48 Hours: Time travel to Whangārei's Town Basin on Hātea River

The Whangārei Town Basin and wharf on the Hatea River, 1895. The house on the far right is now repositioned and is the Northland Society of Arts' Reyburn House. The boat on the left is the Ngahau.

Mr J Edward's boatbuilding shed, Waikaraka 1898. From left, Wright (a well known New Zealand scenic artist), John Edwards, N Murphy, Jack Edwards, James Edwards.

In 1875, Whangārei was just a flimsy village on the colony's thin frontier between the seaways and the forested, rugged Northland (North Auckland) hinterland.

European settlements had been slow to get a foothold away from the region's harbours or rivers and the main routes still followed the waterways, whether by foot or boat.

Whangārei was not the biggest or busiest town or port in Northland but whereas others went through the boom and slow demise of the kauri timber and gum trade, it was well located and resourced to become the region's main service centre.

The better the roading network became, the bigger Whangārei grew. As the subject of 48 Hours' lead story this week is geographically located on the Hatea River, we've dipped into one of New Zealand's most valuable photographic archives to do some time travel on Whangārei's main waterway.

Drummond Te Wake Collection

The earliest known pictorial record of pioneer Whangārei, dated 1865, shows Cafler's home and the Whangārei Hotel, Walton St, the Settlers Hotel and the Presbyterian Church on the extreme right.

View from the Bluff of the Whangārei Town Basin, on the Hatea River, 1884.

Whangārei Town Basin and wharf in 1896. The NSS Co Chelmsford tows a cutter out to the harbour. The view is from the bluff corner on Riverside Drive.

The Whangārei Town Basin, circa 1890s.

Whangārei Town Basin and Wharf 1881. Buildings from extreme left: the Whangārei (Caflers) Hotel, San Souci, Caflers Store, Reyburn offices. The ship at anchor is the SS McGregor.

The Whangārei Town Basin and wharf on the Hatea River, 1895. The house on the far right is now repositioned and is the Northland Society of Arts' Reyburn House. The boat on the left is the Ngahau.