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Last road house (stagecoach base), Aickens
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DescriptionStagecoach horse change station at Aickens.
Women of Westland, courtesy Alan WisdomMap[1] ContributorMarie Summers
Women of Westland, courtesy Alan WisdomMap[1] ContributorMarie Summers
Shown in this image
Location (city or town)AickensLandmark (Place)Stagecoach base
Category Information
Category Tagtransport
From Facebook
Date Created11th March 2020CommentsRay Vincent If not mistaken that house is still in situ just on the Grey side of the rail crossing amongst the scrub?
Ray Vincent Mike Mora yes a wonderful picture.. i would have driven past it many hundreds of times while working on the coast for Rail.
Manage
Peter Lambert My Mum and McNabb family lived there. Graham McNabb Carolyn McNabb Gwenyth Wilson at Aikens.
Lynnette Beirne Peter Lambert was the old piano from the house there?
Peter Lambert Unknown but I dont think so Lynnette. . Mum would have been quite young.
Lynnette Beirne Peter Lambert well her one is now in the Dunollie Hotel
Graham Porter Driven past there many times on my trips to the coast since early 80s
Joycelyn Hiha This was my great grandparents boarding house. At one stage there was 9 bedrooms and apparently some very note able people stayed. There. Granny aitkin ran the house while her husband was the road man. She would get up at 4 am to boil the copper so her guests would have hot water to wash .
JeffJanet Curtin Also my great grandparents. :)
Lynda Mary Graham JeffJanet Curtin And mine!
Shae Williams Joycelyn Hiha and my whānau too!
Angel Esvella And mine too
Angel Esvella Aickens is spelt like this
Pam Englefield-Absolum Was also the post office.
PaulAnthony Teens Still standing
Karen Evans This is the old Evans homestead.
Angel Esvella Karen Evans it was Aicken homestead
Karen Evans Angel Esvella yes that's right it was my father in law Bill Evans relations.
Karen Evans Here is another painting of it done by Peter Caley.
RobnKaren Evans that's a great painting Karen
Karen Evans RobnKaren Evans beautiful eh. Peter Caley used to have a gallery in Otira.
Sheryl O'Leary I'm not sure if this is the same place my ancestors stayed in the late 1870's but this is a great story:
My great grandfather Henry Fitzpatrick Betts along with his 3 young son's Henry, Louis and Charles walked from Greymouth via Arthurs Pass to Christchurch. They stayed a night at the Bush Inn at Aichens. The place was packed. The rain was pouring down. One of the guests staying at the inn became uncontrollable with delerium tremors. The treatment by his fellow guests was to chain him to the veranda post out in the rain for the night.
Tom Belton There was a photo of this place in the Arthur's Pass doc visitor centre, showing a stage coach outside if I remember right. The visitor centre is currently under renovation so I hope they retain the picture.
John Paget It had hay stored in it last time i went past. Thirty years ago i used to tell my daughter i was going to buy it and live there.
Les Bryce it was still there last week
Warren Meredith It’s pity it has not being restored for the future history it’s last of the horse change over for the pass
Peter Lambert Warren Meredith it was a barn for many years. Hay came and went. . It is not as recognisable as it was from this photo and for many years through the early 2000s. The verandah has been gone for some time.
Joycelyn Hiha There were two sons as well. Remember mum talking about uncle Tom but can't remember the other. Also remember Elaine and I going there with granny Webber and sleeping in the front bedroom. That would probably be about 77years ago.
Ian N Leona Dixon I think building is still there, close to the rail crossing
Jackie Breach There is also a grave out the back. Were they connected to the house in some way.
Karen Evans Natalie Evans has a memorial there.
Therese McAra Hi. Doreen tells me you called in to Turiwhate the other day. Alf and I are going there tomorrow! We in Greymouth tonight!
Les Holmes Germanicus This place is still there and needs to be protected urgently.
1
Manage
Like
· Reply · 3d
Merv Fleming
Merv Fleming Les Holmes Germanicus the historic trust don’t want to know about it
Manage
Like
· Reply · 19h
Les Holmes Germanicus
Les Holmes Germanicus Thats a shame. In my family's book there's a little description of my great great grandfather and the two boys staying overnight and a drunk ending up being chucked out and sleeping on the verandah. This was in the mid 1880s I suppose.
Sheryl O'Leary Les Holmes Germanicus look at my previous message re the story.
Gary Mc Millan buy it les
Therese McAra Hi. Doreen tells me you called in to Turiwhate the other day. Alf and I are going there tomorrow! We in Greymouth tonight!
Les Holmes Germanicus This place is still there and needs to be protected urgently.
Merv Fleming Les Holmes Germanicus the historic trust don’t want to know about it
Les Holmes Germanicus Thats a shame. In my family's book there's a little description of my great great grandfather and the two boys staying overnight and a drunk ending up being chucked out and sleeping on the verandah. This was in the mid 1880s I suppose.
