Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
COROMANDEL
History
This whole area, including the peninsula, the islands and both sides of the gulf, was known
to the Maori as Hauraki. Various
iwi
(tribes) held claim to pockets of it, including the Pare
Hauraki branch of the Tainui tribes and others descended from Te Arawa and earlier migra-
tions. Polynesian artefacts and evidence of moa hunting have been found, pointing to
around 1000 years of continuous occupation.
The Hauraki
iwi
were some of the first to be exposed to European traders. The region's
proximity to Auckland, safe anchorages and ready supply of valuable timber initially led to
a booming economy. Kauri logging was big business on the peninsula. Allied to the timber
trade was shipbuilding, which took off in 1832 when a mill was established at Mercury
Bay. Things got tougher once the kauri around the coast became scarce and the loggers had
to penetrate deeper into the bush for timber. Kauri dams, which used water power to propel
the huge logs to the coast, were built. By the 1930s virtually no kauri remained and the in-
dustry died.
Gold was first discovered in NZ near Coromandel Town in 1852. Although this first rush
was short-lived, more gold was discovered around Thames in 1867 and later in other
places. The peninsula is also rich in semiprecious gemstones, such as quartz, agate,
amethyst and jasper. A fossick on any west-coast beach can be rewarding.
Despite successful interactions with Europeans for decades, the Hauraki
iwi
were some
of the hardest hit by colonisation. Unscrupulous dealings by settlers and government to
gain access to valuable resources resulted in the Maori losing most of their lands by the
1880s. Even today there is a much lower Maori presence on the peninsula than in neigh-
bouring districts.
