Levin clocks out

Life in Levin is anything but clockwork, with the town’s iconic town clock giving a different time on its faces.

The clock has been confusing both residents, and people driving past it on State Highway 1, for at least a week.

A donation from the Rotary Club of Levin, it was installed in 1999 and upgraded a decade later.

Horowhenua District Council property and parks manager Arthur Nelson said each clock face had its own motor, and two of the four motors had failed.

The German manufacturer of the clock confirmed the motors had reached the end of their lifespan, so all four would be replaced, he said.

But the repair job would not be easy. There is no internal access to the clock, so scaffolding would need to be built around the old post office below to reach it. The work would require traffic management, Nelson said.

Keeping the time correct was not difficult when the clock worked. A satellite-linked GPS world time controller automatically adjusts the time if there is a power outage, or when daylight savings rolls around.

The adjustment takes time, though, so the clock faces show the wrong time when it happens, Nelson said.

The clock is notorious for its hot-headed temperature gauge as well, often showing temperatures well above the Metservice one.

Nelson said the temperature gauge, independent from the clock mechanism, was in a less controlled environment than Metservice’s one in Levin.

It was hit by direct sunlight, and heat radiating from the building and tarmac, while the Metservice’s was isolated from such effects, he said.

‘‘We would not expect the temperature gauges on the town clock to show the same temperature as Metservice temperature gauges.’’