Page 6 - Volume 1

Kimihia Lake viewed from Russell Road, 1923.

land, tea-tree and gorse that then characterised the any value: the fact being that the
district. During the depression of the 1870’s and 80’s the endowment consisted for the most
gum-diggers, who had done so well for themselves in the part of the most worthless land in
Te Rapa swamp, probed the Kimihia hills for the the Province, and which, at the time it
precious gum and even spent much time grappling in the was made an endowment, was
lake for it.
unsaleable.”
Recorded in the New Zealand Appendix to the
Journals of the House of Representatives (1898) is a The area of land made available by the
report from the Auckland University College Council College encompassed an area that ran along the
showing the endowments of land:
southern shores of both Lake Kimihia and Lake
Hakanoa.
“10,000 acres in the Parish of The first farmers were Holland, Evans, two
Taupiri. Of these, 7,516 acres have families of Clinches, Johnson, Patterson and
been offered for lease in five small Shearer. Mr Holland Snr had taken up land that he
grazing runs, but none have been
disposed of. A very large proportion was unable to work until the Mâoris had taken their
of these lands is not worth the cost crops out and shifted some burial remains to Huntly.
of keeping down briers; it is only the The old cooking stones of the Mäoris remain
swamps and small portions between on the Holland farm just where the hills rise from
the hills which are of any value. the old swampy area.
46 acres 32 poles have been leased For the Holland family it was a day’s work to
to the Taupiri Reserve Colliery get to and from Huntly for stores, especially in wet
Company from the 21st January,
1895, to the 21st October, 1899, at weather. All houses had quantities of home-cured
a rental at the rate of £100 per bacon which they lived on. But if they wanted a
annum. The remainder of the change of diet they went out and shot quail,
reserve has been cut up into twenty- pheasant, ducks or rabbits. Pheasants were so
four lots, of about 100 acres each. Of plentiful they rose like sparrows and used to come
these, twenty-two have been disposed in and feed with the horses.
of for the most part at 6d. per acre, Shortly after this the flax-millers came in and
but where held by perpetual lease the
rent is only 4.8d. per acre. These set up a mill on Holland’s farm. The flax was farmed
sections yielded a rental during this by individual plants being sliced across so that it was
year of £46 16s. 2d.” possible to cut each area only every second year. Flax
was cut in all the swamps and round the lake shores.
The record goes on to state: Machinery and boilers had to be brought in
from Ngaruawahia, 12 miles over the hills and over
“The total amount of revenue the bush track with 6-8 horses pulling. Maoris worked
received in 1897, from the 30,000 the flax, washing the fibre in drains with the fibre
acres which form the land being sledged to the station at Kimihia.
endowments of the University The Maoris lived in whares of raupo
College, was £156 12s. 6d., and the with an innovative door swivel made from an up-
expenditure in connection with these turned beer bottle with a stick in it! This flax venture
endowments for the same period was did not last very long, and no trace of it now remains.
£31 6s. 2d., leaving a net revenue of Mr G.A. Shaw (quoted in The First 60 Years of
£125 6s. 3d. It seems but right to Knox Presbyterian Church, Huntly) wrote of the
note these facts, as it may be Huntly scene in 1892,
generally supposed that an “The hills around were bush
endowment of 30,000 acres would clad, though land was being
be a great help to the University rapidly cleared. Bush was felled
College, whereas it is of scarcely in winter and spring and burned