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kawakawa: general info
· history
· things to do
· photos
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KAWAKAWA
Calling Code: +64 9
Nestled in the fork of State Hwy 1 to the north and State Hwy 11 to the eastern seaboard, Kawakawa is known as the Gateway
to the Bay of Islands and is very centrally located for all access to the north.
Kawakawa has a varied and colorful past. When coal was discovered
and the mines opened in 1865, it quickly became the main centre
of the north with hotels, shops, banks, and churches, Originally
located on the nearby hill, Kawakawa was the seat of local government
with Council offices and maintenance staff.
To shift the coal, the first wooden rail was laid connecting the
mines to the deeper water at the landing at Taumerere, from where
it was barged down river to deeper water off Opua. This was initially
horse drawn, but in 1871 the horses were supersede by the first
train to run in the North Island. In 1886, the railway line was
extended to Opua and most of those who lied in Taumerere moved
into Kawakawa where the work was.
After a disastrous fire in 1899 which destroyed the town, the
decision was made to rebuild along the railway line on the flat
and history was made one again with Kawakawa being the only New
Zealand town to have a railway line running the length of its
main street.
When the coal mines - which were flooded in 1913 - and flax mills
closed, the town when into a state of depression. The miners left
to find work at other mines and with no men to feed, the small
block owners had no-one to sell their produce to. However, in
the 1920's a dairy factory and a big freezing works were built
in nearby Moerewa and Kawakawa flourished once again provided
a variety of services including a hospital to the burgeoning population.
In the 1980's 90's the town struggled once again with the closure
of the dairy factory, the relocation of the Council Offices to
Kaikohe and the downsizing of the hospital and freezing works.
In 1999, the famous Austrian artist Friedrich Hundertwasser commissioned
the now-famous public toilets, his last work before he died. This
gift to the town has again put Kawakawa on the map and with it
a resurgence of interest in arts and culture and a new-found local
pride.
Quick tips/suggestions
Visit the Museum in Wynyard Street which is staffed by extremely
knowledgeable and friendly locals or enjoy some local hospitality
at the RSA in Church Street or the Bowling Club in Waiomio Road.
If there's a place you've stayed or something you've done, but we haven't listed, review it for us!
 Culture
Hundertwasser Toilets - unique and full of architectural charm
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