Fox Glacier Hotel is a hotel in

Fox Glacier Fox Glacier (; officially Fox Glacier / Te Moeka o Tuawe) is a temperate maritime glacier located in Westland Tai Poutini National Park on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. Like nearby Franz Josef Glacier, Fox Glacier is one of ...

, on the

West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

of New Zealand's

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

. Completed in 1928 for the Sullivan brothers, the building was granted historic place category 2 status by

Heritage New Zealand Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga (initially the National Historic Places Trust and then, from 1963 to 2014, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust) ( mi, Pouhere Taonga) is a Crown entity with a membership of around 20,000 people that advocate ...

in 1989.

Context

In the 1920s, a concerted effort was made to promote the West Coast, and the glacier region in particular, as a tourist destination. At Fox Glacier village, then known as Weheka, the Sullivan family had used their farm homestead as tourist accommodation, but increased demand saw the Sullivan brothers, Mick and John, decide to construct a purpose-built hotel, and they established a sawmill to mill local

rimu ''Dacrydium cupressinum'', commonly known as rimu, is a large evergreen coniferous tree endemic to the forests of New Zealand. It is a member of the southern conifer group, the podocarps. The Māori name ''rimu'' comes from the Polynesian ...

for the project.

Architecture

The hotel was built in 1928, at a cost of approximately £20,000, and was officially opened on 20 December 1928. Although a two-storey building, the hotel was described as have a bungalow style, owing to the generous upper-floor verandahs. The hotel was built with 40 bedrooms, designed to accommodate up to 100 guests, as well as four parlours and a large dining room for up to 70 diners. The building measured by , with a height of , and was constructed of heart rimu timber framing and weatherboards on a concrete foundation, with a corrugated steel roof. A large

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...

at the main entrance provided shelter for arriving and departing guests. Upholstery for the hotel was completed by Caliari and O'Connell of

Hokitika Hokitika is a town in the West Coast region of New Zealand's South Island, south of Greymouth, and close to the mouth of the Hokitika River. It is the seat and largest town in the Westland District. The town's estimated population is as of . ...

, while the tiling, mantling and furnishing were completed by James Duncan Jr, assisted locally by Robert Emmett Clarke. Electricity for the hotel was supplied from a small hydro-electric plant built by the Sullivans away. Outbuildings included a separate staff accommodation wing with eight bedrooms, a billiard room, and a garage measuring by .

Alterations

A large addition was made to the southeastern rear of the main building in the early 1950s, and the main facade gained flanking extensions in the 1950s and 1960s. In 2007 and more recently, significant refurbishment has been carried out.

Current status

In 1989, Fox Glacier Hotel received historic place category 2 classification by the

New Zealand Historic Places Trust Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga (initially the National Historic Places Trust and then, from 1963 to 2014, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust) ( mi, Pouhere Taonga) is a Crown entity with a membership of around 20,000 people that advocate ...

(now Heritage New Zealand). The building remains in use as a hotel, restaurant, and bar.

Notes

References

* * * {{cite news , work=The Press , url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19281227.2.24.5 , title=Tourists' hostel , date=27 December 1928 , page=4 , accessdate=15 October 2020 , ref={{harvid, ''The Press'', 1928 1920s architecture in New Zealand Hotels in New Zealand NZHPT Category II listings in the West Coast, New Zealand Hotel buildings completed in 1928