Provincial by Name

Stephen Tester is a proud son of Upper Hutt, and the township as it was in 1918 provides one of the key settings for Kiss of Death.

Main Street, Upper Hutt

European settlers arrived in Upper Hutt soon after setting foot in Wellington. By 1918, it was a rustic service town to the farming and logging communities in the surrounding countryside. It had a civilian population of around 1,500 people, but the nearby army camp at Trentham brought thousands more to the region once the war broke out.

The Provincial Hotel and Six O’Clock Closing

This establishment was rebuilt in 1890 after a fire destroyed the original premises. It had four well-furnished sitting rooms as well as the main pub downstairs. By 1918, all hotel bars were mandated to close at 6 pm as a wartime efficiency measure - a law that was not done away with until decades later. Alcohol service to guests was supposed to finish at 8 pm.

Akatarawa Valley Sawmills

Upper Hutt was renowned for its giant forests of native totara trees, and even in 1918 there were still enough left for logging to be a major industry. The sawmilling settlements were rough and rugged places in the middle of nowhere, and the main saw was often serviced by a bush tramway. The one in this photo is in Cruickshank Road, which is quite close to the town centre.