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Kaituna Accommodation House (Marlborough)

Ralph T. Denton

[The establishment of early accommodation houses is an important and interesting part of every district's history. The following article was written by the late Ralph Denton who was researching several such Marlborough houses until he died suddenly. Kaituna is the area immediately on the Nelson side of the Wairau River after crossing the bridge above Renwick. In earlier times the name was often applied to the whole valley which runs through to Havelock. This accommodation house was on a high bank to the left of the road to Tuamarina just below the turnoff over the Wairau Bridge. The road from Kaituna to Tuamarina is still known only as the Tuamarina Track. It was always an important route, at first used by the Maori people to travel to the rich food gathering areas along the Wairau North Bank, and then by settlers travelling to and from the Wairau District when the river was too high to cross in that area. Kaituna Accommodation house enjoyed a particularly long history beginning sometime before 1861 and continuing until 1957. — Nevil Matthews].

Like many other accommodation houses it had a humble beginning being established to fill a need. A Publicans' Special Licence was issued in 1861 to James Davies (sometimes erroneously spelt Davis) and Arthur Kinsey described as publicans and farmers. It is not clear where they first carried on their new enterprise, whether it was in one of their residences or perhaps in a building erected on the eastern corner of section 7 of Block 1 District of Kaituna, for in 1863 Michael Maher, farmer, who owned the section of land, conveyed a five acre part to James Davies and Arthur Kinsey. The early accommodation house built here was of mud construction. In 1865 Michael Maher conveyed a further eight acres of land across the road to the south of the accommodation house to the publicans which they wished to use for grazing stock (part of section 115 District of Kaituna). In 1867 Arthur Kinsey conveyed his share in the enterprise to James Davies and went to manage the Manuka Island Accommodation House, but was drowned in the Wairau River in October 1868.

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An advertisement in the Marlborough Express of 12 November 1870 reads: "Travellers Rest, Kaituna Valley Mouth. Mr J. Dumble has taken out a licence for his accommodation house, situated as above, where travellers may rely on obtaining good refreshment on moderate terms."

James Davies conveyed the two part section to John Dumble on 3 March 1875 for fifty pounds. The latter sold them to John Gibson, farmer, of Kaituna, for 120 pounds on 4 May 1876; which suggests that Dumble may have built or started to build a new two storey timber house to cater for an increase of travellers who wanted to stay overnight.

In 1880 John M. Dixon was the licensee of the inn and about 1882, Samuel Green came to take over the running of the house for John Gibson. In 1890 Sam Green's widow, Mary Jane Green, was able to purchase the 13 acres of land and the accommodation house from a member of the Gibson family and ran the accommodation house for many years. It was known far and wide as "Greens" and had a very good reputation for service to the travelling public. In 1931 Mrs Green transferred a half share in the property to her son, Ernest Green.

After Mrs Green's death in 1948 her share was divided equally between her son and her daughter, Mable, a spinster, who continued to run the house, but there were fewer travellers and they had to rely mainly on local trade. After the death of Ernest Green in 1953, Mable then inherited the whole property. With the house becoming very old and the trade quite small the Licensing Authority considered revoking the licence, but decided to let it run on until the departure of Miss Green. She died in 1957.