History

Sentinel rock and the groyne

The history of the Mangawhai River and breakwater is only recorded from our early European settler days. We don’t have stories from local Maori as they were virtually decimated in the battle of Te Ikaa-Ranganui in 1825.

Known as the ‘black death’, drownings were not uncommon in the settlement’s early days and the Mangawhai River took many lives. Often the drownings were because a ship or boat had foundered on rocks near the entrance to the harbour. From the 1860s, residents and shipping personnel tried to convince the Provincial Government to finance the creation of a breakwater between Sentinel Rock and the quarry area. They were initially told that the government would finance half of the costs. However, negotiations carried on for many years with little progress and only intermittent attempts to remedy the dangerous harbour entrance. At one time, 40 men were sent up from the Waikato area, being recent arrivals in New Zealand. However, it seems that whoever sent them didn’t check their skills or qualifications. One came from the honourable career of lacemaking. It would have been interesting to know how he got on with the work of carting soil and dumping it in the channel. A contractor was finally found who had some degree of knowledge. But a disaster occurred when three of his hired workers were killed in a rock fall at the nearby quarry, where stone was being taken to fill the channel. The men were Alexander Duncan, Lawrence McWatt and William Craig. They died instantly on Monday August 13, 1866, and all three are buried in the St Michael and All Angels Church cemetery, in Hakaru.

More than £2000 had been wasted on the project by 1876, when a new contractor arranged with local and retired army men from the 58th Regiment to do the work of filling in the channel. These men had also spent several years as boat and ship builders at the McInnes/McKenzie shipyard, on the Mangawhai River, which gave them a great knowledge of the waters around the harbour and its entrance.

When completed in the late 1870s, the breakwater served watermen and fishermen alike for more than 100 years. The groyne was topped up again during the Big Dig in February 1991.

8 Enduring Power of Attorney/Residential care transition, Warkworth Library, 10.30am-12 noon. Presented by Paddy Sullivan, Age Concern Rodney.

8 Matakana Community Meeting, Matakana Hall, 7pm – what does community resilience look like? All welcome

11 Warkworth Hockey Club agm, ITSS Engineering, 24 Morrison Dv, 6pm. All welcome

12-14 Cats, Warkworth Town Hall, presented by Glass Ceiling Arts Collection. Tickets: www.glassceilingartscollective.com

15 Low Vision Support Group, Summerset Falls Village, Warkworth, 1.30pm. All welcome. Info: enquiries@mcdonaldadams.co.nz

15-21 Hospice Awareness Week (see story p23)

18 Menz Shed Warkworth annual general meeting, Mahurangi East Community Centre, 1pm

18 Pink Ribbon brunch, Warkworth Town Hall, 10am-1pm

18 Forest & Bird Warkworth Area Branch meeting, with a talk by Lawrence White from Butterfly Creek: ‘Everything you didn’t know about giant weta’, 7.30 pm. Note: New venue – Meeting room RSA, Warkworth. All welcome.

19 Artificial Intelligence: The Future of Thinking, a talk by Professor Michael Witbrock, School of Computer Science, Auckland University; to be held at Besouls Funeral Home, Gumfield Drive, Warkworth, 2pm. This talk is organised by Warkworth U3A, but members of the public are welcome. Free

19 Quiz Night, fundraiser for Warkworth Primary School junior campus. Tickets available from the school – $40 singles, table of six $220. Doors open a 7pm for 7.30pm start.

20 Wedding Dresses through the Decades, Whangaparaoa College, 3pm. Fundraiser for Harbour Hospice

20 Song writing workshop, old Masonic Hall Baxter Street Warkworth, form 11am (see brief p35)

21 Puhoi Sports Club annual general meeting, 2pm

21 Kowhai Singers present Vivaldi’s Gloria, Warkworth Town Hall, 4pm (see story p31)

22 Support for Seniors, Warkworth Library, 10.30am-12 noon. Presented by Paddy Sullivan, Age Concern Rodney.

26-28 Wellsford Drama Club presents Keep to Thy First Wife, Wellsford Community Centre, 7pm (Friday and Saturday) and 2pm matinee on Sunday. Tickets $20 at the door (see story p21)

27&28 Albertland Celebrations, Albertland Heritage Museum. Info: https://albertlandmuseum.co.nz/

28 Fabric Rescue Market, Matakana Community Hall, 10am-2pm. Sale of unwanted fabric and craft/sewing items for koha. Info: Julie Tuck on 027 570 8151 or email fabricrescuemk@gmail.com

28 Stephen de Pledge presented by Warkworth Music, Warkworth Town Hall, 4-6pm

29 Life without a car, Age Concern Rodney Health Promotion, Warkworth Library, 10.30am-midday

30 Wellsford Plus annual general meeting, Wellsford Community Centre, 6.30pm. All current members welcome.

4 Tawharanui Planting Day, 9am-1pm. Meet at the Woolshed; tools, gloves and lunch provided

7 Warkworth Liaison Group meeting, downstairs meeting room at Warkworth RSA, Mill Lane, 7pm. Guest speakers from Vector

17 Improv Comedy Night, Warkworth Squash Club, Shoesmith Street, 7.30pm. Tickets $25 per person. Contact Kaye Jackson on 021 135 7574 or squashykaye@icloud.com

19 Low Vision Support Group, Summerset Falls Village, Warkworth, 1.30pm. All welcome. Info: enquiries@mcdonaldadams.co.nz

WARKWORTH TOWN HALL

Warkworth Town Hall has been a centre of community life for Warkworth, Kaipara and the Matakana Coast for over 100years. The recently renovated hall and facilities are available for everyone in the Mahurangi community to hire. In the entranceway to the Warkworth Hall stands an octagonal memorial to the members of our local community who fought in the Great Wars. It lists the towns and villages in our community whose men and women 'signed up', were all farewelled and some welcomed home - at Warkworth Town Hall. 100 years on, the residents and families of these same communities have contributed to the restoration of this important local building, through their rates and donations.

Saturday 27th May, 10am-2pm next to Warkworth Butchery

Tuesday 6th June, 5.30 - 8pm

IF YOU WANT TO SUPPORT MORE LOCAL, THEN WHY NOT JOIN US! Treat

• Tony from "Mead in New Zealand"Oak aged award winning Mead

• Diana from "Four Little Birds"

Patisserie and Cakes

• Christina from "Reveal Yourself" Holistic Healthy Nutrition