Gear Homestead
Former namesOkowai
General information
LocationOkowai Road, Aotea, Porirua, New Zealand
Coordinates41°07′26″S 174°51′07″E / 41.123993°S 174.8518823°E / -41.123993; 174.8518823
Completed1887
Designated23-Jun-1983
Reference no.1328
References
"Gear Homestead". New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero. Heritage New Zealand.

Gear Homestead, named Okowai ('muddy water') by its owner James Gear, is a historic building in Porirua, New Zealand. It was listed by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust (since renamed to Heritage New Zealand) as a Category 2 historic place in 1983.

Gear Homestead is significant because of its association with James Gear, a butcher who founded the Gear Meat Preserving and Freezing Company.[1] The company was one of the largest employers in Wellington and also played a large part in the development of Petone.[2]

The building was designed by Robert Edwards and built in 1887 by William Hartley.[3][4] It was constructed of matai, totara and kauri, and the wall on the south side is about 30 cm thick and filled with sawdust for insulation against southerly winds.[3] When James Gear's health declined and he was confined to a wheelchair, he had a cottage built behind the house, with a ramp connecting it to the main house. He lived in the cottage with a nurse and manservant, separate from his family.[3] The house remained in the ownership of the Gear family until 1967, and in 1975 it was bought by Poriurua City Council.[4]

In the early to mid 1980s, the historic building was used as a major location in Peter Jackson's first film, Bad Taste. The building was home to the Iredale and Tiegan family in the 1995 children’s TV series Mirror, Mirror (TV series), and in 2007 it was used as a location in the horror movie When Night Falls.[5][6]

The homestead is now a cafe/bar/restaurant and is open 7 days a week. [7]

References

  1. ↑ "Historic site: Gear Homestead – Library, Porirua City, NZ". www.porirualibrary.org.nz. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  2. ↑ "Search the List | Gear Homestead 'Okowai' | Heritage New Zealand". www.heritage.org.nz. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 Johnston, Warwick (2012). The Gear: a history of the Gear Meat Preserving and Freezing Company. Petone, New Zealand: Petone Historical Society. ISBN 978-1-877572-51-7.
  4. 1 2 "Gear Homestead: A Porirua gem". Stuff. 9 November 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  5. ↑ Cardy, Tom (12 September 2007). "Is there a killer in the house?". Dominion Post – via Proquest Australia & New Zealand Newsstream.
  6. ↑ When Night Falls (2007) – IMDb, retrieved 23 April 2022
  7. ↑ "Historic site: Gear Eatery and Bar". www.geareateryandbar.co.nz. Retrieved 28 April 2021.

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