History – Gone, but not forgotten

February 3, 1917, was long remembered as the day of the big flood, which carried away the Bone Mill Bridge in Warkworth. By late afternoon the sloping streets were awash. Water roared down Hill Street, making a deep pool at the junction of Matakana and Great North roads (State Highway 1). At the hitching post, outside the Warkworth Post Office, it was deep enough for swimming. The main street did not escape – Mr Follet (the baker) could not get from his shop to the bakehouse.

The Bone Mill Bridge, which was located upstream from the town bridge, at the next ford above Tutts Falls, was a wooden structure that dated from colonial times. Although it had been condemned for use by heavier traffic, locals still found it a convenient river crossing.

On this occasion, however, the ominous creaking and swaying of the timbers led to a hurried departure of some boys who were standing on it. At 7pm, the bridge crashed into the river below.

A small crowd had gathered downstream on the town bridge to watch as sections of the old bridge were carried along by the raging waters. Some lodged against the under-structure while others were quickly sent crashing over the dam into the seething Mahurangi. The wharf, at Drivers Canning Factory, was also a casualty, as the debris collided with it and carried it away.

In the aftermath of the storm, widespread damage was found in the district. Adam Dawson, who ran a launch service on the river, was employed to retrieve any timber found floating or beached in case it could be used to repair culverts and small bridges. There was much discussion about the need to replace Bone Mill Bridge, but no action was taken.

In 1925, the natural ford where it had stood, was declared a stock route to be used by drovers, thus preventing the menace of stock being driven through the main street. As children in the 1940s we sometimes crossed the river at this point, dabbling our feet in the holes where the bridge piles had been driven into the rock.

Since the Browns Road bypass was built in 1953, this part of the river is hidden from view, but walkers who take the river bank path can still enjoy Tutts Falls and the keen observer may note the site where the Bone Mill once stood. Signs of the old trench which conveyed the water to the waterwheel to power the mill can still be seen. Mr Dennis, who once worked at the mill, gave some details of its history when he revisited Warkworth in 1928. In the 1870s severe drought conditions in Australia led to stock being killed and many tonnes of bones being shipped to New Zealand. These were ground into bone dust at the Warkworth Bone Mill. Later the mill building burnt down and the millstones were removed to be used in the manufacturer of hydraulic lime.

Judy Waters, Warkworth & District Museum
www.warkworthmuseum.co.nz