The Kopuku Mine Canal and Navigation by Stephen Desmond

The Kopuku Mine, Canal and Navigation New Zealandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Forgotten Waterway A Research Note, 14 April, 2017. Revised, 28 February, 2019.

Fig. 1 Retrieved from the Mangatangi Historical Group, http://mangatangi.org.nz/photos, 18 December, 2016. Approved for reproduction by the Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, reference AWNS-19130724-45-5, 14 March 2017.

Contents Abstract.................................................................................................................................................3 The Kopuku Mine and Canal..................................................................................................................3 Post Construction..................................................................................................................................6 Kopuku Military Resettlement Scheme..................................................................................................6 The End of the Canal..............................................................................................................................8 The Kopuku Navigation in Maps..........................................................................................................10 Spatial Context.................................................................................................................................10 The Ministry of Works and Development Plan................................................................................10 A Cadastral View..............................................................................................................................12 The 1942 Topographic view.............................................................................................................12 The Current (2017) Topographic view..............................................................................................14 Add WAMS Layers............................................................................................................................14 The Traced Map...............................................................................................................................16 The First (Maori operated) Canal.....................................................................................................17 Conclusion...........................................................................................................................................18 Bibliography.........................................................................................................................................19 Acknowledgements.............................................................................................................................19

Date 14 April, 2017 28 February, 2019

Revision History Reason First version New material concerning the old Maori Canal

Written and published on social media by Stephen Desmond sdesmond099@gmail.com Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0

Abstract The Kopuku Canal was part of a line of navigation between wharves at Kopuku and Mercer, Waikato Region, New Zealand. (Fig. 5) The other waterways in the navigation were the Maramarua, Kopuera and Whangamarino Rivers (also called Streams). It transported agricultural produce from c1872 until c1930, and coal until 1912. More recently, it has been lost to opencast mining.

The Kopuku Mine and Canal Around 1860, an observer on Onehunga Wharf would have seen a procession of wakas approaching from across the Manukau Harbour. They carried mainly flour, but also vegetables, pigs and chickens. They may also have carried another cargo, coal. Before the Waikato War, Maori in the region traded with the new European settlement at Auckland. Encouraged by missionaries and a handful of settlers, they mingled traditional practices with introduced agricultural and industrial techniques. Around 2000 canoes a year passed down the river, were portaged over the Waiuku land bridge, and were paddled over the Manukau to Onehunga (Vercoe, 1997). From early in the time of European settlement, it was known that coal existed south of Auckland. A mine near Drury was the subject of several proposed tramway and water routes to Auckland, (Fletcher, 1978). They were supplanted by a main line railway that eventually became the Main Trunk. The canal was built “by one of the old Coal Mining Companies”. Coal boats travelled down to a wharf on the Waikato adjacent to a railway siding. This was south of the Whangamarino Stream Bridge near Mercer. (Ministry of Works and Development, 1924-1926). The canal’s history is closely linked to the history of mining at Kopuku. There are several conflicting accounts of how these activities began and developed.  Oral tradition states that a mine, canal and tramway were constructed by Maori, to serve a Flax Mill (Morey, 2017). The canal and tram linked the first pit to the Kopuku Stream. This is shown in Fig.16. John Foote occupied a section at Kopuku in 1868 and developed Bridgewater Farm. He also reopened the mine and canal that he found on the site, later sinking a new shaft. After his death in 1878 the mine was closed for a

while but was taken over and reopened in 1885 by the Miranda Coal and Iron Company.  An alternative story (McGregor, Volume 19 Issue 2 (Feb 1964)) states that coal was discovered at Kopuku Landing in 1869. No date for opening a mine is recorded but mining “by underground methods” continued until 1912. There is no record of how coal was shipped out of the mine.  Another source (Our Thames Correspondent, 1872) noted the discovery of coal on Bridgewater Farm at Maramarua, and that the Maramarua River “discharges into the Whangamarino, which joins the Waikato near Mercer” but was “a small stream, but yet navigable to vessels of light draft”. The writer seemed to favour shipping coal by road to a creek on the Firth of Thames but noted the heavy costs of building roads and piers. There is an implication that someone was already using the Maramarua for transport, and this was likely to be farmers.  Yet another source, (From Our Corresponent, 1866) records that a Mr Cox was opening a Flax Mill on the Whangamarino River, near to the Waikato confluence, Fig. 2. He intended to transport the raw flax from higher up the Waikato valley, and the finished product to a railhead at Mercer, by river. This was conditional upon putting a lifting span into the Whangamarino Stream Bridge, carrying the future SH 1. It is not known whether any of this happened, but it is evident that the Whangamarino River was considered to be a prospect for transport. It is also possible that the Flax Mill was the one using coal from the earlier mine.

