Type Blockhouse, fort Renovated 1979, 1988-90 Completed 1868 | Country New Zealand Town or city Whanganui Structural system Timber framing | |
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Similar Royal Wanganui Opera Ho, Waimarie, Sarjeant Gallery, Museum of New Zealand, Whanganui River | ||
Cameron blockhouse whanganui
The Cameron Blockhouse is a timber blockhouse in Wanganui, New Zealand, built during the New Zealand Wars in the mid-1800s. It is a rare surviving example of a privately constructed redoubt from that era.
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John Cameron bought the property known as Marangai in 1841, but it wasn't until around 1868, when he commissioned a blockhouse to protect his family from what he believed was an impending attack by Māori leader Riwha Titokowaru. Titokowaru had won several battles in south Taranaki and was heading south to Wanganui. Heightening the fears of settlers was Te Kooti's raid of Poverty Bay that occurred around the same time.
The blockhouse consists of a floor of compacted earth, double-skinned tōtara walls with clay infill and a corrugated iron roof. Clay was used in the walls for protection against bullets and the threat of fire.