Story: Taranaki places

Hāwera observatory (4th of 4)

Hāwera observatory

In a somewhat bizarre transformation in 1953, architect John Duffill’s 1912 band rotunda was converted into an observatory for the Hāwera Astronomical Society. The lower floor of the original octagonal building – erected to celebrate the coronation of King George V in 1911 – was a tearoom, and the upper floor was an open, pillared band rotunda with a hemispherical roof.

Using this item

Private collection
Photograph by Anna Butterfield

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page:

Ron Lambert, 'Taranaki places - Hāwera', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/25913/hawera-observatory (accessed 20 April 2024)

Story by Ron Lambert, updated 1 Sep 2016