CHARLESTON
There was a public-house half-way on the journey!
There were at Packers’ Point at least one hotel (The King’s, T. K. King, 1869); at least one stable (Graham and Bell’s, 1869); a blacksmith (M. Bohan, later of Charleston); a dairyman (O. O’Neill, 1868); and a store. Mr. E. J. O’Conor (the “Buller Lion”) had a dairy-farm at Packers’ Point, later acquired by Mr. W. Martin.
It is to be noted that in the ’sixties the river, instead of running straight to sea as now, took a bend towards the South Spit, and its mouth was west of the present breakwater—at the back of where the present flagstaff stands.
SOUTH SPIT.
As stated, this was, in 1867, the northern terminus of the beach-route between the Buller and Charleston. The rough road over Cape Foulwind was surveyed by Mr. Alex. Aitken and formed by prison labour, mainly by deserters from ships.
Consequent upon the discovery of Charleston goldfield in August of 1866, a settlement sprang up at South Spit whence, until the opening of the beach-route, goods were packed to the new field after having been ferried across the Buller. Livery and bait business flourished, pack-horses and hacks being in demand. The beach-route carried the entire road-traffic to and from Charleston until 1874 when it was abandoned in favour of the shorter, safer, non-tidal inland road from Buller (further up-river from South Spit and Packers’ Point) via Addison’s Flat.
At South Spit were several hotels, general stores, and stables; also the saleyards for live-stock brought to Westport from Nelson, Wanganui, etc. Near these yards was the “Stockyard Store” kept by Ambrose Thomas in 1868.
The first ferry between Westport and South Spit was Reuben Waite’s. In 1864 a party of six walked from the Grey to South Spit, and Waite sent his boat across for them. On the return journey it capsized, and two were drowned. The ferryboats, of which there were about thirty, left Westport from Bull’s steps behind the Empire Hotel in Wharf Street, and landed at some steps near the Waterman’s Arms
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