Whangamumu Whaling Station

Maybe in the past us Kiwis would have popped a feather in our ingenuity hat, for dreaming up a way to catch whales with nets. Successfully, for a century or so.

But we are not bragging about it anymore. Whangamumu Whaling Station, the productive centre of this practice, is just a dot on a map in a scenic corner of Northland now. But you can learn about it by taking a DOC walkway, off Rawhiti Road.

Starting in 1844, there was whaling here, but the big factory, the netting trick and the steam powered launches all began in 1892 under the company owned by Jagger and Cook. They were after right whales, sperm whales, pilot whales and humpbacks and they caught them all in increasing volumes. Upgrades from the standard whaling rowboats, The Wawiri (1901), and Hananui (1910) brought in the catch, which was dragged up a giant slipway and butchered here in the open air, the parts taken inside for processing. Artist Ryan Thomas, made sketches of the unique whaling net, and the practice of 'cutting in the blubber', in 1895, which are held at the National Library.

“My cousin brought piles of flax and directed that a net be made, there were two whales when it was initially tried. The first steered clear but the second was caught. It struggled and fought but was killed in the end. It completely wrecked the net. Rope nets were tried next but it was not until wire mesh was used that the process was judged to be satisfactory’’. EW COOK

Harpoons were still used to finish off the whales.

According to other records, like Te Ara, the whalers were about half Maori, half Pakeha, and other records show that they made some money. Even so, it became less economic as demand for the products died down, and then the ship The Niagra sunk nearby in 1940, leaving crude oil all over the bay, closing the station for good.

Two years later the factory shell was burned to the ground.

What's left to see, if you take the cruisy 5km (one hour) walk over the hill, or happen to be sailing by, is; the remains of concrete bins, (possibly steam vats for cooking meat and bones) the rusted out, but still impressive boiler, a bit of a rail track, and some brick walls. And heaps of information panels to explain exactly what went on here and when. Unlike the Proud Peranos of Arapawa, not a soul has stayed on lamenting the end of the whaling days.

The wharf has sunk below the waterline now.

A note for walkers might be that the beachfront sector of the walk is best attempted at low tide, and can be challenging at full tide. From here you can carry on to Cape Brett, and all the way around on the loop track if you have a bit more time.

Salmond Reed Heritage Architects have reported on it the station, and a full history is published in the DOC Heritage Assessment.

If you happen to visit, please consider sending some fresh images to NZPlaces.

Image Credits: Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections, Showing a gunner with a harpoon gun on a fast launch at Whangamumu, A group portrait of New Zealand whalers. Mr C Cooke and Company's harpooners and boatmen, Whangamumu, North Auckland.THE WHALING INDUSTRY AT WHANGAMUMU, NORTH AUCKLAND, N.Z.: SLICING THE BLUBBER OFF A 40ft WHALE.