The clock in the tower above the Waitaki District Council headquarters in Oamaru has been stopped for maintenance, and it is expected to be stuck on noon/midnight for the ‘‘next few weeks’’.
Council projects and assets officer Toby Armour said there had been some issues with the clock’s chiming over the past year, and it was overdue for some work.
‘‘[It] has not had a good going over for at least the last two decades,’’ Mr Armour said.
‘‘We will be replacing all the counterweight chains, checking all bushing and bearings for wear, along with checking the shafts and gears for wear or misalignment.
‘‘We will also look to find the cause of the chiming issues and rectifying this.’’
The hammers that strike the bells would also be removed and reconditioned.
Apex Engineering and John Mather, from Mathers Jewellery and Time, are undertaking the work.
Mr Mather has been looking after and maintaining the clock mechanism for more than 20 years, and had a ‘‘great knowledge and understanding of its workings’’, Mr Armour said.
The council headquarters, Oamaru’s former Chief Post Office, was designed by Forrester and Lemon and built in 1884.
To the disappointment of locals, it was built without a tower.
The tower was added in 1894, but the Post and Telegraph Department was adamant that the Oamaru Borough Council should supply the clock and chimes.
A clock was donated by St John McLean Buckley, as a memorial to his late uncle — farmer and politician John McLean.
The clock was started on September 17, 1903. However, it had some teething problems, and at midnight on October 25, the chimes rang continuously for 217 strokes.
The tower was set for demolition in 1945, because of concerns about earthquakes, but it was saved after a petition was signed by 4000 people.
The Waitaki District Council moved into the building in 1994, and had an obligation, under a covenant applied by Heritage NZ in 1990, to keep the clock in good working condition, Mr Armour said.
