Ōpua sisters' historic Book of Ships to go on show

Myra Larcombe, left, and sister Nancy Greenfield with their records of the ships that visited Ōpua when it was still a busy port. Photo / Peter de Graaf

A slice of Northland maritime history will be on display at Kawakawa Library next month.

Over a period of more than 30 years sisters Myra Larcombe and Nancy Greenfield recorded the details and collected photos and other memorabilia from every ship that docked at what was then a bustling Ōpua wharf.

Their Book of Ships fills six albums and starts with the visit of the Suffolk in November 1957 and ends around 1989 when the Northland Regional Council replaced the Bay of Islands Harbour Board, berthage fees increased, and cruise ships took to anchoring off Kororāreka Pt instead.

The sisters' albums will be on display from 10am on Saturday, June 19. They will be on hand to answer any questions.

Larcombe will also bring her records from the Port Valley Committee formed to lobby the then Bay of Islands County Council to make improvements to the "Port Valley", as the area comprising Ōpua, Kawakawa, Moerewa and Ōtiria was known at the time.

Since October 2020 Kawakawa's public library has been housed in the Hundertwasser-inspired Te Hononga community hub.

The library is open until 1pm on Saturdays.