Historic Ōkārito School House
Stay at the School House:
The Ōkārito School House was erected in 1901 on its present site although parts of the building are thought to date back to the original building which was established in 1867 at the wharf. Ōkārito's population dwindled through the 1920s and 1930s and the school eventually closed in 1946.
In 1958 the site was put into reserve status but with little use the building was in a very sad state of repair. With the help of Greymouth branch of YHA a major restoration project was undertaken and the building was opened as a YHA shelter in 1960.
The Ōkārito School House following
restoration
Between 1960 and 1990 the shelter was the only place for travelers to spend a night in Ōkārito. Around 1960 there were only four permanent residents in Ōkārito and it was 1987 before the village had enough residents to form the Ōkārito Community Association. By this time, once again, the Ōkārito schoolhouse was in need of a complete rebuild.
DOC, YHA and the local community undertook a huge restoration project in a joint effort in 1990. DOC produced a conservation plan for the schoolhouse in 1988 and further improvements include modern kitchen facilities, repainting and restoring the exterior of the building, financed with money raised by the local community.
It is an example of a project that has arisen from the needs of a community, firstly in it's early history as a school and later in its role as an overnight shelter for travellers. Today the Ōkārito School House offers travellers a unique chance to experience the life of a bygone era, a chance to sample the history and culture of a small New Zealand settlement the way it was. Stay at the School House.
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