History of our Auckland sheep farm
The history of our Auckland sheep farm dates back to the 1880’s.
Stuart’s parents came to this land in 1922, but before this it comprised many thousands of acres and was owned by Sir Edwin Mitchelson, (once a Mayor of Auckland city). It was dense bush with magnificent Kauri trees. See inside our typical family home which was originally a worker’s cottage!
And we have lots of historic photos.
The Kauri were a source of timber, and in those days, much money was made from the timber and its gum. (Kauri gum, sourced from the New Zealand Native Kauri tree, was used in the manufacture of paints and varnishes).
After the First World War, Sir Edwin Mitchelson sold all of this land to the New Zealand Government, which they then subdivided, because the Government had a scheme where men who had gone overseas fighting for their country were rewarded with an allocation of land at a low deposit and reduced mortgage rates.
Stuart’s father had fought in the WW1, (Egypt and France), and qualified to purchase such land. Arthur and his wife Gertrude, (Stuart’s parents), purchased 200 acres of this land for a farm, in 1922.
Arthur and Gertrude on their wedding day (1922)There were several ‘worker’s cottages’ located around this huge farm, and one, (on the most Northern part), was on the land which Arthur bought and so this became the Hamilton Homestead. (Our dining-room is the shell of where our house originated from).
In Maori, MOTUTARA means a flat area.
Much of the land was still in scrub and had to be hand cleared to get it into pasture. It was cultivated using a team of horses.
The farm began as a dairy farm but because of climate conditions, it was changed to a sheep farm in 1940.
Haymaking (before tractors!!)We have more photos and stories to share with you when you visit our Homestead during ALL of our Auckland Tours.
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