Kaihu
Encyclopedia
Kaihu is a locality and settlement in Northland, New Zealand
. The Kaihu River runs through the Kaihu Valley into the Wairoa River
near Dargaville
, approximately 32 km south east. State Highway 12 runs along the valley and passes through Kaihu settlement. Aranga
is about 10 km north west. The Kaihu Forest is to the east and the Marlborough Forest is to the north.
The local hapu are Te Roroa
of the Ngāti Whātua
iwi.
originally occupied the area, but were evicted and replaced by Ngāti Whātua around 1640 CE
. In 1806 during the Musket Wars
, battles were fought between Ngāti Whātua and Ngā Puhi over a pa near Kaihu, and a further raid occurred in 1825.
Samuel Polack may have been the first European to visit Kaihu, in 1832. John Whiteley described Kaihu as "the principal village of Kaipara" in 1834 and recommended it as a suitable place for a mission to be built.
Several Europeans tried to purchase land at Kaihu before a deadline on land purchases set for 14 January 1840 by Sir George Gipps
. An attempt to purchase 18,000 acres (7300 ha) by James Salter and others in March 1839 was disallowed. Thomas Spencer purchased 400 acres (160 ha) of land in Kaihu in September 1839.
A railway line to service the kauri
industry was built from Dargaville along the valley to Kaihu in about 1883, and extended to Donnellys Crossing in 1921 (becoming known as the Donnellys Crossing Section). As the roads improved, the line became uneconomic, and it was closed on 18 July 1959.
A town grew up, initially called Opunake, but by the end of the century called Kaihu. In the 1890s, with both the timber and gum-digging
trades expanding, and a road built from Dargaville, the population of the town increased from 200 to 500. A sawmill was established in Kaihu about 1898 for kauri and totara, with a capacity of 3 million feet per annum, although this capacity may never have been fully utilised. Two large floods occurred around the turn of the century, one of which destroyed a large part of the mill. The mill closed in 1915, which caused the population of the town to halve.
Maropiu District High School, to the south of Kaihu, closed in 1973.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. The Kaihu River runs through the Kaihu Valley into the Wairoa River
Wairoa River, Northland
New Zealand's longest Wairoa River runs for 150 kilometres through the northern part of the North Auckland Peninsula. In the upper reaches, the river is formed from two separate rivers, the Manganui River and - confusingly - the Wairua River. The two streams meet to the northeast of Dargaville,...
near Dargaville
Dargaville
Dargaville is a town in the North Island of New Zealand. It is situated on the bank of the Northern Wairoa River in the Northland region. The town is located 55 kilometres southwest of Whangarei....
, approximately 32 km south east. State Highway 12 runs along the valley and passes through Kaihu settlement. Aranga
Aranga, New Zealand
Aranga is a locality in Northland, New Zealand. State Highway 12 passes through it. Omapere is 47 km north west, and Dargaville is 42 km south east. The Waipoua Forest is to the north...
is about 10 km north west. The Kaihu Forest is to the east and the Marlborough Forest is to the north.
The local hapu are Te Roroa
Te Roroa
Te Roroa is a Māori iwi from Northland, New Zealand....
of the Ngāti Whātua
Ngati Whatua
Ngāti Whātua is a Māori iwi of New Zealand. It consists of four hapu : Te Uri-o-Hau, Te Roroa, Te Taoū, and Ngāti Whātua-o-Ōrākei....
iwi.
History
Ngāti AwaNgati Awa
Ngāti Awa is a Māori iwi centred in the eastern Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand.Ngāti Awa comprises 22 hapu , with 15,258 people claiming affiliation to the iwi in 2006. The Ngāti Awa people are primarily located in towns on the Rangitaiki Plain, including Whakatane, Kawerau, Edgecumbe, Te...
originally occupied the area, but were evicted and replaced by Ngāti Whātua around 1640 CE
Common Era
Common Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
. In 1806 during the Musket Wars
Musket Wars
The Musket Wars were a series of five hundred or more battles mainly fought between various hapū , sometimes alliances of pan-hapū groups and less often larger iwi of Māori between 1807 and 1842, in New Zealand.Northern tribes such as the rivals Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Whātua were the first to obtain...
, battles were fought between Ngāti Whātua and Ngā Puhi over a pa near Kaihu, and a further raid occurred in 1825.
Samuel Polack may have been the first European to visit Kaihu, in 1832. John Whiteley described Kaihu as "the principal village of Kaipara" in 1834 and recommended it as a suitable place for a mission to be built.
Several Europeans tried to purchase land at Kaihu before a deadline on land purchases set for 14 January 1840 by Sir George Gipps
George Gipps
Sir George Gipps was Governor of the colony of New South Wales, Australia, for eight years, between 1838 and 1846. His governorship was during a period of great change for New South Wales and Australia, as well as for New Zealand, which was administered as part of New South Wales for much of this...
. An attempt to purchase 18,000 acres (7300 ha) by James Salter and others in March 1839 was disallowed. Thomas Spencer purchased 400 acres (160 ha) of land in Kaihu in September 1839.
A railway line to service the kauri
Agathis australis
Agathis australis, commonly known as the kauri, is a coniferous tree found north of 38°S in the northern districts of New Zealand's North Island. It is the largest but not tallest species of tree in New Zealand, standing up to 50 m tall in the emergent layer above the forest's main canopy. The...
industry was built from Dargaville along the valley to Kaihu in about 1883, and extended to Donnellys Crossing in 1921 (becoming known as the Donnellys Crossing Section). As the roads improved, the line became uneconomic, and it was closed on 18 July 1959.
A town grew up, initially called Opunake, but by the end of the century called Kaihu. In the 1890s, with both the timber and gum-digging
Gum-digger
Kauri gum, a fossilized resin detracted from kauri trees, is used for chewing or tattooing, and often is made into jewellery. The gum comes from kauri trees found in Agathis australis forests. The trees once covered much of the New Zealand North Island, before Māori and European settlers caused...
trades expanding, and a road built from Dargaville, the population of the town increased from 200 to 500. A sawmill was established in Kaihu about 1898 for kauri and totara, with a capacity of 3 million feet per annum, although this capacity may never have been fully utilised. Two large floods occurred around the turn of the century, one of which destroyed a large part of the mill. The mill closed in 1915, which caused the population of the town to halve.
Education
Kaihu Valley School is a coeducational full primary (years 1-8) school with a decile rating of 2 and a roll of 24. A native school first opened at Kaihu in 1887, but was replaced by a government school in 1897. The current school celebrated its centenary in 2004.Maropiu District High School, to the south of Kaihu, closed in 1973.