Whangaroa Health Services Trust

History

A sheltered harbour between Mangamp333nui and the Bay of Islands on the east coast Whangaroa Harbour is a drowned river system which explains the peculiar surrounding rock structures The township is dominated by a pinnacle known as St Paul with a twin St Peter facing it across the water At the head of the harbour are extensive mangrove swamps A quiet beautiful location surrounded by farms with popular ocean beaches nearby there is little indication of its turbulent and busy early years

Whaling ships visited as early as 1805 but ceased for 10 years after the massacre of the crew of the sailing ship Boyd by Mamp257ori in 1809 The chief Hongi Hika died at Whangaroa in 1828 In 1840 settlers arrived and the Catholic mission at Whangaroa was set up Whangaroa Harbour became a centre for timber gum and shipbuilding in the last three decades of the 19th century In the early 1900s it was a whaling base for a time

The main route north developed in the 1960s bypassed the settlement Today it serves locals and those involved in yachting biggame fishing and diving

In December 1809 the sailing ship Boyd anchored in Whangaroa Harbour to pick up a cargo of timber spars It was boarded by a group of Mamp257ori who massacred its crew and passengers in retaliation for the captains mistreatment of a young chief Te Ara also known as George In the attack the ship caught fire and sank in the harbour where it still lies

The township on the Kaeo River which flows into the Whangaroa Harbour about 4 km to the northwest is named after the kaeo a freshwater shellfish found in the river Kaeo was the site of WesleyDale New Zealands first Wesleyan Mission station established by Samuel Leigh and William White in 1823 The station was abandoned after a raid by warriors of Ngamp257puhi chief Hongi Hika