Fig. 2 Cox’s Flax Mill, Whangamarino, almost lost behind a balustrade. Beere, Daniel Manders, 1833-1909 :Negatives of New Zealand and Australia. Ref: 1/2-096117-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/22592999 Retrieved 18 March, 2016. A reasonable inference is that Kopuku or Bridgewater Mine opened sometime about or after 1870, replacing an earlier enterprise by Iwi, probably opened in or before 1863. The second canal and wharf were developed when the second mine opened, all continued to operate until 1912. The dimensions of the canal were:  Length, 45 chains (905 metres) (Measured on the Plan, Fig. 8)  Width, 25 feet (7.6 metres)  Depth, 4 – 5 feet (1.2 - 1.5 metres) (dredged) (Ministry of Works and Development, 1924-1926)

Post Construction After 1878, coal was shipped from Kopuku to the Whangamarino siding by a sternwheel paddle steamer owned by the Miranda Coal and Iron Company, Fig. 3. Later on, Caesar Roose had the trade, and may also have carried general cargo, produce and mail. (Vercoe, 1997). Coal was shipped in containers carrying half a long ton each, Fig. 1, and these were handled by a gin crane worked by a horse at Kopuku, and by a steam crane at Whangamarino, Fig. 4. (Morey, 2017). The canal was taken over by the Crown in 1912, under the 1908 Public Works Act. (Ministry of Works and Development, 1924-1926) There is no reason recorded why the canal was taken over, a possible explanation is that it was still being used to ship farm produce.

Kopuku Military Resettlement Scheme After 1918, the Department of Lands and Survey established a Military Resettlement scheme in Kopuku. The canal was key to this because of poor communications in swamp land. The soldier settlers bought their land on the understanding that the canal would be available for transport. Nobody appears to have thought that the swamp was unsuitable for settlement. (Ministry of Works and Development, 1924-1926). The canal was found to be partially blocked by silt, washed in from a drain constructed by the Maramarua Valley Land Company. The Maramarua Stream was obstructed by willow trees growing on the bank and stretching over the water. Mr Roose dredged up to Kopuku Wharf and the Waikato River Board undertook to clear the willows. (Ministry of Works and Development, 19241926) Unfortunately, the Board did not remove the willow cuttings. The next flood spread these over the land, where they took root. The stumps on the bank started to regrow. When the soldier settlers arrived, they found a swamp, covered in young willows. Most of them left immediately and the settlement was abandoned. (Ministry of Works and Development, 1924-1926) Two farmers, whose land was higher and dryer than the rest, stayed. They used a small launch to transport cream and general produce. (Ministry of Works and Development, 1924-1926). Mr Roose was using the canal after 1928. (Vercoe,

1997). It is not known whether he owned the â&#x20AC;&#x153;small launchâ&#x20AC;?. There is no record of when the canal and associated rivers finally fell into disuse.

Fig. 3 Barstow at Kopuku Wharf, Ray Morey Collection. Barstow was built as a tug and used at various times at Kopuku, and on both the Mokau and Patea Rivers. She was rebuilt at least once and appears to be a general carrier and possibly a passenger packet when this photograph was taken.

Fig. 4 Coal barge being unloaded at Whangamarino, Ray Morey Collection. Note that the containers are being emptied and are not being shipped to Auckland. The boat is similar to the boat in Fig. 1.

The End of the Canal The miners returned in 1948 and developed an open cast pit. They diverted the Maramarua to make space to dump the pit waste (McGregor, Volume 19 Issue 2 (Feb 1964)) and scooped out most of the canal, Fig. 5. For transport, they did not use either the canal or the rivers, but installed an aerial ropeway (Fig. 6). It is not likely that there is anything left to see of the canal today.

Fig. 5. Kopuku Coal Mine, Franklin District. Whites Aviation Ltd : Photographs. Ref: WA-68041-G. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/22868433 Date: 7 Aug 1968 Ref: WA-68041-G Retrieved 22 March, 2016.

Fig. 6. The ropeway, source unknown.

The Kopuku Navigation in Maps Spatial Context

Kopuku is in the north of the Waikato Region, east of the Waikato River and west of the Hauraki Plains. The site of the canal and its associated features can be found on the current NZ Topographic Map, Fig. 7. For convenience this has been accessed through the NZ Walking Access Commissionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mapping System (WAMS) (The New Zealand Walking Access Commission, Various Dates).

Kopuku

Fig. 7 The Ministry of Works and Development Plan

The Ministry of Works and Development made a plan of the Kopuku Settlement, including the canal, Fig. 8. This is undated but was likely to be at the time the Military Resettlement Scheme for Kopuku was projected, around 1920. (Ministry of Works and Development, 1924-1926)

Fig. 8 A detail from the plan shows the canal and some associated waterways, Fig. 9.

