When climbing the Old Post Office tower to replace the flag on top of the dome, the flag team has to go up through the clock room, past the magnificent old clock mechanism. Until last month this lay silent, dusty and still.
Now that a flag replacement routine has been established, the team turned their attention to getting the clock restarted, encouraged by calls from Ponsonby locals wishing to see the clock working again. The flag team sought approval and permission to fix the clock which involved council, the landlord, and current tenants. This was achieved with the assistance of local councillor, Pippa Coom and goodwill and support all round. The next step was to track down one of the few horologists in New Zealand with the expertise to get the old girl working again. Michael Cryns was our man, being familiar with the Old Post Office clock along with the Town Hall, central library and Civic Theatre clocks.
The time came to restart the clock in early March, and with a bit of fine tuning the Old Post office clock should be on time next time you look up. The next task is to build a protective cover for the working parts. Once complete, the Ponsonby icon should be good for another century of service.
Words: Charles Scoones, Post Office tower flag minder and clock winding apprentice.
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