History – Winter in Mangawhai

Mangawhai has long been shaped by its seasons, especially winter.

In the winter of 1899, a typhoid outbreak in the Ōtamatea County made people so ill they were unable to plant their gardens or harvest food. Anaru Wi Apo wrote letters to government minister James Carroll on behalf of people in the area. The letters alerted the government to the situation and requested nurses, doctors, medicine, and food to get through winter.

In the winter of 1918, the first wave of the Spanish Flu descended on New Zealand and spread across the country. Much like the lockdowns in recent memory, funerals, tangi, and public gatherings were forbidden to limit the spread. The months thereafter would be marked by the brutality of a pandemic that claimed the young, old and people in their prime.

For years after, the coastal town of Mangawhai operated primarily as a summer destination, evidenced by routines such as the Wintle movable store. In the 1940s, groceries were supplied by this store, which operated only during holidays and the warmer months.

Over time, more people began to stay in Mangawhai year-round, with some work being confined solely to the winter. Jack and Ray Wharfe assigned the pulling of tī tree on Bream Tail Farm as a winter job, with alternating halves of the farm being worked – the gorge side one winter, the beach side the next.

In 1963, the Mangawhai Domain moved from rough ground to properly developed fields, which were granted to the Eastern Rugby Football Club for the winter season at a rate of one pound per day. This marked the progression of more people spending winter in the area.

With a roll of more than 700 students, Mangawhai Beach School (MBS) now reflects an increasing number of families who live year-round in Mangawhai. In recent years, there has been an increasing number of social traditions and celebrations that are specifically anchored in the winter season.

This month, MBS honoured Matariki by remembering loved ones and placing hopes for the future into a communal ahi | fire. A karakia, kōrero from the tumuaki, an open floor, and kapa haka all take place in winter while the school and families gather.

The Pleiades star cluster, signalling Matariki, will always appear in winter, with its exact timing determined by its early-morning appearance in Pipiri | midwinter. How interesting is it that our history shows a community, once thought of as a place for summer, has education and community events upheld by its winter residents, and has even held a special exhibition by its growing school about a star cluster that appears only in winter? Mangawhai’s connection to this cluster and winter is further marked by the long-held suggestion that Captain James Cook renamed Taranga and Marotiri – the islands so familiar off our coast – the Hen and Chicks after the Pleiades star cluster.

As the scaffolding comes down, Mangawhai Museum is excited to mark a new chapter by lighting the museum in orange to represent the rising of the morning. We hope you’ll remember those who have come before and consider your hopes for the future as you pass our community treasure by at night. Mānawatia a Matariki.