Earlier this month Waikato District Council contractors demolished the old service station at 3 Bow Street, Raglan. The Council says that it has now learned that the work was on an archaeological site. This seems odd as it is well known that the entire Wi Neera Street block was the site of Te Awaitaia’s whare, the Putoetoe redoubt and 19th century settler buildings. WDC has previously commissioned archaeological reports on this area. The entire area is subject to a Treaty Of Waitangi claim.
Raglanite John Lawson says that an early photo indicates that demolished building may have been over 100 years old. On a FB post John says his understanding of the history of the area is, “A. R. Langley put a sawmill near there in 1894, with timber from Maungatawhiri, snigged by bullocks to Takapanui, and rafted down the Opotoru to the beach below the backpackers. From there it was hauled up to the mill on a short tramway, using the mill’s 14hp steam engine. It was hard to get the logs to the mill, so Langley moved the mill to Pond’s farm and the site was unused until Stacey Fuller built the garage in the 1920s. He’d been Postmaster from 1911 to September 1920, when he opened Central Garage (where the supermarket is), then moved to the Old Stone Jug and then to the bottom of Bow St. He was about 57 years old when he sold it to A.A. Edwards & Sons in 1935. I think it was then owned by Laurie Hall, Jim Meekings, Len Meekings, Roy Bowditch, Smith & Matthews, Gordon Matthews, Mike and Rona Robbs (then also with the Vet Club), Jack Vlas, J. & D. Montgomery and, from 1983, John and Sheryl Hart. Is that about right? Did Stan Poolton run it for a while? Anyone know what’s going in its place?”
On 10th of September we asked the Council:
The 3 Bow Street land is part of the harbour reserve administered by Waikato District Council.
Now that the building has been demolished, what will WDC be using the land for?
Has Ngati Mahaanga been consulted about this?
Past community consultation proposed that an outdoor performance stage is established in this area. Will that be done?
On 20th September the Council replied:
Council has been working with Ngaati Mahanga during this process so far.
The strategic property team is now developing a process to determine what the future of the Council-owned land in this area will look like.
Of note is the fact that the site is a site of significant archaeological interest.
The team will continue to talk with Ngaati Mahanga on this and the community board and wider community will be involved as the process progresses.
We’re at the very start of discussions on options for this site but an outdoor performance stage is on the list for consideration.