Tōtara North — “Old Fella”

The town was named after an enormous tōtara tree close to the water which was used as a mooring by coastal shipping. Mail and freight were left beneath the tree to be collected by the locals. Sadly, milling stole away this icon from the town and the future.

In its heyday Tōtara North had the largest shipyard in New Zealand or Australia, where some of the Pacific’s finest and fastest sailing vessels were built. The major player in the business was Lane and Brown’s shipyard and sawmill. Today the old mill belongs to Te Rūnanga o Whaingaroa, a local Māori administrative body, and until recently they used the crumbling sheds to house some of their beautifully carved waka (ceremonial canoes).