The tools are coming back out of the shed in the restoration of the historic Cooper’s Terrace remains.
Over the past decade, archaeological artist and project manager Jan Morrison has been behind the restoration of the ruins of seven huts and a garden wall where an Arrowtown mining community lived from 1860 to the early 1900s, 10 minutes walk from Bush Creek up the Arrow River.
She and heritage stonemason Keith Hinds are getting the project work underway again, erecting visitor seating and running three working bees this month to get locals involved.
The first is tomorrow, followed by two more, on March 19 and 26, to clear vegetation, like blackberry bramble, vines and gorse from the area.
She says if volunteers have their own loppers, pruning saws and a chainsaw, it’d help, and people also need to bring their own sturdy footwear, gloves and health and safety mindset.
It’s an opportunity not only to get involved, but also see archaeology at work, she says.
The project’s supported by the Arrowtown Village Association and Nomad Safaris, Morrison adds, which are helping put in new signs and seats.
She first came across the site in 2009 and last year the site was put forward to Heritage New Zealand for classification, an inspection for which is on the cards.
Last August, Morrison proposed three options for the site’s future — 85% of the community voted for a full restoration, which she’s
stoked about.
