Kihikihi Clock
Time has, once again, stood still in Kihikihi.
Kihikihi War Memorial Clock is, once again, under repair. Photo: Chris Gardner
Kihikihi War Memorial clock has been frozen in time at 9:36 for much of the New Year.
Te Awamutu and Kihikihi Ward councillor Marcus Gower told The News he had let Waipā District Council’s property team know the clock had stopped on January 11.
Gower said the suspension spring, the thin piece of metal that the pendulum swings from, has broken, and the council has ordered some metal to make a new spring.
Gower lives near the clock and campaigned to get it fixed in 2021 after it had stopped for nearly two years. The council estimated repairs then would cost $70,000.
Then, in 2022, the clock stopped again, causing the council to conclude that the power supply had been maliciously interfered with.
CommSafe community safety officer Mandy Merson, whose office sits between the clock and the toilets, said the council was working on fixing the clock.
“There’s been a few issues, that’s for sure,” Merson said.
The building had also been graffitied – the culprit tagged buildings in Kihikihi and Te Awamutu.
The turret clock, manufactured in 1881 when Victoria was Queen and Sir John Hall was prime minister, started life in Te Awamutu Post Office. It was moved to Kihikihi in 1960.
Kihikihi War Memorial Clock is, once again, under repair. Photo: Chris Gardner
