New Zealand - Rail was a long time coming to Northland. It was a gala day for Wellsford when the railway was officially opened in 1909. #602639 - The North Auckland Line (designation NAL) is a major section of New Zealand's national rail network, and is made up of the following parts: the portion of track that runs northward from Westfield Junction to Newmarket Station; from there, westward to Waitakere; from there, northward to Otiria via Whangarei. The first section was opened in 1868 and the line was completed in 1925. - With the completion of the line from Whangarei to Opua, the final remaining section of the North Auckland Line was the gap between Helensville and Whangarei. The first work on bridging this large gap occurred in the 1880s when an extension from Helensville to Kanohi opened on 3 May 1889. Beyond this point, construction proved extremely difficult and slow due to the soft clay of the terrain. The 4.5 km between Kanohi and Makarau did not open until 12 June 1897, followed by another 5 km to Tahekeroa on 17 December 1900. - The line then progressively opened in stages over the next ten years, reaching Wellsford on 1 April 1909 and Te Hana on 16 May 1910. - The former became the site of a small locomotive depot, while the latter was established as the northernmost terminus for passengers until the full line was finished. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Auckland_Line) Tall spars, steamers & gum - The 'mighty Kaipara' Harbour and its hinterland is now a quiet, almost forgotten part of New Zealand, visited occasionally by probably only a small proportion of the million people of Auckland living less than an hour's drive down State Highway 16 from Helensville. - In its heyday though, the 30-year period from 1876 to 1906, the Kaipara was the leading timber export port of New Zealand and a vital contributor to the young colony's economy. The hills rang to the sound of axes and saws as settlers, local Maori and itinerant bushmen plundered the kauri forests for the golden timber that helped build cities like Wellington, Christchurch, Auckland, Sydney and Melbourne. The waters of this immense harbour, one of the largest in the southern hemisphere, were crowded with the tall spars of sailing ships laden with timber and steamers ferrying passengers from the distant reaches of the Kaipara. - Timber was not the only magnet drawing people into the region. Over thousands of years, ancient kauri had given up another treasure in the form of solid resin gum, which found a commercial use in the second half of the 19th century, particularly in the varnish and linoleum industries. Diggers from many countries converged on the Kaipara at this time to prowl its valleys and lowlands, seeking at first nuggets scattered on the ground. When those supplies dwindled, the diggers returned armed with spades and steel spears which they used to locate the buried nuggets of gum. - The region's social life is recounted and discussed against a background of changing economic realities and sporadic provincial and central government interest. Tall Spars, Steamers and Gum is a colorful account of the Kaipara's golden era and beyond to 1947, when the harbour was closed as a port of entry. This is an engaging and readable history, generously illustrated with maps and photographs of the good old days. Author: Wayne Ryburn ISBN: 0-473-06176-7 Click the link provided at the top to purchase the book through the MAD on New Zealand Shop - Supporting New Zealand Authors and Artists