The only surviving wooden blockhouse, Wallaceville, was built and occupied from 1860 to 1861 but was never involved in hostilities.
It was used as a Police Station from 1867-1880, and was declared an historic reserve in 1916. Today, the Blockhouse serves as the headquarters for a service club.
Contrary to the above information I clearly remember my Grandmother (born 1884 Maoribank) telling me that she and her older sisters (b1880 & 1882) were taken to the blockhouse during an 'emergency'.
The concentric rings of earthworks around the Blockhouse were bulldozed during the 1960's to increase playing field areas for the local High School.
http://discover.natlib.govt.nz/logicrouter/servlet/LogicRouter?PAGE=object&OUTPUTXSL=object.xsl&pm_RC=REPO03DB&pm_OI=1745&pm_GT=Y&pm_IAC=Y&api_1=GET_OBJECT_XMLTransactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand 1868-1961 The blockhouse is in a good state of preservation, the timber sound and still showing in places the marks of the circular saw; it was probably cut in Cruickshank's mill, the first to be erected in this vicinity, which produced some fine totara timber, The ground floor is divided into two rooms, the larger one containing the staircase, as also a small room in the south-west corner, like the sergeant's cubby-hole in a military barrack-room. Four sides of the ground floor present loopholed walls, the two interior walls being blank, save for the doorway and two windows as shown. There are twenty-four loopholes, as marked, not including three higher up to be occupied by persons stationed on the staircase. These loopholes are rectangular, formed with 1 in. timber, with the smaller end outward, the inner and larger orifice being 8 in. by 6 in. Some are still plugged with the original tompions—solid blocks of timber. The walls are flush-lined with 1 in. boards, and the outside weatherboarded with the same; studs, 6 in. The interior space is filled with fine gravel.
The upper floor is in one room, and is pierced with loopholes all round, on all six faces. The southern end has but two loopholes, but the two windows there are probably modern and not a part of the original plan. The west and north faces have each eight loopholes. The two interior walls have three each, two long vertical ones and a small square one between them. Two of these appear in the illustration. Not being a disciple of Vauban, the writer is unable to explain why these elongated loopholes should appear in two walls only, and those both interior faces. On the outer side these loopholes are 36 in. by 3 in., but the inner part is wider.
The blockhouse is built on piles, and roofed with corrugated iron; height of walls, 18 ft.
