The coastal hills of Mangakuri Station are
steeped in history, from the earliest Polynesian
settlement and Māori habitation to its purchase
in 1876 by James Williams and its stewardship
– as owners, co-owners or managers – by six
generations of the Williams family.
Mangakuri: The story of a coastal sheep
station recounts the trials and rewards of
farming land prone to severe drought and
extreme rainfall. The coastal situation has other
advantages, however – where Māori had once
gathered kai moana and farm workers had
loaded wool into boats before rowing it out
to a waiting coastal trader, families now gather
at Mangakurī Beach and Netherton Farm Park
to swim, fish and enjoy the beach’s plentiful
wildlife.
Hugh McBain, with historian Patrick Parsons
and archaeologist Stella August, presents
a detailed history of the inhabitants of the
Mangakurī area, from its earliest settlers and
the first Europeans, hungry for a place to call
home, to the present-day descendants who
continue the traditions of sheep and cattle
farming, forestry and community engagement.