Yesterdays of Golden Bay

Pauline Blincoe’s name first appeared in NZine in the article on life in the PWD camps on the Kaikoura Coast, where one source of information was her book Public Works Camps: Poor Kids’ Paradise.

Inspired by her determination to record social history while those who have the knowledge are alive to tell their stories, Pauline has gone on to produce a similar volume about life in Golden Bay, the district north of Nelson city and separated from the rest of the Nelson province by the Takaka Hill.

The dedication gives a clear statement of her motivation. "… to our Mothers, who made homes in the most impossible places and with the barest necessities. They accepted the harshest conditions and made the most of it. Our Mums are the real unsung heroes and did such a good job we never even knew we were poor."

Our attention is caught by an effective cover design showing Pauline’s own photo of a Pakawau sunrise with a border of small copies of black and white historic photos suggesting the scope of the content of the book.

Inside is a clear coloured map covering the area north of Motueka and extending to the West Coast – a valuable aid to understanding the text for those who are not familiar with this area. There is also a photograph giving an overview of the Takaka Valley taken from the Takaka Hill.

In the introduction Pauline acknowledges the help of Kirsty Johansson whose early photos of Golden Bay inspired her research, Les (Nobby) Clarke whose knowledge and historical books formed the basis of that research, and many others who gave assistance.

Travelling today through an area of farms, small rural settlements, beautiful coastlines, bushclad hills and tourist facilities it is hard to visualise the industries that developed in Golden Bay from the mid-nineteenth century till the late twentieth century.

As with her book on life on the Kaikoura Coast a number of those who were ‘Public Works Kids’ in Golden Bay sent in their stories which provide information not only about the social conditions in the camps, but also about the Golden Bay industries that no longer exist. They lift the history of the area out of statistics only, and bring alive the people who lived there and their life which at times was incredibly difficult.

Takaka Hill road The opening chapter deals with the building of the road over the Takaka Hill built during the Depression of the 1930s to give good access by land to Golden Bay and land transport for the products of its industries.

Workers on the Takaka Hill Road and their families lived in primitive conditions in part-canvas huts in a climate much more extreme than that of the Kaikoura Coast – hot summers and snow-bound winters.

Industries in Golden Bay Flax mills were built on the north-west side of the Takaka Hill, producing fibre used for rope, sacks, upholstery stuffing and linen. Many small wharves were built for the scows which collected the products of the mills.

Sawmills served builders all over New Zealand. From the Takaka and AorereValley areas, the most important sawmilling areas in Nelson province, timber was exported from the 1870s onward. Tramlines, as the railways were called, were built all over Golden Bay to transport flax and timber, but they are gone now with no trace left of this important form of transport. Corduroy roads built of manuka logs and shingle were another early means of transport.

The Plumbago Mine, which opened in 1857 at Pakawau, produced graphite for use in making lead pencils, stove polish and shoe cleaner – products all in wide use in the nineteenth century.

Coal of good quality is plentiful in Golden Bay, and a number of mines operated throughout the area, exporting their coal from small wharves around the coast, but coal mining in the area has now ceased.

Asbestos was first mined in the Upper Takaka Hills by the ‘exile’ Harry Chaffey who carried out the asbestos on his back in the 1930s. In 1935 the Hume Company planned to mine the asbestos in conjunction with the development of the Cobb River Power Scheme. The DSIR became interested in the asbestos in 1939. Pauline Blincoe has included some research on this form of mining which ceased in 1964 when the mine was closed.

The goldrush in the 1890s brought a flood of fortune seekers, but few made a fortune.

An oil drilling venture in the 1980s never eventuated.

The marble industry at Kairuru near the top of the Takaka Hill lasted only from 1919 to 1921, but the beautiful stone was used in the Parliamentary Buildings, the New Zealand Insurance Company’s building in Queen Street in Auckland and in the Nelson Cathedral.

Most other industries – dairy companies, butter factories, the iron works, the Cement Co, and the mining ventures – are now only past history.

The Cobb Dam project The building of this dam and the powerhouse involved men working in very isolated areas. Their families lived in the PWD camp in Upper Takaka and the men joined them only at the weekend. Accounts of life there come from a variety of viewpoints – a schoolboy home for the holidays, a man employed on the project, a woman who shared memories of schooldays and of working in the office, and a district nurse.

I would have appreciated a brief account of the development of the dam project with dates as a setting for the people’s reminiscences.

The Cobb is now only on standby in an emergency capacity.

Takaka township Takaka, like the rest ot Golden Bay has changed from being the centre of an industrial area to a town serving a pastoral farming district.

Most of the mining for minerals has ceased and the Golden Bay Cement Company at Tarakohe on the east side of Golden Bay closed in 1988. There are a number of photographs showing the development of the cement industry and the associated transport throughout the twentieth century until its closure.

Onekaka and pig iron There is a reprint of an interesting article by Gerard Hindmarsh published in the Press on 6 July 1993. It discusses Onekaka, Golden Bay, and the claims in 1920 that New Zealand could produce from there the world’s cheapest pig iron.

Pupu Springs A chapter deals with the major tourist attraction – the Pupu Springs which emit approximately 415,000,000 gallons of water a day. This area produced Takaka’s first hydro electricity.

The Parapara Paint Works, the goldrush at Collingwood and the development of the settlement there, dolomite mining near Ferntown, and coal mining,at Puponga are discussed and illustrated with photos and reminiscences.

The west coast of the district Reminiscences of life on the West Coast of the district around Rakopi and Mangarakau complete the coverage of Golden Bay’s history.

One interesting account of life on the west coast recalls the life of the family of a road builder at Rakopi in the 1930s – a vivid picture of life for those who were in real financial need during the Depression.

One story written by Eileen Tiller (nee Hansen) about life at Westhaven shows how the children’s lives were enriched by their contact with nature – bush, rata, nikau palms, birds, fish, wetas … She declares it to be “the most wonderful place for young people to grow up in".

Golden Bay today The book ends with a description of Golden Bay today – the beauty, the peace, the good climate, the small surviving industries, the art and craft communities, and the scenic attractions and wildlife and the facilities for the thousands of tourists who visit, especially in the summer.

Copies of Yesterdays of Golden Bay – glimpses of past industries and PWD camps.may be purchased from Mrs Pauline Blincoe 1212 Main Road Pakawau RD1 Collingwood 7171

Pauline’s other book, Public Works Camps: Poor Kid’s Paradise is also available from that address. Price of each book $50.00 plus $1.40 postage