Havelock North
Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand The Story of Our Village
COVER PHOTO/TIM WHITTAKER PHOTOGRAPHY
Welcome To Our Village Known locally as ‘The Village’, Havelock North has retained its ‘village’ character and strong sense of community while growing and becoming part of the wider district of Hastings and the province of Hawke’s Bay. “The Village” is now one of Hawke’s Bay’s premier attractions with its boutique shopping, cafe culture and its unique village atmosphere. It is the gateway to some of the best wineries in New Zealand and a 10-minute winding drive takes you to the Te Mata Peak lookout with 360-degree views over limestone cliffs and across the productive Heretaunga Plains which have made Hawke’s Bay what it is today. On a clear day, especially in winter, Mt. Ruapehu can be seen over the Ruahine Ranges. Hang gliders leap from here at 399 metres above sea level. People still come to the village for the same reasons as they did in 1860 – the beautiful landscape, the fertile plains, the rivers, the ocean, the lifestyle and for the various business opportunities that the district provides. The growth in the surrounding wine industry, coupled with the climate and abundance of outdoor and recreational opportunities has also provided significant growth for the tourism industry. Havelock North is a blend of old England, rural New Zealand and 21st Century cosmopolitan flair and colour.
Māori and Māori Land Sales The Havelock Hills were known as Te Mate to the Māori and Karanema’s Reserve was named for a son of Te Hapuku, a prominent Ngati Whatuiapiti chief. By 1858 the land surrounding Karanema’s Reserve had been leased to large landholders such as John Chambers, who first leased Te Mata in 1854. Te Mata region was part of a large piece of land bought by William Bernard Rhodes in 1839 but the sale didn’t eventuate due to local protests. In October 1853, Te Hapuku privately sold four blocks of Hawke’s Bay and, later, Kerenema’s Reserve was separated out of Te Mata block for Te Hapuku. In spite of territorial disputes, the Māori were still keen to sell land and Te Hapuku took a leading role in the sale of Te Mata which eventuated in the sale of Karanema’s Reserve to the Crown in 1858. The reserve became the site of Havelock North which was legally acquired by the Hawke’s Bay provincial Government in 1858 for £800.00. The land consisted of 4000 acres between the top of Havelock Hills and Ngaruroro River and was approximately two miles wide and three miles deep. The reserve was well situated on the main route south and ideally situated to act as a service centre.
The Ngauroro-Waimate or as commonly called the Karamu Creek, as seen from the Havelock Bridge in 1912. PHOTO/HAVELOCK NORTH LIBRARY
Early History The village of Havelock North sits on the south-eastern edge of the Heretaunga Plain above the swamp and lagoons that once made the plain almost uninhabitable until drained. Havelock North takes its name from Sir Henry Havelock, a British Major-General who was a hero of the Indian Mutiny in 1857 and is in keeping with the habit of naming towns after prominent men from Imperial India. Names associated with this period are used throughout Havelock North. The village was founded when the Provincial Government opened the village for settlement on 17th January 1860 with a policy to open up land for poorer settlers. Initially a total of 74 sections were offered for sale and were centred on the junction of the six roads that make up the focal point of Havelock North Village. Havelock North has a proud history founded on the hard work of a handful of New Zealand pioneering and pastoral families and the streets of Havelock North bear the names of these families – Tanner, Joll, Chambers and many more. It was originally envisaged that a larger town be formed for the site, but when the Wellington-Napier railway line was established for the area in 1874, Hastings became a more logical choice for residents as it took a more direct route some distance from Havelock North.
