Aratapu, on the west bank of the Wairoa river, about ninety-eight miles from Auckland, claims to be the main centre of commerce in the Hobson County, but Dargaville is running it close for this coveted honour. The town is the extended development of a timber milling settlement, founded in the early days by Mr. Bonnar, but now the property of the Kauri Timber Company, under the management of Mr. Curtis Moore. The double mill, with its extensive wharfage accommodation, adds considerably to the traffic on the river. Hobson County Council has its offices at Aratapu, and the town has a post and telephone office, a public school, a hall, Anglican and Wesleyan churches, a branch of the National Bank, a Masonic Lodge, a hotel, several boardinghouses, a skating rink and billiard saloon. The country surrounding the town is flat and fertile, and maintains a number of well-to-do settlers.