Once again a full coach load of Hawke’s Bay Founders members headed south to Central Hawke’s Bay. After enduring the wettest winter in recent years, it was good to have a gloriously sunny, mild day that showed the countryside at its best. Although there was plenty of standing water, particularly in the Te Aute area, everything looked very green with spring growth to add variety.

Our first stop was in Waipawa at the Central Hawke’s Bay Municipal Theatre. This building was first opened in 1910 where it had been built on the site of the local Oddfellows Hall. The cost at the time was £1997.00, a not inconsiderable sum that was met by raising a loan. Timber for its construction came from the local area and was milled in Wakarara – of note was the 1000 super feet of heart matai tongue and groove flooring. In the 1980s the CHB Council proposed a complete modernisation and refurbishment of the building as a community facility for arts, music, conferences and special events. This was eventually completed and in 2010 a special ceremony was held to celebrate this achievement. Many of our members have been to performances in the theatre and all agree that it is a beautiful facility and a real credit to CHB peoples’ efforts.

We had an excellent meal in the building, thanks to local caterers, plus a closer look at details of the restoration before moving back on to the bus for Driver Jan to head east to the coastal settlement of Aramoana. Here, we were able to have a closer look at two historic buildings: Aramoana Station Homestead, locally known as The Castle, and the station’s famous wool shed on the seafront. Thanks to Bayley organisational skills, we were able to hear from the current run holder, “Chip” McHardy who gave us insights into the history and running of the station.

The 22,000-acre Aramoana Station was originally part of Blackhead Station and, after the original partnership ended, has been owned by the McHardy family. Economic ups and downs over the last century – particularly property and inheritance taxes – mean that the station is now considerably smaller but it is still run as a pastoral farm with diversification that has included a camp ground in the past. The magnificent 1894 homestead, built in the spirit of wealthy landowners of the day, was unusually sited on a concrete platform by patriarch Alexander McHardy and it is a listed Category 1 Historic Places building in original condition. We were told about the Scottish baronial-inspired tower plus all the wooden carvings on both exterior and interior. It is built from Kauri timber which was brought down by sea from Coromandel forests.

Our group was able to look through the ground floor rooms and admire features such as embossed wallpaper, high ceilings and stately paintings of McHardy ancestors. The view from the front out to sea is impressive and no doubt enjoyed by the family. From here most of us walked down the drive, flanked by magnificent mature trees, along the road past the new subdivision of holiday houses and into the wool shed where afternoon tea was waiting. 

This famous wool shed is no longer owned by the McHardy’s who have built another one further inland. It is an eight-stand shed built in 1907 and is a Category 2 building run by a trust as an education and conservation centre. It is remarkable how close to the sea it sits but old photos throughout show how the wool bales had to be loaded into surf boats and taken out to ships beyond the waves, normal practice on east coast sheep farms until well into the 1920s because there was no land route available. Chip was able to tell us about ceiling-high stacks of bales that sometimes had to wait a while for calm weather before being transported to market.

Time was getting on so we had to leave this interesting place to travel home which was via Te Aute Trust and Middle Roads. Entertainment was provided again by Leader Bayley - another successful outing enjoyed by everyone.

Photos:  

1          CHB Municipal Theatre (courtesy CHB website)

2          CHB lunch venue

3          Aramoana Station Homestead

4          Aramoana Homestead entrance hall

5          Aramoana Station Wool Shed

6          Inside Aramoana Wool Shed