Heading to port: In the earliest days of farming in Hawke's Bay, wool and tallow (rendered fat, used for making soap and candles) were the only saleable products.
And as shown by this group of men on horseback in 1895 - who are travelling to the Napier Port from Owhaoko through dense bush - delivery of the wool bales was quite a difficult task.
On difficult, sloping terrain, horseback was often the only way to transport, whereas on more flat land bullock drays were used.
When Thomas Tanner took delivery of the first steam traction engine to transport wool from his farms in February, 1883, this caused a great deal of excitement in Hawke's Bay. The excitement, however, was not shared by the Hawke's Bay County Council who became concerned at the ability of the province's bridges and roads to withstand their weight.
