Dry stone walls snake across Northland’s landscape everywhere there has been volcanic action. I have been researching them for many years and have written two books about them – I will post about those books later.
As a result of all this I have a huge collection of photos of these walls, both old, recent and under construction. I also have many contacts in the walling community who continue to construct new walls and do restorations. The dry stone wall story continues and I would like to record more about them. Hence this blog.
The Whangarei to Kamo shared path runs beside the railway line for 4.7km. The final section is at last being completed and along with that the dry stone walls which run beside the railway line are being restored and new ones constructed both as retaining walls and free standing walls where appropriate.
Old wall restored.
The Old and the NewRe- purposed obsolete rail bridge spanning mine shaft entry.Considerable amount of stone work involved in drainage and retaining construction. Original wall seen at top of picture.Great selection of rock available on site.
Walter Tipene – Northland Stone Masons – and his team have been working on this project which is near completion.
This is a large wall! All these stones have come from this small section in West Kamo, Whangarei, during the house building stage. It is now time to put them to good use in the landscape, creating a substantial retaining wall. Jim Osborne has the contract and Ian, seen here, is starting on the job.
This recently re-built wall in Maunu Rd/SH14 close to Whangarei was done by Walter Tipene who trades as Northland Stone Masons. The original walls were in a poor condition and there has been a new entrance created by this new construction – probably for a new subdivision. In the meantime weeds have encroached and it is all looking very neglected but underneath there are these fine modern dry stone walls which hopefully will eventually be cleaned up and a source of great pride.
Dry stone walling can be used to construct buildings. Not many have been built in Northland, possibly because high quality timber was available in vast quantities everywhere in New Zealand and the skills and machinery with which to work it was abundant.
The Hutchinson’s barn.
One of the earliest settlers in Kiripaka was the Hutchinson family who came from Yorkshire. They are still there today. They bought the 297acre (120ha) Huanui Block from the Maori in 1873. The Maori had gardened this block intensively. The Hutchinsons added to this in 1897 to make a total of 800 acres. By 1900 half this had been developed into pasture, 70 acres were in orchard or cultivation, and there were approximately 5 miles of stone walling. Tom Heape firstly and later Paraha Parata, who lived at the end of Maruata Rd, built walls on this property from the 1890s. Paraha continued maintaining the walls for the Hutchinsons and built many other walls in the district up until the 1950s.
In 1895 a barn was constructed with dry stone walls for the Hutchinsons by Tom and William Cameron, brothers and professional stone wallers, also from Yorkshire. It is still standing, a fine historic building. The walls are 7′ high, 3′ wide at the base tapering to 18″ at the top. Originally roofed with shingles it now has an iron roof. This barn was used as a stable, machinery shed and packhouse for the orchard.
Noel Hutchinson was interviewed by Jack Leigh in 1974 and quoted in his article, North to Stone Wall Country. About the barn he says this:
It was built by a Yorkshire stonemason named Cameron when my father was seven (1887). The foundation stones are in the ground about 18” and are about 5’ through at the base, with the walls tapering upward. The corner stones are cut to shape. There is no grain in this basalt. To shape the stones the mason had to drill a series of holes and tap in gads (metal spikes) till it split.
The Douglas’s Barn
One of the earliest settlers, Sir Robert and Lady Douglas farmed on both sides of Ngunguru Rd from the Whangarei Falls to Maruata Rd, buying this land in 1866. After establishing a dairy farm they build a large homestead, which they named “Glenbervie”, situated on a rise on the southern side of Ngunguru Rd. This is now hidden from view by trees and shelter belts. Amongst these is the historic Douglas stone barn at 264 Ngunguru Rd, constructed in 1906. Three walls are dry stone and the front is timber.
Whatitiri Farm Shed
The remains of a farm building constructed from stone on the slopes of Whatitiri Mountain. These walls are nearly 3 metres high. Built for the Frazer family in the 1940s by Dalmatians and not roofed until the 1950s due to roofing iron shortages after WW2. Roof blown off during Cyclone Bola in 1988.
Clark Abbot’s building
The well-known garden, Greagh, was developed by the stone wall enthusiast, Clarke Abbot. Clarke and his wife Kathleen designed the garden to enhance the walls and Clarke extended them, adding unique features including this circular building. Clarke was influential in bringing the importance of our stonewall heritage to public notice and it was largely through his and his friends efforts in the 1990s that they are now protected by the Whangarei District Council. The garden has changed hands several times since the Abbotts’ death but it retains its unique charm.
This is Robert Johnson, a stalwart of the dry stone walling legacy in the Whangarei District. He, along with others started a movement to restore walls and raise awareness of the importance of the dry stone walls in this area. Robert inspired many others to get stuck in and learn more about walling so that they could restore and build their own.
The first walls on the Johnson farm at Kiripaka, Whangarei, were built by Dalmatians during the 1930s depression. Later the Johnsons built more on their farm, Stanton, where they had a Jersey Stud.
An eight ton digger was needed to move and place the base stones in this new wall in Springs Road, Whatitiri, Whangarei. It is an area rich in stone walling history but there is still room for some new ones! Jim Osborne and Ian are building this new road and entrance feature. The stone here is heavy basalt with a lot of very rounded stones. However it is easily cut and some of this rock has been burnt which is evident when it splits and reveals changes in the structure of the stone.
This new wall will butt up onto The Rockhoppers Garden wall. This garden is open to the public and has a small café serving morning and afternoon teas. It is full of interesting, different plants and features making best use of the stony landscape, the abundance of water and the subtropical climate.
The historic walls here were built on the Wilson family farm during the depression the in the 1930s, mainly by Dalmatians. The farm was subdivided in the 1990s into lifestyle blocks.
Here is the New Zealand native epiphytic orchid, Earina mucronata, happily growing on a dry stone wall on Three Mile Bush Road, Kamo. The site is on the south side of the wall and shaded by trees on the northern side of the wall. This orchid is abundant in the area on the branches of trees in the numerous small patches of remnant native forest.
Stone Wall Country 