“Expect the unexpected” should be the motto on our coach trips for our Hawke’s Bay Branch.  Our Christmas Trip “Maraekakaho Experience” certainly was no exception!   A miserable showery day greeted members as they waited at their respective “pickup” locations for their coach. Havelock North members became a little stressed when the coach did not arrive on time.  Tranzit driver Peter Morrell had been directed to Taradale first.  He wondered why no-one was there waiting!  We found that he was given the incorrect schedule by his office!   Great relief when, a short time later, our trip was back on schedule. 

Maraekakaho derives its meaning from marae = meeting house courtyard and kakaho = reeds of the toe toe.First stop was the well-known Hawke’s Bay landmark – the Maraekakaho Station Wool shed, located about 20 kilometres west of Hastings on State Highway 50.  Situated on a “working farm”, access was across a field where sheep had been, leaving their droppings – reminded us all of “tiptoeing through the tulips” song.  The next challenge was to climb the wool shed steep wet steps, with no hand rail.  In true “pioneer spirit”  the men stood either side of the steps and assisted our members safely into the building. 

We were met by our Host, Jonathan Stockley, the Hastings District Rural Community Board member for Maraekakaho and chair of the Maraekakaho Church Hall Trust Board.   He explained this wool shed was built in 1883 and has 28 stands. Initially the shearing was done with hand shears, but in 1891 a Wolseley shearing machine was installed with the overhead gear being powered by an 8hp Hornsby engine. In November that year the Hawke’s Bay Herald reported the manager as stating that 54,000 sheep would be shorn that year.  Of the twenty-eight stands in the wool shed, five are used today. One of the distinctive, and possibly unique, features of the Wool shed is the large (1.8m) wheel mounted high on the front of the building. This wheel is part of the lifting tower that was used to lift wool bales from the ground floor to be stored in the extensive storage loft. 

From 1857 Donald McLean leased and bought land from the Maori owners. He encouraged other members of his family to come to New Zealand from the Scottish Island of Tiree.  Donald McLean himself was engaged in the process of land purchase for the Crown, holding the position of Chief Land Purchase Commissioner for the colonial government from 1853.  After Sir Donald McLean’s death on 5 January 1877, Maraekakaho Station was inherited by his son, R D Douglas McLean (later spelt as Maclean).  Under his management Maraekakaho became one of New Zealand’s premier stations, renowned for its pure-breed Merino, Lincoln and Leicester sheep, shorthorn cattle, and horses - both draught horses and Welsh ponies and the area increased to some 58,093 acres of freehold and leasehold land. 

There was an extensive range of buildings constructed on the station, many of which are still standing and in good condition today.  The stables and coach-house, and the slaughterhouse have also stood the test of time, along with a concrete-walled dairy with water-cooled concrete storage shelves.  On the 50,777 acres of the old Maraekakaho Station there are now over 60 farms. The old store, school and hall are still used by the local community.

 A brief stop was made at the Maraekakaho War Memorial, established in the 1920s.  Douglas  McLean gifted land to establish a war memorial to honour men from the Maraekakaho district who fought during World War I.  Ten men who "made the supreme sacrifice" during World War II from 1939‒1945 are listed by name on the memorial. The Maraekakaho Church hall was our final destination.  

Following lunch members were enthralled by our two very interesting speakers.  First,  Judith Burkin spoke how in  2017 she commenced researching the 117 names of those who'd been to the Great War.  In her book,“Names on a Monument - Maraekakaho World War One” Judith has written a “mini-biography” of 3-4 pages on each person. Jonathan, Chair of the Maraekakaho Church Hall Trust Board that looks after and runs the historic hall,  then spoke about the history of the hall, the nucleus of the community. It was first built in 1877 (the existing supper room) and enlarged in 1897, is constructed from matai, totara and kauri. First church services were held here in 1906 or 1907. The original church is now the supper room, where a small part of a library, stocked by 19-century politician and government official Sir Donald McLean, remains.  The main hall structure was added in 1897. In the 1960s, thanks to a very active amateur dramatics club, a large backstage area was built, with the basement excavated using explosives. The community continued using the hall as a firing range. Shooters would lie prone on the church hall floor and fire through the sliding door under the stage. Targets remain in the basement, where steel beams are lined with timber. Members enjoyed a “Christmas afternoon tea” before boarding the coach for the return journey.  

A most enjoyable and very interesting day for our last Branch outing in 2023. 

Photos:

1       Hastings Members waiting for Coach

2       Maraekakaho Wool shed (Courtesy Historic Places Aotearoa -Ivan Hughes)

3       Maraekakaho War Memorial

4       Maraekakaho Church Hall 

5       Members listening to Judith Burkin