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Wallace County District Infrastructure: Lake Hauroko Road Officially Opened

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  • Title:
    Wallace County District Infrastructure: Lake Hauroko Road Officially Opened
  • Author: A Southern Newspaper - not sure which one
  • Description: Content Partner: Central and Western Murihiku Southland Archive. Digital image taken as a preservation copy, from the Kokay Collection. News article from an event from 6 April 1964. Photo shows a crowd of people under umbrella's on seats, and it covers the opening of the access road into Lake Hauroko. The NIWA site (see link in the place notes below), says this road has opened up the lake and surrounding area to adventure tourism, fishing and more. It is believed that Steve Kokay and his gravel plant were part of the large collection of local contractors who were used in the creation of this road over many miles and many years. It took a lot of effort and time to get this road made. The caption from the news article of unknown origin reads as below: "The official party at the opening of the Lake Hauroko access road on Saturday comprised (from left): Professor GT McCaskill, National Parks' Authority, Wellington. Professor LW Baylis, deputy chairman, Fiordland National Park Board. The Minist of Agriculture Mr Brian Talboys, MP for Wallace. Mrs and Mr P Corkery (standing), chairman of the access committee. Mr R Watson, chairman of the Wallace County Council. Mr JF Henderson, Commissioner of Works, Otago. And Mr and Mrs LH Spencer, resident engineer, MoW (Ministry of Works), Invercargill." Steve Kokay’s mobile gravel plant will still be remembered by many of the older residents around the local area and even further afield. The numerous huts and pieces of equipment owned and operated by Steve, were a familiar sight around the whole Waiau Riding of the earlier Wallace County. Operating for a number of years, this plant would often travel across the wider district to work on roads and other similar projects, including bridges. Steve became a very successful roading contractor, winning many contracts from the Wallace County. Using his gravel and road construction plant which he had amazingly designed and built himself, although with the help of other talented locals (see this pictured in the archive collection on this site under CWA.198.138.002), many of the country roads across the huge Western Southland district and even over into the Central Western Southland district, were constructed, maintained, gravelled, both by the hardworking Steve himself, and with his band of committed and willing workers. The men would be housed in ‘camps’, consisting of workers huts and these were transported to the site of whatever project Steve and his men were working on. In the late 1950’s his gravel plant came home for good as Steve finally retired, and it was put to rest at ‘Arpad’, the family farm. CREDIT: The bulk of the information contained above and this preservation copy of the news article were provided thanks to the “Kokay Family Collection”. More information about this business will be added shortly. In the meantime, please share your memories and any stories of it you know, and let us know if you have any more photos please. You can do this by adding a comment about it, at the bottom of the image page. If you are interested in the Kokay family itself, more on them is coming to the archive soon.
  • Creation Date: 1966
  • Language: English
  • Source: DigitalNZ
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