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Post (and Telegraph) Offices
History
HistoryInformation 1859-1907 and 1911-1951 came from an April 17, 1995 'Leader' article celebrating the refurbished PostShop.
The first Post Office opened in 1859; P A Wilkie, postmaster.
1860; twice-weekly service to Wellington; became daily in 1863.
1875; renamed Upper Hutt Telegraph Office; money-order and savings banking added; moved to building next to railway station.
1880; office transferred to Railways Dept.
1902; telephone bureau established.
1907; house-to-house delivery introduced.
A two-storey brick Main Street Post Office was officially opened by the Prime Minister and Postmaster-General, Sir Joseph Ward, on 2 April 1909.
It had been built by R.A. Wakelin and Son of Wellington for a contract price of 1992 pounds 15 shillings and ninepence.
1911; manual telephone exchange opened; 15 customers.
1951; automatic exchange opened.
1969; The foundation stone of a new building was laid in what was then Station Street on May 13; building of the rear half had begun on the site, which was extended south to Geange Street.
The Post Office moved into the Mayfair building, where a fire on August 8 was mainly confined to the auditorium; the shops facing the street, on both levels, suffered mainly from smoke damage, and were able to continue. The Post Office lost some accounting machines and furniture.
When the first half of the new building opened, the public service area faced Geange Street.
The original building was demolished in July 1970 to clear the site for the construction of stage two of the new Post Office building.
The Post Office and Post Office boxes and Kiwibank moved into Logan Plaza's (now The Mall)'s branch of London Books in April 2000; mail deliveries and CourierPost continued to operate from the rear of the Geange Street building.
TrustBank moved into the front half of the building in June 1991.
TrustBank closed there in October 1997 and Ian Pearless Menswear and an insurance office were given planning permission to move in in June 1998, after a parking dispensation was granted.
The Aril 28, 2004 'Leader' named the building's owner as Mrs Annette Kirk. With Courier Post having moved out of the ground floor, three new spaces were being developed along Geange Street, with two more to follow. Current tenants were Ian Pearless Menswear and Still in Vogue, with Paper Presentations set to move in next.
Geange Street occupants, August 2014:-
Vogue Woman, 2, Geange Street
The March 29, 2000 'Leader' printed an article on the Post Office history on the eve of its move to Logan Plaza; a second article listed other local telephone offices; a history was planned.
They were:-
Karapoti, Feb 12, 1912-Sep 7, 1917.
Karamata, Akatarawa, July 14, 1914-July 10, 1917.
Hukinga, same dates, well up the Akatarawa valley.
Trentham North, May 22, 1939-Nov 30, 1948.
Maymorn, Dec 15, 1913-Oct 6, 1915.
Akatarawa Post Office, April 1899-Jan 1925; telephone office added 1906.
From another source:-
Trentham Camp; opened 1940, closed January 1983.
The September 4, 2002 'Leader' printed a two-page spread on the history of local post offices.
The first Post Office opened in 1859; P A Wilkie, postmaster.
1860; twice-weekly service to Wellington; became daily in 1863.
1875; renamed Upper Hutt Telegraph Office; money-order and savings banking added; moved to building next to railway station.
1880; office transferred to Railways Dept.
1902; telephone bureau established.
1907; house-to-house delivery introduced.
A two-storey brick Main Street Post Office was officially opened by the Prime Minister and Postmaster-General, Sir Joseph Ward, on 2 April 1909.
It had been built by R.A. Wakelin and Son of Wellington for a contract price of 1992 pounds 15 shillings and ninepence.
1911; manual telephone exchange opened; 15 customers.
1951; automatic exchange opened.
1969; The foundation stone of a new building was laid in what was then Station Street on May 13; building of the rear half had begun on the site, which was extended south to Geange Street.
The Post Office moved into the Mayfair building, where a fire on August 8 was mainly confined to the auditorium; the shops facing the street, on both levels, suffered mainly from smoke damage, and were able to continue. The Post Office lost some accounting machines and furniture.
When the first half of the new building opened, the public service area faced Geange Street.
The original building was demolished in July 1970 to clear the site for the construction of stage two of the new Post Office building.
The Post Office and Post Office boxes and Kiwibank moved into Logan Plaza's (now The Mall)'s branch of London Books in April 2000; mail deliveries and CourierPost continued to operate from the rear of the Geange Street building.
TrustBank moved into the front half of the building in June 1991.
TrustBank closed there in October 1997 and Ian Pearless Menswear and an insurance office were given planning permission to move in in June 1998, after a parking dispensation was granted.
The Aril 28, 2004 'Leader' named the building's owner as Mrs Annette Kirk. With Courier Post having moved out of the ground floor, three new spaces were being developed along Geange Street, with two more to follow. Current tenants were Ian Pearless Menswear and Still in Vogue, with Paper Presentations set to move in next.
Geange Street occupants, August 2014:-
Vogue Woman, 2, Geange Street
The March 29, 2000 'Leader' printed an article on the Post Office history on the eve of its move to Logan Plaza; a second article listed other local telephone offices; a history was planned.
They were:-
Karapoti, Feb 12, 1912-Sep 7, 1917.
Karamata, Akatarawa, July 14, 1914-July 10, 1917.
Hukinga, same dates, well up the Akatarawa valley.
Trentham North, May 22, 1939-Nov 30, 1948.
Maymorn, Dec 15, 1913-Oct 6, 1915.
Akatarawa Post Office, April 1899-Jan 1925; telephone office added 1906.
From another source:-
Trentham Camp; opened 1940, closed January 1983.
The September 4, 2002 'Leader' printed a two-page spread on the history of local post offices.
Photos
Details
Date established1859
Also known as
Alternative nameNZ Post, PostBank
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Post (and Telegraph) Offices. Upper Hutt City Library, accessed 18/03/2026, https://uhcl.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/27834