On a tour of the South Island of New Zealand in 1991 , the above two storey building in the main street of Riverton , linked with early whaling, sealing , flax gathering and timber cutting , attracted attention . Up for sale at about $30,000 , it had once belonged to Mrs (Margaret ) Clark , trading as Grocer and Baker ; a 1917 photo , below , shows a busy street scene , with the building on the far right .
By Peter Simon
My Kiwi wife and I peered through the windows of the locked premises , the street front ones displaying local knitting and art work , like a pop up shop . On contacting the real estate agent , we were shown inside the fairly worn premises , in recent times used as a pizza shop , the people since departed for Melbourne. Dances, we were told , were held there from time to time .
Thirty grand was not a lot of money for a building with character in a colourful town . At the time , we were living in a 100 year old post office at Saddleworth in the South Australian mid north , near the Clare Valley , which we converted into another Den of Antiquity , selling books , china , prints , some furniture .
A handyman would have soon knocked Mrs Clark's building into shape . Me not being such a person , it would involve paying a tradesman to do a makeover if we bought it . Then what ? Rent it out ? Start an old wares , book shop - another Den of Antiquity ? Rates and insurance , the cost of folding the tent in South Australia and shipping to New Zealand came into the calculations . We pondered the matter and quickly , reluctantly, decided not to buy.
We had gone to Riverton , at the bottom of the South Island , one of the oldest European settlements in New Zealand , because of a family interest in the whaling days . While there we inspected some whaling gear and toured a cemetery to see the grave of Nathaniel Bates (1819-1887) , variously described as a pioneer, womaniser, bigamist , heathen , whaler , farmer , rebrobate , philanderer , drunkard , ship's captain , surveyor's guide, ratbag , etc. It is hard to recall another unsolicited testimonial for anyone nearing the one bestowed upon Bates .
Born in Sydney , Bates made his way to New Zealand and had three Maori wives . There is a limited edition book Nathaniel Bates of Riverton His Families and Descendants .
One evening we were entertained by a helpful local historian . At the friendly hotel in which we stayed we were treated to a special serving of whitebait fritters in the kitchen for breakfast .
Born in Sydney , Bates made his way to New Zealand and had three Maori wives . There is a limited edition book Nathaniel Bates of Riverton His Families and Descendants .
One evening we were entertained by a helpful local historian . At the friendly hotel in which we stayed we were treated to a special serving of whitebait fritters in the kitchen for breakfast .
A photograph was taken of the Clark building and we returned to Australia . Just this week , while sorting out ephemera , out popped the photograph . My wife then said she wondered what had happened to the premises , went online .
Up came Mrs Clark's building , 108 Palmerston Street, Riverton , including the above 2010 view when it was a café . Mrs Clark had been alive in 1901 , the property undergoing changes of ownership and use . At one stage it was on the market for $195,000. Then , in 2018 , there it was again, this time for just $50,000 ; another post indicated Mrs Clark's Café had moved to a new location . Furthermore, Mrs Clark'e Café received favourable mention in the following guide to Kiwi cafes , the cover outline of New Zealand filled with coffee beans .
Googling produced more interesting information . In 2012 ,the business , still known as Mrs Clark's Café , was run by a couple who got married on the premises two week's after they opened the doors , throwing their experience into the venture, declared NZ's Best Café 2012/13 , muffins on the menu . They had brought their own expresso machine and till to the business and lived upstairs .
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Café interiors show expresso machine , coffee beans , layout .
In 2012 , Riverton , once a busy customs entry port , through which gold seekers from Australia poured , was described as a sleepy town where the Sunday newspapers arrive on Monday .
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