E Thomas, Merrijigs Hotel and Accommodation House.1890's.

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DescriptionMerrijigs, a few kilometres from Reefton was better known as Quatzopolis and achieved fame as the first town in New Zealand to boast electric lights in its muddy pot-holed streets.
Reefton and its pubs were a magnet for miners but the track was rough and criss-crossed by creeks and heavy bush. Getting there meant dancing a merry jig and perhaps a merrier one by lamplight on the way back to the diggings.Date of Photo1890'sMap^[1]ContributorMaye Dunn

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Location (city or town)MerrijigsOrganisation (eg business)E. Thomas Hotel and Accommodation House.

Category Information

Category TagHotels

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Date Created1st February 2021CommentsJohn Ryall
Like it.

Andy Bone
The honey mooners in.. in late years. So the story. Goes

Dennis Gibbs
Went bottle hunting there in early 1970s. Nothing there then.

Arthur Bass
Dennis Gibbs McKay Twins and Kevin and Dossie Williams would have had them by then.

Jeremy Sutherland
Benjamin Sutherland (cousin) had a quartz mine near there, and at Crushington, he had 13 children, most of whom were born at Reefton.

Glenn Johnston
Yes nothing much left at the actual pub site but plenty of relics within a km or two of the site. I've spent quite a bit of time searching the bush for evidence of former coal and gold mining east of the Soldiers - Big River Road. In 2011 I had contracts to do some areas for Oceana Gold and both before and since I've done other areas out of personal interest.

Paula McTaggart
Looks a bit basic!

Colleen Hoggarth
My Great Grandmother owned this Hotel

Tina Ross
Wow that's cool

Colleen Hoggarth
Her second husband - Albie Wright donated the linen and crockery etc to the hospital.

Colleen Hoggarth
After the mines closed , he rented the rooms out to single men for “ discreet” evenings.

Trish Rennie
Is that why it is called "Merrijiggs" hotel???

Colleen Hoggarth
Trish Rennie ha ha. Could possibly be. Albie was a remittance man, sent out from Australia. Coincidentally on the same ship my G grandmother and her husband was on. He mysteriously went overboard and Wright married her before my g mother was born. She wasn’t his

Maurice Bettridge
My father told me when I was a kid , something about Albie wright , and his dancing doll puppets.Always remembered something about that.Tony Warner
The old bottles dump is on the walking track half way between meriggigs and Waiuta plenty of bottles but only a small pack so couldn't take many but that was 1980s be overgrown now and we had to get lost to find the start of the track but I'm sure it's been upgraded now
Dennis Gibbs
Tony Warner We found bottles down the hill directly below the old pub site.
Tony Warner
Dennis Gibbs excellent my uncle had one bedroom full of bottles but all gone now after he died sadly

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E Thomas, Merrijigs Hotel and Accommodation House.1890's.

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