Sheryl O'Leary Les Holmes Germanicus look at my previous message re the story.
Ray Vincent Mike Mora yes a wonderful picture.. i would have driven past it many hundreds of times while working on the coast for Rail.
Manage
Peter Lambert My Mum and McNabb family lived there. Graham McNabb Carolyn McNabb Gwenyth Wilson at Aikens.
Lynnette Beirne Peter Lambert was the old piano from the house there?
Peter Lambert Unknown but I dont think so Lynnette. . Mum would have been quite young.
Lynnette Beirne Peter Lambert well her one is now in the Dunollie Hotel
Graham Porter Driven past there many times on my trips to the coast since early 80s
Joycelyn Hiha This was my great grandparents boarding house. At one stage there was 9 bedrooms and apparently some very note able people stayed. There. Granny aitkin ran the house while her husband was the road man. She would get up at 4 am to boil the copper so her guests would have hot water to wash .
JeffJanet Curtin Also my great grandparents. :)
Lynda Mary Graham JeffJanet Curtin And mine!
Shae Williams Joycelyn Hiha and my whānau too!
Angel Esvella And mine too
Angel Esvella Aickens is spelt like this
Pam Englefield-Absolum Was also the post office.
PaulAnthony Teens Still standing
Karen Evans This is the old Evans homestead.
Angel Esvella Karen Evans it was Aicken homestead
Karen Evans Angel Esvella yes that's right it was my father in law Bill Evans relations.
Karen Evans Here is another painting of it done by Peter Caley.
RobnKaren Evans that's a great painting Karen
Karen Evans RobnKaren Evans beautiful eh. Peter Caley used to have a gallery in Otira.
Sheryl O'Leary I'm not sure if this is the same place my ancestors stayed in the late 1870's but this is a great story:
My great grandfather Henry Fitzpatrick Betts along with his 3 young son's Henry, Louis and Charles walked from Greymouth via Arthurs Pass to Christchurch. They stayed a night at the Bush Inn at Aichens. The place was packed. The rain was pouring down. One of the guests staying at the inn became uncontrollable with delerium tremors. The treatment by his fellow guests was to chain him to the veranda post out in the rain for the night.
Tom Belton There was a photo of this place in the Arthur's Pass doc visitor centre, showing a stage coach outside if I remember right. The visitor centre is currently under renovation so I hope they retain the picture.
John Paget It had hay stored in it last time i went past. Thirty years ago i used to tell my daughter i was going to buy it and live there.
Les Bryce it was still there last week
Warren Meredith It’s pity it has not being restored for the future history it’s last of the horse change over for the pass
Peter Lambert Warren Meredith it was a barn for many years. Hay came and went. . It is not as recognisable as it was from this photo and for many years through the early 2000s. The verandah has been gone for some time.
Joycelyn Hiha There were two sons as well. Remember mum talking about uncle Tom but can't remember the other. Also remember Elaine and I going there with granny Webber and sleeping in the front bedroom. That would probably be about 77years ago.
Ian N Leona Dixon I think building is still there, close to the rail crossing
Jackie Breach There is also a grave out the back. Were they connected to the house in some way.
Karen Evans Natalie Evans has a memorial there.
Therese McAra Hi. Doreen tells me you called in to Turiwhate the other day. Alf and I are going there tomorrow! We in Greymouth tonight!
Les Holmes Germanicus This place is still there and needs to be protected urgently.
1
Manage
Like
· Reply · 3d
Merv Fleming
Merv Fleming Les Holmes Germanicus the historic trust don’t want to know about it
Manage
Like
· Reply · 19h
Les Holmes Germanicus
Les Holmes Germanicus Thats a shame. In my family's book there's a little description of my great great grandfather and the two boys staying overnight and a drunk ending up being chucked out and sleeping on the verandah. This was in the mid 1880s I suppose.
Sheryl O'Leary Les Holmes Germanicus look at my previous message re the story.
Gary Mc Millan buy it les
Therese McAra Hi. Doreen tells me you called in to Turiwhate the other day. Alf and I are going there tomorrow! We in Greymouth tonight!
Les Holmes Germanicus This place is still there and needs to be protected urgently.
Merv Fleming Les Holmes Germanicus the historic trust don’t want to know about it
Les Holmes Germanicus Thats a shame. In my family's book there's a little description of my great great grandfather and the two boys staying overnight and a drunk ending up being chucked out and sleeping on the verandah. This was in the mid 1880s I suppose.
Sheryl O'Leary Les Holmes Germanicus look at my previous message re the story.
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West Coast New Zealand History (17th Mar 2020). Last road house (stagecoach base), Aickens. In Website West Coast New Zealand History. Retrieved 22nd Apr 2026 13:12, from https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/27402