“A little settlement, a few houses and baches, a stream, a footbridge, lots of sandhills, a beach and not much else.”
The banks of the Waikawa River have always been a popular area for settlement. Until the beginning of the 20th century, Waikawa often had a population numbering in the thousands.
Over the last two hundred years, diverse settlements have relied on the river for water, food, transportation, livelihood, recreation and communication with the wider world.
Waikawa’s windswept beach and sheltered river still attract people today — people who will enjoy finding out a little more of the history of their small piece of New Zealand.
river, kainga, ropewalk, farm, baches, waikawa beach
Please note that this material is © Catch 22.