Tangowahine is a community on the northern Kaipara Harbour

Kaipara Harbour

Kaipara Harbour is a large enclosed harbour estuary complex on the north western side of the North Island of New Zealand. The northern part of the harbour is administered by the Kaipara District and the southern part is administered by the Rodney District...

 in Northland, New Zealand

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 Tangowahine Stream flows from the Tutumoe Range east and then south to join 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,...

 at Tangowahine. State Highway 14 passes through Tangowahine. 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....

 is 12 km to the south west, and Tangiteroria

Tangiteroria

Tangiteroria is a small rural community in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located halfway between Whangarei and Dargaville on State Highway 14 on the banks of the Northern Wairoa river....

 is 15 km north east.

History

A bridge was built over the Tangowahine River in 1893-95, to allow a road from Dargaville to Tangiteroria to be completed.

Tangowahine was a mill town for the kahikatea and 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...

 timber trade. Robert Gibbon's mill was built around 1900 and included electric lighting. Steamers loaded timber at the town's two wharves. The S.S. Matarere ran a passenger service. The population was 402 in about 1910. The mill was rebuilt after a fire in 1916, and closed in 1931. Gum-digger

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...

s also operated in the area in the early 20th century.

From January 1931, Tangowahine was the terminus for the railway line

Dargaville Branch

The Dargaville Branch is a branch line railway that leaves the North Auckland Line not far south of Whangarei and runs westward to Dargaville. Construction of this relatively short line took approximately two decades, and when it was completed, it linked the now closed Donnelly's Crossing Section...

. In 1940, the line was extended to Dargaville.

Education

Tangowahine School is a coeducational full primary (years 1-8) school with a decile rating

Socio-Economic Decile

Decile, Socio-Economic Decile or Socio-Economic Decile Band is a widely used measure in education in New Zealand used to target funding and support to more needy schools....

of 4 and a roll of 46.