TOP. The Roofs of Havelock as taken from the Hastings side of the Havelock Bridge in 1912. LEFT. W.J. Millers’ Forge, circa 1926. PHOTOS/HAVELOCK NORTH LIBRARY
Village Layout & The Six Roads Bearing a vague similarity to the Union Jack, Havelock North was originally established to meet in a central hub of six roads radiated to connect with strategic points around the compass. The hub today is the roundabout in the centre of the Village. The original sections sold by the Hawke’s Bay provincial Government and the buildings that were erected afterwards were located near the crossroads of this central hub. The through roads were from Napier to Havelock North to Te Aute, known as Te Aute Road for its entire length and Havelock North to Patangata which was known then as either Middle Road or Middle Line (one of three possible routes for a railway line identified in the 1870’s) or the Patangata Road. The Napier through road was logically renamed Napier Road which originally included a crossing by ferry service before the Provincial Council found the funds to build two bridges in the mid-1860’s in order to complete this journey. Cobb & Co ran a twice weekly coach from Napier through to Waipawa via Havelock North by 1865, with an express service running between Napier and Havelock. The other main road leading into the village, Te Mata Road, straddles the base on the Havelock Hills and Te Mata Peak and was no-doubt established to provide access to Te Mata Station the property of Havelock’s earliest pastoralist, John Chambers. A short road, heading west, lead to the river, and with the construction of a bridge in the years to come, took travellers directly into Hastings. Another smaller road, Joll Road, named after one of Havelock’s earliest settlers, ventured east and into the Havelock hills.
PHOTO/TIM WHITTAKER PHOTOGRAPHY
Early Village Settlers In 1854, John Chambers built a small cottage for his family on a block of land which he leased from Kurupo Te Moananui. This was the first European house on the Heretaunga Plains and Havelock North’s first European resident. The sale of the first sections in the Village were to a variety of individuals whose occupations were noted as capitalists, graziers, settlers, merchants and settlers as well as a number of military, stationed in Napier with the 65th Regiment of Foot. Nearly all who purchased in 1860 did so as land speculators and within a few short years many had changed hands with the name of those who first bought no longer having any connection with the village as it is today. However, a number of sections were built upon, and within a few short years a total of six houses and one hotel had been built and the foundations of the village had been laid. Early village settlers with local, well known, names such as McHardy, Joll, Chambers, Danvers, Tanner and Couper all have streets named after them and many, a list too long to name, have descendants still living in and around Havelock North to this very day. This broad collective of early settlers, through their philanthropy, influence, foresight and fortitude shaped a unique village with a strong sense of community spirit.
LEFT. William Colenso / RIGHT. John Chambers. PHOTOS/HAVELOCK NORTH LIBRARY
Te Mata Peak Havelock North is situated at the base of the prominent landmark Te Mata Peak, a 399-metre outcrop, which according to local Māori legend is the body of a giant, Te Mata o Rongokako. Some of Hawke’s Bay’s most interesting history was forged in the foothills of Te Mata Peak, shown now by the many historic homes hidden in the scenic valleys of Havelock North. The most frequently told legend of Te Mata Peak is that the hill is the body of the Chief Rongokako the ancestor of all the iwi of Ngati Kahungunu. Although given to warfare, Rongokako was swayed from his plan to attack the Heretaunga people when he saw the beauty of the Heretaunga chief’s daughter. A series of difficult tasks were set for Rongokako to prove his worthiness. He completed all but the last, which was to eat his way through the hill. Looking towards the Peak from Hastings the huge bite that choked Rongokako can be seen. The outline of his body forms the skyline. The Peak was then known as Te Mata O Rongokako, meaning the face of Rongokako. The name commonly used since has been shortened to Te Mata Peak.
PHOTO/TIM WHITTAKER PHOTOGRAPHY
Early Village Life The first known building in the village, as characterised by their status as being the “hub of the country-side”, was a hotel built for John Bray on Section 68 between Te Mata and Te Aute Roads. Serving bullockies, travellers, farmers, drovers and others, by 1879 there were three hotels in the village but they were also popular social centres that were often used as meeting places for a variety of reasons. The Village began to flourish servicing the needs of business from the surrounding areas, and although there were few residents, by 1872 there was a general store, a smithy, a butchers shop, the first Presbyterian Church, Havelock School and the formidable sounding Havelock Boot Establishment. The major intersection where many buildings were clustered was dominated by ‘The Exchange Hotel’. The village soon became the service centre for those living in the area, predominantly farmers and the numerous people that they employed. The village was a place to have horses attended, repairs made, socialising with friends, a place to take children to school, attend church on Sundays and if entertainment was required, most had to make their own. However one festivity, indelibly stamped in Hawke’s Bay history, was inaugurated just three years after the founding of the village. In October 1863 the first show of the Hawke’s Bay Agricultural Society took place at a Mr Danvers’ paddock on Napier Road. The weather was fine and “large numbers availed themselves of the opportunity to enjoy a holiday….on no former occasion has Havelock presented such a gay and busy aspect”. This event was the forerunner to the now very famous Hawke’s Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Show, annually held in Hastings.
