Whitianga Ferry Landing Old Stone Wharf

Ngati Hei history abounds in amongst the waterways of Whitianga, and there are a few sprinklings of Pakeha history too.

One is the Old Stone Wharf at Whitianga Ferry Landing. On the opposite side from the township, the ferry lands upon a wharf built from stone in 1837, by a Mr Gordon Browne. Browne was a timber merchant from Sydney and an early arrival in the Coromandel. His stone built wharf, which he must have had local help in constructing, is now the oldest serving structure of this type in all of Australasia. Serving presently as the ferry wharf, having been reinforced with concrete and upgraded, the original purpose was for berthing vessels for the export of kauri logs, and later, dressed timber from the locally operating mill. Kauri constructed cottages and other dwellings are common in parts of Sydney, the logs having been sourced here during this era. It is said that 500 million feet of Kauri timber made its way out of this port, before it totally ran out in the 1920s. Flax also became a regular export, hence the name of nearby 'flaxmill bay'.

One feature of the recent wharf upgrade is the installation of a three metre navigational compass mosaic by James Webster in conjunction with Ngati Hei. Landscaping and a replica wooden derrick were installed to instil a sense of the history of the Category One Heritage site.

From here, an excellent walk up historic Whitianga Rock takes you to a much older pa site, with impressive views. A longer walk from here is the Maramatotara Track via Shakespeare Cliff. At 'Back bay' there is another Pakeha structure to see, a stone boom, created in the 1880s to keep Kauri logs contained. It is reported to have been made by hand with stones taken from the pa site.

The Ferry itself is a useful service in this neck of the narrows, it is a very short ride, which circumvents a very long drive.

Ferry Landing Whitianga by Simon Williams

Image Credits: Ingolfson and Auckland Libraries Special Collections, New Zealand Graphic 25 August 1906, Photo of early morning at Whitianga, Mercury Bay, looking over the Kauri Timber Company's mill and wharf.