Nevertheless, the sturdily-built schist-walled and corrugated iron hip-roofed former store for explosives is an almost forgotten thread in Central Otago's pioneering heritage.
The preservation work by the Department of Conservation (Doc) Wakatipu area office aimed to ensure its survival, fittingly in the 150th anniversary of the discovery of gold in the region.
No doubt missed by many motorists as they concentrate on the intersection, the 4.6m-wide, 4.6m-deep and 2.5m-high magazine was boarded up and unmaintained for more than 20 years, Doc project manager Richard Struthers said yesterday.
Preservation efforts began last winter with the felling of nearby trees as the roots were driving into the foundations and the branches were obscuring it from view, he said.
"The work's being undertaken under an archaeological permit, as any pre-1900 buildings are.
"The back of the building was collapsing inwards, so we braced it inside and underpinned the front wall as it was collapsing outward.
"We repaired roofing timber and added drainage outside to keep walls dry."
Work on and around the magazine was due to finish by the end of February and the original timber door with metal face will be reattached and locked.
There was not much for the public to see inside the Historic Places Trust category C building, although an information panel outside was planned.
Arrowtown shopkeeper W.T. Smith asked the council to build a powder magazine in late 1876.
The council sent a letter to "the Wastelands Board" to apply for a site and tenders were called.
The first two were dismissed for being too expensive and the contract was let to John Evans for 40 in 1877. Any storekeepers could leave up to one keg of explosives for a fee of 1 a year.
The ODT newspapers, which report the official end of the Vietnam War in 1973, plus the broken beer bottles will be reinstated to protect the magazine's historical integrity, along with a copy of the ODT featuring this report.
The magazine was not likely to be reopened for another 20 years.
