The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Auckland Provincial District]
Kaitaia
Kaitaia.
Kaitaia is situated in Mongonui County, and is one of the chief distributing and trading centres of the gumfields. It lies 213 miles north of Auckland, with which it has postal communication twice a week, and it has also a full telegraphic service. The township of Kaitaia is prettily situated, and has a population of about 130. It has an agricultural hall and grounds, a school, hotel, and temperance hotel. The district is pastoral and agricultural, and the township is five miles from the port and ten miles from Ahipara Bay on the west coast, between which and Mongonui lies Lake Tangonge.
The Post Office at Kaitaia is conducted at the premises of Mr. R. H. Matthews, J.P., builder and contractor.
Mr. R. H. Matthews.
Mr. R. H. Matthews' Residence.
Church Of England, Kaitaia. The first building used for worship at Kaitaia was made of raupo, but in 1840, or a year or two later, that was replaced by a large wooden building, 30 feet by 60 feet, with a tower and steeple, 60 feet high. At that time there was only one team of bullocks in the place, and most of the timber required for the church was not only sawn by the native, but drawn by them from the bush, a distance of four miles It was pulled down in 1886. The present pretty little church, 40 feet by 24 feet, not including the chancel, was then built by Mr. R. H. Matthews and his son—the son and grandson of the venerable vicar, since dead—and was consecrated by the Primate, Bishop Cowie, in March, 1887. The late Rev. Joseph Matthews was incumbent till 1888, and the present vicar is the Rev. C. J. Merton.
Mr. William George Puckey, Choirmaster at the Kaitaia Anglican Church, is one of the oldest settlers and a son of the late Mr. W. G. Puckey. He was born in 1835 and brought up to farming. Mr. Puckey acquired his present property, called “Woodville,” in 1855; it consists of a freehold of 770 acres of level country and is partly cleared. The soll is of a rich alluvial character, splendidly adapted for growing fruit, maize oats, etc. Mr. Puckey was a prominent member of the school committee and has been for some time connected with the agricultural association. He married a daughter of the late Mr. Hunt, of Carlisle, England, and has two sons and four daughters.
Redan Hotel (Thomas Taaffe, proprictor) Kaitaia. This hotel was erected in 1883 and is situated at the junction of Ahipara with the main north road. It contains twelve rooms, including dining-room, sitting-room, parlour, and smoking-room, with bar adjoining. There is comfortable accommodation for visitors with the additional satisfaction of a good table, the best of wines and spirits. Mr. Taaffe was born in Sydney in 1870 and educated there. After following the trade of a blacksmith intermittently for about seven years, he came to New Zealand in 1892, and went to Whangarel, where he was employed in various branches of business until February, 1896, when he took over the management of the Redan Hotel. He is a member of the Kaitaia Agricultural Association and takes a great interest in sports.
Mr. W. R. Grigg.
Grassmere Station. This valuable freehold property consists of 500 acres, half of which is under cultivation and the other half listed for depasturing purposes. On that portion of the land devoted to agriculture the soil is of a rich loamy brown character with a gravel and elay sub-soil. The property is excellently watered and no difficulty is experienced in growing fine crops of wheat, oats, and maize. About 300 sheep are grazed or the farm, chiefly cross-bred Lincoln-Merinos, besides a few shorthorn dairy cows. The homestead, which formerly belonged to Dr. Trimnell, is a single-storey building, very prettily situated on a slight elevation surrounded by ornamental trees, and approached by a winding avenue. The stables, barn, granary, and other outbuildings are complete in every detail and the machinery and farming plant of modern type. “Grassmere” is about three and a half miles from Kaitaia, and seven miles from Ahipara, close to the mative settlement of Pukepoto, the only drawback being the bad state of the roads.
Mr. George Edward Hollis, Proprietor of “Grassmere,” was born at Sable in the midlands of France, is the son of the late Mr. Lytton Hollis (master mariner and professor of French), and grandson of Captain Hollis, of the British Army, who served at Waterloo. Mr. Hollis was educated at Marseilles by his father, and in 1885 came to New Zealand in the iron clipper “Turakina” with his parents, who resided at One-hunga for twelve months and afterwards removed north to Awanui, where Mr. Hollis, senior, eventually purchased “Grassmere and lived there till 1894. Mr. George Hollis has considerable musical and literary tastes and he is an excellent violinist.
Shannon, William Joseph, Farmer, Kaitaia. Mr. Shannon, who is a son of the late Mr. E. Shannon, was born in Kaitaia in 1861, and has spent all his life in the district. His farm consists of a freehold of 200 acers, formerly a raupo swamp, but now thoroughly drained and one of the best properties in the country. The breaking up of the ground proved the existence of good alluvial soil all over the farm. There are twenty head of cattle, five draught horses, and about 150 sheep, mostly crossbreds with some pure Lincoins and a few carefully selected stud sheep. He was first elected to the Mongonui County Council in 1884, and sat for many years as the representative of Kaitaia Riding. Mr. Shannon is a popular man and takes great interest in public affairs. He was for a number of years a member of the licensing committee for the Bay of Islands, a member of the agricultural society, vice-president of the acclimatisation society, and member of the North Auckland Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, representing the counties of Whangaroa and Mongonui.