List Entry Information
Status
Listed
List Entry Status
Historic Place Category 1
Access
Able to Visit
List Number
4675
Date Entered
19th July 1990
Date of Effect
19th July 1990
City/District Council
Thames-Coromandel District
Region
Waikato Region
Status
Listed
List Entry Status
Historic Place Category 1
Access
Able to Visit
List Number
4675
Date Entered
19th July 1990
Date of Effect
19th July 1990
City/District Council
Thames-Coromandel District
Region
Waikato Region
Why is this place significant?
Historic Significance
Historical Significance or Value This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1980. This report includes the text from the original Building Classification Committee report considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. The Whitianga stone wharf is the oldest wharf in New Zealand, and it is still being used for this purpose. It facilitated the exploitation of the timber resources of the Whitianga area which gave rise to one of the earliest European settlements in New Zealand outside of the far north.
Physical Significance
This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1980. This report includes the text from the original Building Classification Committee report considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. ARCHITECTURAL QUALITY: This wharf is an important example of early stone wall construction in New Zealand using substantial shaped stone blocks. It was a significant engineering undertaking for the period, which has stood the test of time in an environmentally adverse situation. TOWNSCAPE/LANDMARK VALUE A significant feature of the east side of the entrance of the Whitianga estuary.
Why is this place significant?
Historic Significance
Historical Significance or Value This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1980. This report includes the text from the original Building Classification Committee report considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. The Whitianga stone wharf is the oldest wharf in New Zealand, and it is still being used for this purpose. It facilitated the exploitation of the timber resources of the Whitianga area which gave rise to one of the earliest European settlements in New Zealand outside of the far north.
Physical Significance
This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1980. This report includes the text from the original Building Classification Committee report considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. ARCHITECTURAL QUALITY: This wharf is an important example of early stone wall construction in New Zealand using substantial shaped stone blocks. It was a significant engineering undertaking for the period, which has stood the test of time in an environmentally adverse situation. TOWNSCAPE/LANDMARK VALUE A significant feature of the east side of the entrance of the Whitianga estuary.
Construction Professional
Name
Browne, Gordon Davis
Type
Builder
Biography
Gordon Davies Browne was a Sydney timber merchant who in 1836 established a timber milling and ship building enterprise at Mercury Bay. He is credited with the design and construction of the stone wharf at Whitianga. He died in the Bay of Islands in 1842. Gordon Davies Browne was a Sydney timber merchant who was involved in the early shipbuilding industry at Horeke. In the 1930s in partnership with other entrepreneurs he made land purchases in Mahurangi, Tamaki and Mercury Bay. He was active in the kauri timber trade, particularly the supply of spars to the Admiralty. About 1836 he established a timber mill and shipbuilding yard at Whitianga. It was as part of this venture that the stone wharf, for the construction of which Browne is credited, was built. For the last seven years of his life Browne was in poor physical and mental health. He died in the Bay of Islands in 1842.
Name
Browne, Gordon Davis
Type
Designer
Biography
Gordon Davies Browne was a Sydney timber merchant who in 1836 established a timber milling and ship building enterprise at Mercury Bay. He is credited with the design and construction of the stone wharf at Whitianga. He died in the Bay of Islands in 1842. Gordon Davies Browne was a Sydney timber merchant who was involved in the early shipbuilding industry at Horeke. In the 1930s in partnership with other entrepreneurs he made land purchases in Mahurangi, Tamaki and Mercury Bay. He was active in the kauri timber trade, particularly the supply of spars to the Admiralty. About 1836 he established a timber mill and shipbuilding yard at Whitianga. It was as part of this venture that the stone wharf, for the construction of which Browne is credited, was built. For the last seven years of his life Browne was in poor physical and mental health. He died in the Bay of Islands in 1842.
Construction Details
Start Year
1838
Type
Original Construction
Construction Materials
Stone, quarried locally
Notable Features
Earliest wharf in New Zealand.
