About Kaiwaka

Kaiwaka a delight to see at night! The town lighting is quite spectacular. In 1997 the church was adorned with "angel" lights and since then many other businesses in the town have followed suit - a large sailing ship, a motorbike, scissors, sawmill, post box, fireman's ladder…

Kaiwaka is located on an ancient Maori portage between the East and West Coasts, the narrowest point between the Auckland Isthmus and the far North.
It is an easy 1½ hours north from Auckland or 45 minutes south from Whangarei, and is only a short distance east to Mangawhai or west to the Kaipara Harbour (quick access to water activities/fishing, boating).
Kaiwaka is a friendly community with a range of amenities - primary school, play centre, kohanga reo, community centre, health centre, St John Ambulance, Fire Brigade, the southern Kaipara District Council Service and Information Centre, various businesses and a modern sports complex set in the native bush of the Kaiwaka Domain.
Kaiwaka was settled by Europeans in 1859. At first they existed by subsistence agriculture supplemented by bush felling and gum digging. Then from the 1880's to 1900 one of the largest stands of the Kauri in the North was felled and conveyed by tramline to the Kaiwaka River. As many as six sailing ships at a time loaded logs in the Otamatea River.
Around 1900 a fire burned over Pukekaroro Mountain - this is now a reserve showing Kauri regeneration of ninety years. Traces of the bush tramway and booms described by Jane Mander in "The Story of a New Zealand River" may still be seen.
Dairy Farming then developed. Cream went to the Hakaru Dairy Factory or by launch to Maungaturoto and later by rail to Helensville. The rail reached Kaiwaka in 1913 and transport by water declined.
Large scale land development after World War II introduced a time of sheep and dairy farming prosperity. Now the smaller farms are being subdivided, which should contribute to the continued growth in Kaiwaka.

Some Kaiwaka Firsts.
For many years debate has raged over whom and when were the first Europeans to settle in Kaiwaka, which was then known as Te Ika-a-Ranganui. My research is inconclusive, but I can shed some light on who the first freehold owners were.

      In 1852 N.Z. males had been given the vote provided they owned freehold property valued at 50 pounds or paid 10 pounds a year in lease or rent. Women didn’t have the vote as the rules stated that those unable to vote were “juveniles, females, lunatics and criminals”, a rather harsh category to be put in. Some males possibly think it should still be that way.

      The Marsden electorate came into being in 1858 and in the April 1860 Rolls appear the names of John Morrison, lot 44, Te Ika Ranganui, Mongawhia, Alexander McKenzie, lot 23, Te Ika Ranganui, Mongawai, and Archie and James Stewart of Tikaranganui, lot 1 on the road between Mangawai and the Kaipara. These men had bought their land freehold in 1858/9.

      In the 1861 Rolls those listed as being freehold are James Blomfield, John Dutton, Francis Hull and Charles Judd in the Pukekaroro Block, with Henry Hadfield, James McDonald, Thomas Webster and Thomas Wilson being freehold in Te-Ika Ranganui.

      The year 1862 saw two further names added as “householders”, being Settlement Rd neighbours Alexander Cameron and William Leslie- both have the address of Parish of Kauraka, Mongawai.

      Spelling of place names was not a worry it seems, but causes problems for those trying to trace history on a computer. Mangawhai was spelt seven different ways, Kaiwaka and Te lka-a-Ranganui nearly as many.

      In 1867 the Auckland Provincial Council called for nominations for Road Boards and so the first local government body to be formed in the area was the Pukekaroro Highway Board, when a meeting was held in the Mangawai Hotel in February 1868. A bit of apathy must have prevailed as the first list of those elected did not get published until Oct, 1869, being Robert Ross, William Leslie, Jos Webster, Jos Boomer [Bowmar] and F.H.Hull who was elected chairman.

      The first meetings were held in the Chairman’s Barn, but after several changes in members, a special meeting was called by residents and held at the Kaiwaka Post Office in Sept 1871 where dissatisfaction was aimed at the Chairman and one other who were accused of improving the roads only leading to their properties, and of tampering with the books. A further meeting in December, after some acrimonious letters in the Daily Southern Cross, resulted in hisses, shouting, stamping of feet and fists being shown.

      The Kaiwaka Post office meeting' confirms that a Post Office did exist on Bowmar’s property from 1871.  In 1874 the annual meeting of the Pukekaroro Highway Board was advertised in the Daily Southern Cross at Kawakawa School.  ~ Bill Leslie, 12/04/11. (photo of WilliamLeslie Born 4th Jan 1828)