Hikurangi is a settlement in Northland New Zealand. Hikurangi has a fascinating history some of which is on display at the historic museum.
Travel back in time to when Hikurangi was a thriving mining town and get lost in the lives of the early settlers. The personal lives of miners and their families and the long arm of the law are just some of the memorabilia. It really is a perfect place to pop in and experience such local heritage or just wander about the township.
The Museum was opened in 1986 and is situated in the old courthouse and jail. The buildings alone are something to admire.
Opening hours are Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday 10 -11.30 or by appointment.
The first public school in Hikurangi opened in 1883 at View Road and operated until the school was demolished in 1922. The school was built on the current site at Valley Road in 1922-1923 and has been enlarged numerous times over the years. The site of the former school on View Road was sold to Mr and Mrs Robert Cheery. They had their house built on it in 1923 and it has been designated a Group II historic place. The builder was Mr Watts from Whangarei.
Hikurangi is an area of 12,000 acres which was purchased from local Māori by the District Commissioner of the Lands in 1862. The land was considered desirable because is contained mature timber and high quality flax. Transport routes were established. The area became a timber milling centre with establishments of a road to Whangarei in 1875, and the first of several sawmills soon after. Kauri gum diggers were also very active in the area.
The town grew around the coal mines, which opened in 1890. The North Auckland railway line from Whangarei reached Hikurangi in 1894. 4.2 million tons of coal were extracted. Flooding was a problem to the mines. During a nationwide coal-miners strike in 1931, the Wilson Colliery Company closed their mine and deliberately flooded it. The miners formed a company and brought the mine, but it closed two years later because there were few orders for coal during the Great Depression. Three brothers were killed by Black Damp at one of the mines in 1933.
The last mine to close at Hikurangi was in 1971. The Hikurangi Co-operative Dairy Company was formed in 1904. It established a dairy factory and operated a fleet of trucks to collect cream but also deliver fertiliser and general goods to farmers. The factory was replaced by a new building in the 1950s, and the factory closed. Come explore Hikurangi you won't be disappointed with all the history at your fingertips.