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The history of Ngunguru is intertwined with that of Tutukaka. Both
supported considerable populations of Maori in
pre-European times. Ngunguru had abundant
kauri timber while Tutukaka
offered a deep safe
anchorage.
In 1836 Capt. N.C. Phillips anchored the navy
ship H.M.S. "Buffalo" in Tutukaka while timber was
prepared for him at Ngunguru
. He drew up the first chart of "Nongodo".
James Busby purchased land at Ngunguru in partnership with Gilbert Mair and W.J.
Lewington in 1840 and together they established a timber mill which failed
financially in 1844. However others succeeded in milling the kauri of Ngunguru
and for many years
timber, and in particular roofing shingles, were exported from the
district. This industry attracted a large workforce of single european men
noted for their lawlessness.
In 1860 the Melanesian Mission ship "Southern
Cross" was driven ashore and wrecked in Ngunguru
Bay
. The crew clung to the rigging all night, making shore safely next
morning.
By the 1870s a bullock track linked Ngunguru with Whangarei
, and a boarding house was built.
Coal was discovered at Kiripaka
, at the headwaters of the river in 1892, and 620,000 tons were exported
down the river until the mines closed in 1921.
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