WAIHI BEACH HISTORICAL GROUP
No 7 of a series of articles written by the Waihi Beach Historical Group in support of the Waihi Beach, Bowentown and Athenree History Event October 13 — 17.
ATHENREE
Nganarama, the first settled inhabitants, built the pa¯ at Koutinui.
Later Tainui canoes merged into the population over time, and today the Wha¯nua a Tauwhao are the descendants of these. Puketoki was another terraced pa of about 32ha. After Vesey Stewart purchased the surrounding land most of the Ma¯ori there left for further afield.
Harley Senior built his house and store where the domain is today. Dora Handley (nee Rapley), in the hinemuri Regional history Journal May 1966, alleged that the land “was originally purchased from the Ma¯oris — “swapped for a red shirt” — by Harley Senior. This property comprised about sixty acres [24ha] and the house was named Tin Pot Castle. Mr Harley Senior left it to his son Fred and later to his brother Harry.”
George Vesey Stewart purchased the area from the Crown in 1875 so that he could bring out settlers from Ulster, the two most significant being Adela and Hugh Stewart 1878 who built the Athenree Homestead. In 1890 a Post Office was opened at Athenree Homestead. The Homestead on the corner of Athenree Road and State Highway 2 has been restored from original plans and is a historic reserve today.
The road to Tauranga, built by Armed Constabulary and local Ma¯ori labour in 1881, opened access to the area, enabling locals, travellers and even Te Kooti who visited the Athenree Homestead in 1884.
John Rapleys’ father in Vernon My Life and times by John Rapley (2011) wrote that only Rapleys and four other settlers were present along the Bowentown Road, (now named Athenree Road) in the early 1920s, including Fred Harley of Tin Pot Castle living alone, Jackson who kept the little store at the ford and the Gregory family who had a small farm and were neighbours.
“Fred Harley was a great horse and cattle man. His farm consisted of the two thousand acre [809ha] basin between Bowentown and the now Waihi Beach Township. This land was so isolated that Fred paid neither rent or rates. He raised, at least, a couple of hundred head of cattle each year of all colours, shapes and sizes. This style of farming must have been quite profitable. When a cow calved she was brought in, the calf secured and tied to another one of similar size forcing the cow to raise two vealers. The job was professionally done as the calves were joined by stout leather collars with a short strap swivel between the two calves.
“Fred’s neighbour, Jackson, was a bachelor who ran a small store at Bowentown with a 90 per cent Ma¯ori trade. There must have been at least 100 Ma¯oris settled here at the time. They grew maize, ku¯mara, potatoes which they loaded onto a barge or launch at the wharf and sold them in Tauranga.
“When Wallace, Reg and I took on cartage contracting it took us a while to understand the timing of the tides. Sometimes they were very high, and of course, altered twice every twenty-four hours. We were frequently caught out and sometimes had to travel under the stars. If we were late, no doubt due to the distance we had to cart the stuff, this meant the tide covered the load — one and a half yards and very heavy when wet but we had to struggle out somehow. We were lucky to have good reliable teams of horses,” John noted.
He wrote that public was delighted when Kingsford Smith landed a plane at Athenree in 1929 and again 1934.
“Some locals paid ten shillings to have a ride in the Fokker and talked about it for years to come. My grandfather rode a horse from the Karangahake Gorge brandishing his ticket, and then back home again for milking after his flight. The family still has the ticket today.”
David Nicol purchased about 2ha which he developed into a camping ground and opened to the public in 1946. Being employed by the Athenree Forestry Department, he raised and planted the trees surrounding the grounds today. In 1963 he sold the camping grounds to Tauranga County Council for a public domain. Keith Harwood planted the Norfolk pine which is prominent in the domain today.