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The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Nelson, Marlborough & Westland Provincial Districts]

Ngakawau

Ngakawau.

Ngakawau was for some time the terminus of the Government railway from Westport. It is distant two miles from Granity, and twenty from the port. The settlement is near the mouth of the Ngakawau river, which flows into the sea to the northward. There is a railway bridge over the river, and the flag station known as Ngakawau is about a quarter of a mile on the other side. There are two sawmills in the district, and it is expected that the settlement will ere long become a coalmining centre. Prospecting has been carried on for some time, and splendid seams of hard coal have, it is reported, been struck, and an extensive lease, adjoining the Millerton colliery holding, has been granted. Ngakawau is well known as one of the most attractive spots for picnics and for sports in the Buller district, and the athletic sports held at Christmas and New Year frequently draw together an attendance of 2000 persons. The business of the telephone bureau and post office is conducted at the hotel. The settlement is in the North Wareatea riding of the county of Buller, in the electoral district of Buller, and in the provincial district of Nelson.

The Ngakawau Post Office And Telephone Bureau is conducted in a building, which adjoins the Ngakawau Hotel. Mails are received and despatched on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.

Mr. William Robert Mcnarn was appointed to the charge of the Ngakawau Post Office and Telephone Bureau in the year 1895. He was born in July, 1870, at Nelson, and was educated at Granity and Ngakawau. Mr. McNarn has been connected with the Ngakawau Hotel and farm from his youth, and became proprietor in the year 1902. He is president of the Ngakawau sports committee.

The Ngakawau Hotel (William Robert McNarn, proprietor), Ngakawau. This business was established in the year 1870 by Mr. William NcNarn, father of the present proprietor. At that time there was a great deal of traffic, of waggons and pack horses, to the various settlements along the beach as far as Mokihinui, before the opening of railway communication. The building is of wood and iron, and contains seven bedrooms, two sittingrooms, a bar, and public hall, and a dining-room capable of seating thirty guests. There are also stables in conconnection with the establishment, and a farm of fifty acres of freehold, utilised for sheep, cattle, and horses. The picturesque sports ground of Ngakawau forms part of the hotel property. Mr. McNarn, the proprietor of the Ngakawau Hotel, is further referred to as the local postmaster.