Hikurangi's History
Honouring history, sharing heritage.OUR RICH HISTORY
The history of Hikurangi is woven from the stories of its people, its industries, and its unique place in the North. From the early days of coal mining and gum digging to the vibrant community that thrives today, the museum preserves and shares these chapters for future generations. Here you’ll find photographs, objects, and memories that connect us to the spirit of Hikurangi and the lives that built it.
Early Hikurangi
Located some 15 kilometres north of Whangārei, the Hikurangi Valley has always been a bountiful place. It provided food and materials for Māori, who gathered tuna (eels) amongst kai and other resources from the area’s extensive waterways and repo (swamp). The area attracted the subsequent attention of early European settlers, due to its abundant supply of mature native timber and flax.
In 1862, a purchase of 12,000 acres by the District Commissioner of Lands marked the beginnings of Hikurangi as a town. A road between Whangārei and Hikurangi was created by 1875. Hikurangi became established as a centre for saw milling. Kahikatea and kauri were prized timbers taken from the numerous mills that operated nearby.
By the end of the 1880s the town was well established with a school, shops, two boarding houses, a police station, and a courthouse. In 1886, Hikurangi boasted a population of 93 persons.
Discovery of Mineral Wealth
Coal was plentiful in Hikurangi. In the 1880s, Hikurangi’s fi rst mine – ‘Keep it Dark’ – opened near the limestone rocks at Waro. The town’s population was boosted by the coal mining industry that followed. The output from the mines remained negligible until the railway was extended north from Kamo in 1894. By 1900, two large coal mining companies had monopolized the Hikurangi industry.
Silver, gold, antimony, and mercury were discovered nearby at Puhipuhi in the late 19th C.
Silver mining in the area concluded in the mid-1920s, but mining for mercury continued until 1946. Initially mined for other purposes, the mercury ore was used in the construction of WWII ammunition; making these mines of strategic and national significance.
Industry in Hikurangi
Coal output increased steadily in the early 20th C. A dairy factory opened in Hikurangi in 1904. By 1911, Hikurangi with 693 residents was just over one-quarter of the population of the Whangārei district. The town was prosperous.
By this stage, the kauri gum industry was in full production, but the timber mills were running out of resources as the lands were brought into pasture.
The Hikurangi repo, known as ‘The Swamp’, was one of New Zealand’s largest wetlands, until drainage works started in the late 19th C. The natural environment was altered as further land and water modifications were made throughout the 20th C. The potential for dairy farming in the area grew.
Services arrived with a telephone link in 1911, the construction of a post office and a town water supply in 1914, and a new school in 1922. Schemes to supply electricity to the town through waterworks or coal were considered long before electricity became available in 1937. From 1926, the settlement had a population of 1125 people.
The limestone formations at the North end of Hikurangi were, and continue to be an area of significance to Māori. A limestone quarry started operation in the 1920s at the site of Lake Waro, initially to quarry blocks of building ‘marble’, then limestone for cement purposes.
The coal mines at Hikurangi contributed noteworthy quantities to Northland’s coal industry. Two-thirds of Northland’s coal production came from the mines at Hikurangi (4.5 million tonnes). Hikurangi had at least 12 official, larger-sized collieries (mines), with many small, family-run enterprises also operating. The last mine closed in 1948 due to flooding. The establishment of Hikurangi Fisheries in the late 1940s provided more employment opportunities. In 1985, the Hikurangi Co-op Dairy Company was one of Northland’s last independent dairy companies to amalgamate into the Northland Co-op Dairy Company.
Hikurangi Today
Hikurangi’s early history as an independent settlement is maintained. It remains a service centre for the surrounding rural areas, and industries still operate out of Hikurangi: the limestone quarry, stock food, fish, and wood processing plants. Hikurangi continues to grow and prosper, with new people and businesses moving into the area.
The sudden growth of the town in the early 1900s gave Hikurangi a unique character. Visit the Hikurangi Museum to see the original Council, Courthouse, and Jail buildings. Our collection reflects different aspects of life from early Hikurangi including artefacts and photographs from the area’s industrial, environmental, military, social, Māori, and wider cultural histories.