Construction Professional
Name
Browne, Gordon Davis
Type
Builder
Biography
Gordon Davies Browne was a Sydney timber merchant who in 1836 established a timber milling and ship building enterprise at Mercury Bay. He is credited with the design and construction of the stone wharf at Whitianga. He died in the Bay of Islands in 1842. Gordon Davies Browne was a Sydney timber merchant who was involved in the early shipbuilding industry at Horeke. In the 1930s in partnership with other entrepreneurs he made land purchases in Mahurangi, Tamaki and Mercury Bay. He was active in the kauri timber trade, particularly the supply of spars to the Admiralty. About 1836 he established a timber mill and shipbuilding yard at Whitianga. It was as part of this venture that the stone wharf, for the construction of which Browne is credited, was built. For the last seven years of his life Browne was in poor physical and mental health. He died in the Bay of Islands in 1842.
Name
Browne, Gordon Davis
Type
Designer
Biography
Gordon Davies Browne was a Sydney timber merchant who in 1836 established a timber milling and ship building enterprise at Mercury Bay. He is credited with the design and construction of the stone wharf at Whitianga. He died in the Bay of Islands in 1842. Gordon Davies Browne was a Sydney timber merchant who was involved in the early shipbuilding industry at Horeke. In the 1930s in partnership with other entrepreneurs he made land purchases in Mahurangi, Tamaki and Mercury Bay. He was active in the kauri timber trade, particularly the supply of spars to the Admiralty. About 1836 he established a timber mill and shipbuilding yard at Whitianga. It was as part of this venture that the stone wharf, for the construction of which Browne is credited, was built. For the last seven years of his life Browne was in poor physical and mental health. He died in the Bay of Islands in 1842.
Construction Details
Start Year
1838
Type
Original Construction
Construction Materials
Stone, quarried locally
Notable Features
Earliest wharf in New Zealand.
Historical and Associated Iwi / Hapū / Whānau
Information Sources
Birthell, 1980
J Birthell, 'Guide to the History of Whitianga', Thames, 1980
Grayland, 1965
E and V Grayland, Coromandel Coast, Reed, Wellington, 1965
Other Information
This place was identified as significant under previous legislation with different information requirements. It remains significant under the current legislation. There is opportunity under our legislation and policies to add to this information. Further information about this place may be available from the Northern Regional Office of Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga. A copy of this report is available from the NZHPT Northern Region office Please note that entry on the New Zealand Heritage List/Rarangi Korero identifies only the heritage values of the property concerned, and should not be construed as advice on the state of the property, or as a comment of its soundness or safety, including in regard to earthquake risk, safety in the event of fire, or insanitary conditions.
Historical and Associated Iwi / Hapū / Whānau
Information Sources
Birthell, 1980
J Birthell, 'Guide to the History of Whitianga', Thames, 1980
Grayland, 1965
E and V Grayland, Coromandel Coast, Reed, Wellington, 1965
Other Information
This place was identified as significant under previous legislation with different information requirements. It remains significant under the current legislation. There is opportunity under our legislation and policies to add to this information. Further information about this place may be available from the Northern Regional Office of Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga. A copy of this report is available from the NZHPT Northern Region office Please note that entry on the New Zealand Heritage List/Rarangi Korero identifies only the heritage values of the property concerned, and should not be construed as advice on the state of the property, or as a comment of its soundness or safety, including in regard to earthquake risk, safety in the event of fire, or insanitary conditions.
Former Usages
General Usage: Transport
Specific Usage: Wharf/Dock/ Pier/ Jetty
Web Links
description: Engineering NZ Heritage
url: https://www.engineeringnz.org/our-work/heritage/heritage-records/whitianga-old-stone-wharf/
Former Usages
General Usage: Transport
Specific Usage: Wharf/Dock/ Pier/ Jetty
Web Links
description: Engineering NZ Heritage
url: https://www.engineeringnz.org/our-work/heritage/heritage-records/whitianga-old-stone-wharf/
Location
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