Our Story

History of Mangawhai

The history of the Mangawhai community is closely bound to its harbour.  Arrival by sea, shipwrecks, attempts to enter the harbour, shipbuilding, the building of a wharf,  efforts  to make the harbour safer for boats and shipping, began in 1860 and continue today Mangawhai Harbour and its surrounding catchment area is a unique and magical place. This is an area with a rich Maori and early European settlement history and, more recently, a story of a struggle to maintain and restore a harbour.

Maori Heritage

Maori saw the area as one of strategic importance – the close proximity of the Mangawhai Harbour to the Kaipara Harbour enabled portage from coast to coast. The rich volcanic soils of the Tara grew kumara. The sea and the foreshore provided prolific shellfish and seafood. The population was decimated during intertribal warfare in the 1820’s. The area has many old pa sites and middens identified in archaeological surveys.  The local iwi - Te Uri O Hau - have begun a consultation process with the Society to develop a display for the new museum.
 

European Influence 

Early European settlement depended significantly on the harbour as a point of access for the first settler farmers who included the military – soldiers who chose to be discharged in New Zealand.  Albertlanders, who settled further to the west on the Kaipara, used Mangawhai as a place of entry and Nova Scotians also were among the early arrivals.

Transport by sea was the only viable means of travel and even after World War 1 and the extension of the railway from Wellsford north to Kaiwaka, the state of the road between Mangawhai and Kaiwaka meant that a steamer service for the transport of passengers and goods was still significant until the late 1930’s. The wharf was an important resource and centre for the community until the decline in shipping during World War 2.  The entrance to the harbour has been a significant local concern since the first breakwater was established in 1863.

Timber, gum digging, farming and shipbuilding were sources of income for the growing community pre-1900. Some early farming families conserved pockets of bush in clearing the land, others planted to stop encroaching sand and awareness of the need to preserve the beautiful environment grew in the community.

The years 1900-1950 saw growing development of farming with the establishment of a dairy factory at Hakaru, but much farming was still at a subsistence level until the 1950’s. Commercial fishing has been a continuing occupation. Experimental planting of tung oil trees and tobacco feature in the district’s history, and more recently lifestyle blocks have grown avocadoes, olives and grapes.

In recent times the harbour has attracted development to the area, drawing residents and holidaymakers who delight in the swimming, fishing, boating and beautiful coastal and dune scenery. The typical Mangawhai beach holiday of the past is a story that the Society wishes to tell through the new Museum. Of significance was the number of farming families from surrounding districts who holidayed each year on the harbour’s edge.

The community has worked hard to battle nature and bureaucracy to reopen a closed harbour entrance, to stop sand mining and challenge thinking about the place of mangroves within the harbour. The story of the harbour restoration is a recent and ongoing part of Mangawhai’s story that will also feature in the new Museum. One of our members, Beverly Ross, has recently published a very good book on this subject, called "They Dared The Impossible".   A copy is available from the local library.
 

Wildlife Refuge and Iconic Sand Dunes 

The natural history of the area is significant.  There are rare  Dotterels, endangered Fairy Terns, and other shore birds nesting on the sand spit and south to Te Arai Point. The planned new museum is an obvious place for a display about these rare birds and the efforts that go into ensuring they survive each season. The restoration of the dunes and plantings are also an exciting conservation story.
 

 Family History

The Mangawhai Museum has a developing family history collection and the basic raw material to assist searchers- for example, photos, school rolls, cemetery records. However, at present we are not set up to provide research facilities and web mail enquiries are likely to be referred to our local historian  Beverly Ross and you should anticipate a charge for her services. Should you wish to do some personal search at the museum you will need to make an appointment to be assisted by a staff member. A charge of $40 per hour plus photocopying should be anticipated.

The early settlers at Mangawhai have been prolific. If your ancestors were neither Albertlanders nor Nova Scotians  or lived only in Mangawhai, we will of course, do our best to help you and indicate what posssible material we have or sources  and people who may assist.

Alternative Sources

Some of the stories and genealogy are better accessed through the Albertland Museum at Wellsford and the Waipu Museum. Both these museums have extensive databases with family trees and very knowledgeable people available.

 http://www.albertland.co.nz/         and      http://www.waipumuseum.com/