Hokianga Sawmill Company

It was constructed by Auckland shipwright William Lowe from totara and heart kauri with local Maori engaged to do the labour.

[1] In early 1878, negotiations were carried out with Ngāti Toro by John McFarlane representing Brownlee & Co for the cutting rights to the extensive kauri forests in the Hokianga.

Under the supervision of Auckland-based shipwright William Lowe, the structure had been built by local Maori for the newly formed Hokianga Sawmill Company.

The structure included mooring and fender piles, double-headed stocks and a tramline which ran from the still being constructed milling site to the end of the wharf.

However, there were concerns of timber being in short supply with the lack of logs being brought downriver due to dry conditions.

[5] To supply the needs of the mill hands, two new stores, a butcher's shop and a bakery had been established along with an increase in the Kohukohu township's population.

[8] In May 1882, the three ton flywheel used to drive the milling machinery came off its mountings and crashed through the roof of the engine house shattering on impact.

Its chairman John Henry Dalton called an extraordinary general meeting with the intention of placing the company into liquidation.

[15] However, earlier that year the mill site was closed for several months, which resulted in a significant drop in shipping traffic while timber production was suspended.

[19] On 1 April 1937 a fire of unknown origin destroyed the entire mill and factory, a general store and a truck.