Mangawhai Museum

River trade made the Mangawhai district important to the north, ­ significant cargo of kauri gum and logs left for Auckland from this estuary. Shipbuilding began in the 1830s and continued until the 1900s. Other industries of various kinds then developed to support gum diggers, loggers and later, farmers.

The Mangawhai Museum presents a unique opportunity to go back in time to meet the earliest pioneers of the area (many of their descendents are still actively involved with the Mangawhai community) and learn how they developed the area from wild bush country into lush dairy grazing.

Mangawhai's stunning harbour has always played an important part in our rich and varied history, beginning with the Maori settlements, through to the early English settlers with their shipbuilding, kauri milling, gum digging and later farming.