Heritage building in Taranaki national park

Forest and Bird, Issue 292, 1 May 1999, Page 10

Heritage building in Taranaki national park

n historic lodge on Mount Taranaki has been restored at a cost of $216,000. Known as The Camphouse, the building is the oldest accommodation building in any national park in New

Zealand but its days go back even further. The building originally housed colonial soldiers serving in the Taranaki Wars, at Marsland Hill, New Plymouth. It has a Category 1 listing with the Historic Places Trust for a number of reasons. Prefabricated in Australia it is a very early example (1855) of a building made from handwrought corrugated iron. After its use as a military barracks the building was used in 1874 to house immigrants. It became the Camphouse when shifted to North Egmont in the summer of 1891-92, in the

pioneering days of tourism on the mountain. The initiative was led by the Taranaki Scenery Preservation Society which lobbied the Government for £67 to relocate the building. The Society later played a major role in the creation of the park. The Camphouse is close to North Egmont Visitor Centre on the slopes of Taranaki and can accommodate 32 people in bunks. It now has an electric kitchen, flush toilets and hot showers, with locker and drying rooms to come. It offers budget accommodation to backpackers and tour groups.