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NZ's One Stop Clock Shop |
| How "The Clock Peddler" shop came to be |
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Roger
and Christine Schofield had for some time had a dream
about starting a retail clock shop in New Zealand.
A shop that carried a wide range of clocks of all
sizes and styles and really gave customers a choice
from which to choose from.
Roger’s
background in sales and marketing led him in a roundabout
way to the job of running the world famous Claphams
Clock Museum in Whangarei, where he developed a fascination
for clocks of all styles and vintages. Researching
the background and personal history of the 1600 items
in the collection left him with a great respect for
the clock makers of the last 300 years and a love
for the quality and beauty of these timepieces, many
of them treasured family heirlooms.
Often
the clocks were donated to the museum because the
owner had nobody to leave the clock to. Sometimes
they were donated because they had too many descendants
and couldn’t decide who should get the clock.
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Clocks made from swamp kauri |
Grandfather clocks |
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The
oldest clock in the museum was 270 years old and still
faithfully keeping the time and striking the hour.
It occurred to Roger that a well-made clock, faithfully
maintained over the years, will perform its duty almost
indefinitely. The beloved clock can then be passed
on from generation to generation and becomes a living
link with the past whilst still being a thoroughly
useful possession. Imagine owning a clock that had
been in your family since 1730 and was still going.
Unfortunately,
usually owing to a lack of space, most shops retailing
clocks only carry a very small number of items. There
are some magnificent clocks available today that have
never been seen in New Zealand. It is Roger and Christine’s
intention to start stocking these clocks in their
shop.
The
choice of Tirau to open their shop was not a hard
one to make. Given the statistics of the travelling
public in New Zealand, both national and international,
meant that the shop needed to be located between Auckland,
Rotorua and Taupo. Tirau fitted the bill perfectly
and has already become a retailers dream thanks to
the vision of Henry and Ann Clothier. Next time you
are travelling in the North Island stop at Tirau for
a break and visit this unique “clock shop”.
You’ll find Tirau about half way between Tokoroa
and Hamilton. You will not be disappointed and are
bound to have a great “time”.
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Roger,
Christine and daughter Kylie with the
Minister of Tourism, Mark Burton MP,
who was visiting Tirau in April 2002. |
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Roger and Gerd Hermle. Gerd is the owner of
Hermle Clocks of Germany and are the biggest
manufacturer of clocks in the world. About two
thirds of the clocks in our shop are made by
Hermle. |
Comments from visitors
to The Clock Peddler:
| Miriam of Matamata |
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"Love those cuckoos!" |
| Nelis Family, Waikato |
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"Really cool clocks" |
| Fran, Queensland |
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"Great variety" |
| Hannah, Auckland |
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"Gorgeous German cuckoo clocks" |
| Emma, Putaruru |
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"Very well presented shop, shop
really cool" |
| Melissa, Auckland |
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"Beautiful store and lovely people" |
| Logan, Albany |
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"This place is so cool" |
| Janette, Brisbane |
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"A joy to wander through - many
thanks" |
| John, Blockhouse Bay |
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"Tick tock - this shop rocks" |
| Janice, Nelson |
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"Fascinating - gobsmacked" |
| Tania, Waimate |
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"Never seen so many clocks in my
life" |
| Danielle, Hamilton |
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"I love clocks NOW" |
| John, England |
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"Never seen anything like it" |
| Tony, South Australia |
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"Awesome collection, never seen
better - will be back" |
| Jan, Cambridge |
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"Stunning selection" |
| Mary, Dannevirke |
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"Wonderful shop and somewhere to
get what we wanted" |
| Sid & Jenny, Australia |
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"Fabulous - need more time to look
at everything" |
| Alan, Norfolk Island |
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"Great and soothing" |
| Keith & Mary, United Kingdom |
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"Congratulations, beautiful clocks,
lovely people" |
| Mike, Rotorua |
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"Peaceful and great display of clocks,
fantastic" |
| Kevin, Queensland |
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"Beautiful, love them" |
| Sylvia, Australia |
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"Nice way to pass the time" |
| Amanda, Beachmere |
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"Not enough hours in the day" |
| Tania, Spain |
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"Lovely - takes me back to Europe" |
| Hazel, South Africa |
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"If I had a big enough house I'd
take the lot!" |
| Barbara, Matamata |
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"Absolutely wonderful selection" |
| Laurie & Lorraine, Waipukurau |
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"Wunderbar" |
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Various clocks on display at The Clock Peddler |
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Our tide
clocks will help you catch the big fish
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