TOP. The Exchange Hotel, 1895. LEFT. Frank Redpath and Tailors shop, circa 1912. PHOTOS/HAVELOCK NORTH LIBRARY
Architecture Havelock North has a remarkable architectural heritage including many stately homesteads, with contributions by some of New Zealand’s most outstanding architects such as William Gummer, William Rush, and James Chapman Taylor and, in more modern times, Ian Athfield. Although many of Havelock North’s early dwellings were of a mission or military style , by the early 1900s a number of architects had left their mark with unique and innovative buildings that still stand to this day. Some of these heritage buildings are now boutique accommodation and others, like Duart House, built by immigrant Allan McLean in the style of Duart Castle in his native Scottish home on the Isle of Mull, and Keirunga Gardens, are community facilities.
TOP. Havelock North, Te Mata Road, 1909. TOP RIGHT. ‘Hillington’, Kopanga Raod, 1921. BOTTOM RIGHT. Modern Architecture, House of John Buck. PHOTOS/HAVELOCK NORTH LIBRARY
Religion Religion in Havelock North, originally following denominational followings, was driven by the wealthy pastoralist’s of the district with the beginning of Presbyterian services being held at the homestead of John Chambers in the early 1860’s. The Village became a Presbyterian parish in 1871 of some 800 square miles including town and country, with the first church opening in Middle Road that same year. However, the Village grew around the St Luke’s Anglican Church which was built in 1874 from native rimu and kauri timbers and designed by Napier architect Thomas Cooper in the style of English wooden churches familiar to local settlers. Interestingly, although the Catholic Church was one of the first land owners in Havelock North, it was only part of the Hastings parish and it was not until 1960 that the first Catholic Church was built in Havelock North. Village schools were also founded along denominational lines : Iona – Presbyterian and both Woodford House and Hereworth following Christian teachings and Anglican liturgy.
PHOTO/TIM WHITTAKER PHOTOGRAPHY
Schooling Although the first school of record in Havelock North was established in Middle Road in 1863, it was John Chambers who engaged a tutor to teach his children and several others at his Te Mata Peak estate and pushed for the establishment of the first school by setting up a school trustee board in 1864. By 1865 with Headmaster J Reynolds appointed and an enrolment of 15 boys and 11 girls, Havelock North school opened. Many of New Zealand’s oldest and highly regarded schools are located in Havelock North and the village quickly gained a reputation for its boarding schools. These include the girls’ school Woodford House - founded in Hastings in 1894 by Mabel Ann Hodge but moved to Havelock North in 1911; Iona College, a Presbyterian Church school for girls had its foundation stone laid in May, 1913 and Hereworth, a school established as Heretaunga School in Hastings in 1882, was also moved to Havelock North in 1913. Numerous primary schools are now located throughout the village, an intermediate school and in 1975 the secondary school, Havelock North High School, was established.
PHOTO/TIM WHITTAKER PHOTOGRAPHY
Thank you The Havelock North Business Association would like to thank the following for their invaluable contribution in the production of this book: The Havelock North Library Kim Salamonson Tim Whittaker – Photography George Williams – Black Dog Design Sam Jackman – Millhills Lodge Printing.com – Hastings
BACK COVER PHOTO/TIM WHITTAKER PHOTOGRAPHY
Š Havelock North Business Association 2013. All rights reserved. PO Box 8602 Havelock North Phone: (06) 873 7136 / Fax: (06) 877 1099 / info@havelocknorth.co.nz