Mangakuri: The Story of a Coastal Sheep Station - Hugh McBain

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.

192 pages

Hardback