Fig. 9 A: The Canal B: Maramarama Land Corporation Drain, this deposited silt into the canal. C: This is not identified on the plan, but a sketch in the same file, Fig.10, identifies it as a previous (original?) course for the Maramarua River. D: Part of Maramarua River, old but not original course. E: Part of Maramarua River. Regular configuration suggests it may have been canalised. 11

Fig. 10 Detail from a sketch in the file (Ministry of Works and Development, 1924-1926) which identifies segment C in Fig. 9 as part of the “old” course of the Maramarua River. A Cadastral View

The cadastral (land parcels and titles) view shows the same features as the Ministry of Works and Development Plan, but the canal is part of a road reservation, Fig.11. Was the original intention to build a road, and was the western part of the road built as a canal, when the road builders hit a swamp? (Land Information New Zealand, 2015) The 1942 Topographic view

The canal and associated features are still visible on the 1942 Provisional 1 Mile Series topographical map. Fig.12, is a combination of details from Sheets N 48 and N52. The labels A, B, C, etc., have the same significance as before. The Maramarua River section E once more appears to be more “regular” in shape than the rest of the river, evidence of canalisation? Possibly the natural course of the river, downstream of the confluence with the Kopuku Stream, was wide enough to allow navigation.

Fig.11.

Fig.12

The Current (2017) Topographic view

Today, the canal appears to have vanished, the Maramarua has been diverted and a vast open cast mine has appeared, Fig.13. (The New Zealand Walking Access Commission, Various Dates) Add WAMS Layers

But the old courses of the Canal and the Maramarua River can still be traced as â&#x20AC;&#x153;layersâ&#x20AC;? in the Walking Access Mapping System, Fig.14. (The New Zealand Walking Access Commission, Various Dates). This is because legal designations for Road Reservations (purple lines) and Waterways (blue lines) may still exist, even when the physical objects are no longer present. This is certainly true for the Maramarua River and the Road/Canal Reservation near Kopuku.

Fig.13

Fig.14

The Traced Map

So, it is possible to trace the Kopuku Canal and its associated streams onto a modern Topographic Map, using a mix of current features and former features preserved as WAMS Layers, Fig.15.

Fig.15 1. Mercer, wharf and siding, coal transhipped here. 2. Part of Whangamarino River 3. Part of Kopuera River 4. Part of Maramarua River 5. Former part of Maramarua River, now diverted. 6. Canalised part of former Maramarua River 7. Part of old (original?) course for the Maramarua River. 8. The Canal 9. Former part of Maramarua River, now diverted. 10.Maramarua Land Company Drain

The First (Maori operated) Canal

The route of this canal was recorded on a Land and Survey Cadastral Map (Fig 16) (Morey, 2017).

Fig.16 The old Maori Canal at Kopuku, detail from Sheet NZMS013_SAK14_1923 (Land Information New Zealand, 2016) Several familiar features can be seen here; the later canal, the Maramarua River, the Kopuku Stream and the roads. The canal does not originate at the site of the second mine (maybe the Maori sank a pit in a different location, this was confirmed by (Morey, 2017)) and, whereas it is obviously heading for the Kopuku Stream, it does not actually get there. The plan may not be entirely accurate. The canal is not visible on the WAMS, so I have traced it, Fig. 17, as a dotted line (position not certain).

Fig.17 The Maori Canal and Tramway, conjectural position.

Conclusion The canal and the associated streams and rivers were a unity, both in history and operation. There is no recognised collective name for them, I suggest â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Kopuku Navigationâ&#x20AC;?. The Navigation lacked tunnels, locks, aqueducts and pubs with decent beer. But, despite its small size and insignificance, it deserves to be better known, as the only projected navigation canal that was actually built and used in New Zealand. There are gaps in the information held for it. Maybe this paper shall stimulate more research into its history.

Bibliography Fletcher, R. S. (1978). Single Track: the construction of the North Island Main Trunk Railway. Auckland: Collins. From Our Corresponent. (1866). VISIT TO THE WHANGAMARINO FLAX MILLS. Daily Southern Cross. Retrieved from http://natlib.govt.nz/records/5478497 Land Information New Zealand. (2015, July 22). Crown Land Survey Office Plan 64297. Retrieved from Landonline: http://www.linz.govt.nz/land/landonline Land Information New Zealand. (2016). In House Map Collection. Wellington. McGregor, G. W. (Volume 19 Issue 2 (Feb 1964)). Opencast Coal Mining at Kopuku, Maramarua. New Zealand Engineering, 39 - 46. Ministry of Works and Development. (1924-1926). Kopuku Wharf and Canal. Wellington: NZ National Archives File R8578416. Morey, R. (2017). Conversations with Ray Morey. (S. Desmond, Interviewer) Our Thames Correspondent. (1872, February 5). THE MARAMARUA COALFIELD. Daily Southern Cross. Retrieved December 26, 2016, from http://natlib.govt.nz/records/8677316 The New Zealand Walking Access Commission. (Various Dates). Access Maps. Retrieved from Walking Access Ara Hikoi Aotearoa: https://www.wams.org.nz/wams_desktop/index.html Vercoe. (1997). Bow Waves on the Waikato. Auckland: Reed Books.

Acknowledgements Land Information New Zealand and the New Zealand Walking Access Commission, for Mapping Services. Auckland Libraries, and the Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington; for their collections of historic photographs. Graham Vercoe, Ray Morey, Archives New Zealand and the unknown scribes of the Ministry of Works and Development; without whom it would not be possible to say much about either the Kopuku Mine or the Navigation. Ann Desmond, Robert Desmond and Richard Murcott, for reviews, proof reading and encouragement.