was the hut beside the Clearwater creek on the Gillespie's beach road. Slept in it a few times when the Creek was in flood. Fox glacier in the background. Got an oil painting of it.
Like · Reply · 2 · August 1 at 9:45pm
Manage
Heather Newby
Heather Newby thanks for that
Like · Reply · August 1 at 9:46pm
Manage
Vic Ollerenshaw
Vic Ollerenshaw Heather Newby , Reeve Williams owned it.
Like · Reply · 1 · August 1 at 9:48pm
Manage
Heather Newby
Heather Newby Vic Ollerenshaw thanks
Like · Reply · August 1 at 9:48pm
Manage
Heather Newby
Heather Newby I used to go to Grey High School with a girl with the surname Ollerenshaw.. that was from 1966-69.
Like · Reply · August 1 at 9:51pm
Manage
Vic Ollerenshaw
Vic Ollerenshaw Probably my younger sister Susan.
Heather Newby whats the little shed by the door? Vic Ollerenshaw
Like · Reply · August 1 at 9:55pm
Manage
Vic Ollerenshaw
Vic Ollerenshaw It was a cool cupboard for storing meat and food
Dea Minehan a 'safe' ??
Colin Gillespie Who was Gillespie,s Beach namedafter
Cheryl Johnston Is it the Carols Hutt? Burnt down by bikies?
Heather Newby Did it have a dunny?
Like · Reply · August 2 at 7:54am
Manage
Vic Ollerenshaw
Vic Ollerenshaw Not when we were using it.
Like · Reply · August 2 at 8:44am
Heather Newby Tourism materials claim that the beach got its name from a miner called Gillespie who discovered gold here. However, the memoirs of Robert Logan, a prospector who claimed to have been present at the time, tell a slightly different tale. He was a member of a party of five, including Gillespie, which was heading back up the coast in 1866 after suffering disappointment at Bruce Bay. As they passed the untouched beach, they felt that it might be a good place to find gold, so loaded up on supplies in Okarito and hurried back. Logan and another man named Nelson rushed on ahead, and the pair discovered the first traces of gold before the rest of the party caught up.
According to Logan family legend, Gillespie was a popular Scottish Canadian with a fondness for boozing and billiards. He let the secret slip while on a supply trip and thus the word spread of “Gillespie’s beach” as prospectors flocked to the site to try their own luck.
Cheryl Riley Yep it was burnt down by a big convoy of bikies with police escorts and they all camped at and around the hut. The dunny was the wide open spaces.
Colin Gillespie Thanks Heather sounds reasonable some do like a dram me included
Like · Reply · 1 · August 2 at 6:33pm
Peter Dennehy Is that where maye dunn is living now.
Cheryl Hedley What a cute wee hut
Annie Smith This hut was burned down by a bikie gang after overnighting there. It was on family land and many of us were devastated because it was a local icon. The hut was painted and photographed many times with the glacier and Mt Cook in the background. The interior walls had newspapers pasted as wallpaper.
Lynnie Alexander Annie Smith I'm so sorry about that..it is a thrill to even see the photo now...its postcard material
Annie Smith Lynnie Alexander I think you will have to go via Heather Newby to do that.Not sure, sorry.
Cheryl Johnston Lynnie Alexander click on the pic & then the dots on top right of pic, you should get save pic option??
Stuart McMillan That’s are real shame
Heather Newby why do people have to be so destructive! they should have left it alone..
Robin Coe Kenna Hill is this the one in the painting??
Vic Ollerenshaw Camped in it a couple of times when the Clearwater was in flood and we were heading out to Gillespie’s beach duck shooting in the 60’s.Cheryl Hedley What a cute wee hut
nnie Smith This hut was burned down by a bikie gang after overnighting there. It was on family land and many of us were devastated because it was a local icon. The hut was painted and photographed many times with the glacier and Mt Cook in the background. The interior walls had newspapers pasted as wallpaper.
Lynnie Alexander Annie Smith I'm so sorry about that..it is a thrill to even see the photo now...its postcard material
how can I share it?
i get …See More
Annie Smith Lynnie Alexander I think you will have to go via Heather Newby to do that.Not sure, sorry.
Cheryl Johnston Lynnie Alexander click on the pic & then the dots on top right of pic, you should get save pic option??
Stuart McMillan That’s are real shame
Heather Newby why do people have to be so destructive! they should have left it alone..
Robin Coe Kenna Hill is this the one in the painting??
Vic Ollerenshaw Camped in it a couple of times when the Clearwater was in flood and we were heading out to Gillespie’s beach duck shooting in the 60’s.
Robert McMillan Used to be one of my favourite views
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West Coast New Zealand History (8th Apr 2019). Hut beside the Clearwater creek on the Gillespie's beach road.1971.. In Website West Coast New Zealand History. Retrieved 5th Apr 2026 02:59, from https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/21046