Visit Whanganui and enjoy one of the liveliest and best-preserved heritage precincts in the country. Photo / Getty Images
Visit Whanganui and enjoy one of the liveliest and best-preserved heritage precincts in the country. Photo / Getty Images
A weekend in Whanganui led Peter Dragicevich on the trail of one of the biggest scandals of the 1920s.
It's an extraordinary story, that of the dynamic mayor of Whanganui sentenced to hard labour for the attempted murder of a young man who was threatening to reveal his homosexuality. And it doesn't stop there. Paul Diamond's new book Downfall follows controversial mayor Charles Mackay's tragic and eventful life to its dramatic conclusion in Weimar-era Berlin.
The shooting happened in 1920 and if there ever was a city to transport you back to that era, it is Whanganui. Much of the central city's Victorian and Edwardian streetscape has been preserved – although, these days, many of the heritage buildings are embellished with street art.
Much of the Whanganui city's Victorian and Edwardian streetscape has been preserved. Photo / 123rf
Mackay wasn't top of mind when this trip was booked, so it was a happy coincidence to be staying at the Rutland Arms Inn, which features prominently in the saga. It was here that Mackay had a dinner date with the man who, a few days later, would attempt to blackmail him, unemployed returned serviceman and middling poet, Walter D'Arcy Cresswell. Founded in 1849 but rebuilt after a series of fires, this atmospheric pub also has a more genteel claim to fame, having hosted the Queen Mother in 1966. These days it offers comfortable rooms over a popular bar decorated with antlers, horse brasses, vintage beer coasters and historic photos of the town.
The Rutland Arms Inn features prominently in the Mackay saga. Photo / 123rf
Just around the corner from the Rutland Arms is Pukenamu Queen's Park which, along with Cook's Park on the adjacent hill, has been described as one of the most important planned streetscapes in the country – something which Mackay had a hand in creating. Facing each other across a broad square are the Whanganui Regional Museum and the Whanganui War Memorial Centre, the first dating from 1928 and the latter from 1960, but both elegant examples of their eras. Between them, stairs lead up past a British lion slumbering on a plinth, a memorial to Imperial troops who died fighting local Māori.
At the centrepiece of the architectural ensemble is the Sarjeant Gallery, shuttered and swathed in scaffolding until 2023 while a redevelopment is completed. Mackay was instrumental in the Sarjeant being built and even gave Cresswell an after-hours tour in the days leading up to the blackmail. Following the scandal, Mackay's name was literally chiselled off the foundation stone, part of a concerted attempt to erase him from the town's history (it has subsequently been reinstated).
The Sarjeant Gallery is shuttered and swathed in scaffolding until 2023 while a redevelopment is completed. Photo / 123rf
Joining the Sarjeant on Pukenamu is the Alexander Library. Call in to check out the display of vintage photos of Whanganui, and then set aside a good hour to peruse the Regional Museum. The local iwi may have been overlooked on the memorial outside, but they're at the centre of things here. The main hall is dominated by a magnificent carved waka taua, and there are fascinating displays on the historical and spiritual significance of the Whanganui River. Mackay gets a mention in a display of period furniture upstairs, donated by his daughter Josephine Duncan (his children's surnames were changed following his conviction).
The elegant Whanganui Regional Museum. Photo / 123rf
Saturday morning in Whanganui means just one thing, the buzzy riverside market. Dozens of stalls sell everything from hāngī food to possum-fur socks, with a backdrop of waka ama crews battling it out on the broad, brown river. Weekends also see the paddle steamer Waimarie taking a leisurely pleasure cruise upstream, just as it did in Mackay's time when the Whanganui River was being touted as the Rhine of the Pacific.
The streets around the markets are peppered with art galleries and studios, including the temporary home of the Sarjeant which is currently operating out of a historic warehouse on Taupo Quay. The most mesmerising is New Zealand Glassworks on Rutland St, where you can watch the blowers at work below while admiring their artistry in the mezzanine gallery.
It was in the next block up from the glassworks that Mayor Mackay shot and injured Cresswell. The building still stands on Ridgway St, an attractive wooden early-Edwardian structure emblazoned with the words 'Meteor Printers Limited'. Mackay's office was on the first floor, just above the end of the sign.
For a better understanding of what might have led one gay man in 1920s New Zealand to blackmail another, you'll have to read Diamond's book. Then visit Whanganui and revel in a small city with one of the liveliest and best-preserved heritage precincts in the country.
Best Eating & Drinking
For stylish modern dining, head to Maria Lane. Breakfast options include Mud Ducks, The Yellow House and Little Curious Bagels. Porridge Watson is Whanganui's hippest bar by far. Frank Bar + Eatery conjures cocktails topped with smoke-filled bubbles within a cavernous heritage building on Ridgway St.
