Totara North - Whangaroa Harbour. Lane & Brown Shipyard-SOLD

Oil on Canvas - 450mm x 910mm
The town was named after an enormous totara tree close to the water which was used as a mooring by coastal shipping. Mail and freight were left beneath the tree to be collected by the locals. Sadly, milling stole away this icon from the town and the future. In its heyday Totara North had the largest shipyard in New Zealand or Australia, where some of the Pacific’s finest and fastest sailing vessels were built. The major player in the business was named Lane and Brown's shipyard and sawmill. Today the old mill belongs to Te Runanga o Whaingaroa, a local Maori administrative body, and until recently they used the crumbling sheds to house some of their beautifully carved waka (ceremonial canoes).