Last updated November 2026
The chimes that sound over the Heretaunga Street mall first rang from a tower that an earthquake brought down. The Hastings Clock Tower is a freestanding Art Deco tower in the city centre mall, where the railway line crosses Heretaunga Street close to Russell Street. It replaced the post office clock tower that fell in the Hawke’s Bay earthquake and was built as a sign of the town’s recovery.
Plaques on two sides of the tower list the names of the people of Hastings who died in the earthquake. Wreaths are laid here every year on the anniversary of the quake, and both Central Hastings Heritage Walks begin at its foot.
Practical Information
- Location
- Hastings city centre mall, at the Heretaunga Street railway crossing near Russell Street
- Access
- Stands in the public mall; Heritage New Zealand lists it as Able to Visit
- Heritage status
- Heritage New Zealand Category 1 historic place, List No. 1075
- Commemoration
- Hastings District Council holds a public ceremony at the tower each year on 3 February, the anniversary of the earthquake
- Status
- Check Hastings District Council’s website before you go.
About the Hastings Clock Tower
The Hawke’s Bay earthquake struck on 3 February 1931 with a magnitude of 7.8. It took 256 lives across Hawke’s Bay, and 93 of those who died were from Hastings. In the town centre the quake destroyed the post office building’s clock tower, which dated from 1910.
As part of the rebuilding, Hastings held a national competition to design a new clock tower. The winner was Sydney Chaplin, a local architect, whose design dates from 1934.
The tower was built by A Hampton and completed in 1935, with a clock made by W Littlejohns and Company of Wellington. The chimes that had hung in the old post office tower were salvaged from the debris and installed in the new one.
The tower was not built as a memorial. Heritage New Zealand and NZHistory both describe it as a symbol of the town’s recovery, and Heritage New Zealand calls it “a symbol of urban renewal and regeneration”.
The memorial role came later: in 1995 Hastings District Council added two plaques to the tower listing the names of the 93 Hastings people killed in the earthquake.
The council now uses the tower as the focus of its annual earthquake commemoration. On 3 February each year a public ceremony is held, wreaths are laid at the tower, and its bells ring at 10.47am, the exact time the earthquake struck.
The Building
Chaplin’s tower is an Art Deco design that stands on its own in the mall, unlike the old clock, which rose from the post office building. Heritage New Zealand registered it as a Category 1 historic place under List No. 1075, describing it as remarkably unaltered and held in high public esteem.
When you stand at the tower, look for the two name plaques on its sides. Together with the salvaged chimes overhead, they link the present tower directly to the building and the people lost in the earthquake.
Around the Clock Tower
The tower is the starting point of both Central Hastings Heritage Walks, East and West, set out in a booklet by the Hastings District Heritage Trails Society that you can download from Hastings District Council’s heritage trails page.
The East walk heads first to the former Westerman and Company store on the corner of Heretaunga Street East and Russell Street, a Spanish Mission building designed by Edmund Anscombe and rebuilt after the earthquake. Heritage New Zealand describes it as probably the first major building completed in Hastings after the quake.
From locals
Do any heritage walks start from the Hastings clock tower?
Do the chimes ring on the hour and can you hear them over the mall traffic?
No answers yet. If you know, a local would love to hear it.
Like Hastings’s outdoors?
Explore Hastings Weekly has a walk or park idea every week, plus local news and weekend picks. Free every Thursday.
Free. One email a week. Unsubscribe any time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the Hastings Clock Tower?
In the Hastings city centre mall, where the railway line crosses Heretaunga Street, close to Russell Street.
Who designed the Hastings Clock Tower?
Sydney Chaplin, a local architect who won a national design competition held as part of the town’s rebuilding after the 1931 earthquake.
When was the clock tower built?
It was designed in 1934 and completed in 1935.
Are the bells from the old post office?
Yes. The chimes from the post office clock tower, destroyed in the 1931 earthquake, were salvaged and placed in the new tower.
Is the clock tower an earthquake memorial?
It was built as a symbol of recovery rather than a memorial, but since 1995 it has carried two plaques listing the names of the 93 Hastings people who died in the earthquake.
When do the bells ring for the earthquake anniversary?
At 10.47am on 3 February, the time the earthquake struck, during the council’s annual commemoration at the tower.
Is the clock tower a listed heritage building?
Yes. It is a Heritage New Zealand Category 1 historic place, List No. 1075.
Spotted something incorrect on this page? Let us know.
Related links 3
- Heritage New Zealand: Clock Tower (List No. 1075): the full list entry, with the design competition, builder, clock and plaques.
- NZHistory: Hastings clock tower memorial: the tower’s place in the city’s recovery and the 1995 name plaques.
- Hastings District Council: Hawke’s Bay Earthquake Commemoration: how the city marks the anniversary at the clock tower.