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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 4, Issue 9 (January 1, 1930)

[section]

The final day of the tour in the North (Saturday, 23rd November), was spent in and around Whangarei, the largest town in North Auckland. The rural beauty of the good country in rear of the town charmed the visitors’ eyes, and the whole district impressed the travellers as a region of fertility, comfort and prosperity.

The final social gathering for talk and song was held at Whangarei on the Saturday night. The Mayor of Whangarei, Mr. W. Jones, presided, and said many pleasant things about the visitors.

Replying, Mr. Merritt, President of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, expressed gratitude for the warmth of the Northern welcome. The tour had been harmonious and in every way successful. They did not come on a joy ride, but to get to know the people and the problems of the country, and he knew of no better way to do this than by such tours.

The toast of “Local Bodies” was proposed by Mr. E. Casey, Divisional Superintendent of Railways, who spoke in eulogy of the priceless service which was being rendered to the Dominion by members of local bodies from North Cape to the Bluff. In Whangarei the hand of friendship had always been readily extended and he wished the town the prosperity it deserved.

Mr. J. A. Finlayson, chairman of the Whangarei Harbour Board, said one of the most pleasant memories he would carry away from public life would be the friendly relationships which had existed between the Harbour Board and the Railways Department. To show how Whangarei was progressing, he said that in 1919, before the advent of the railway, the harbour revenue was £3,000. “Since the railway has come to take our trade away, our revenue has gone up to nearly £14,000 a year, which shows that the goods and produce are here to be carried.”

page 23
Hunting The Wily Toheroa. (Rly. Publicity photo.) Top: Gathering for the hunt at Kaitaia. Centre: Discovering the biting end. Below: Though many dig, America gets the gallery—Julian B. Foster (United States Trade Commissioner) digging for toheroa on the 90-mile Beach.

Hunting The Wily Toheroa.
(Rly. Publicity photo.)
Top: Gathering for the hunt at Kaitaia. Centre: Discovering the biting end. Below: Though many dig, America gets the gallery—Julian B. Foster (United States Trade Commissioner) digging for toheroa on the 90-mile Beach.

page 24

Mr. Crawford said that in the great North Auckland peninsula there were 3,000,000 acres of first-class and good second-class land. With the sub-tropical climate and an average annual rainfall of 63.87 inches, feed was abundant. There was no need to grow winter feed, and in the North, unlike the South, it was rare to see a stack of hay. In the last dairying season the total amount paid out for butterfat in North Auckland was £1,817,600, an increase of £479,675 over the total of the previous year, and an average return of 10s. per acre counting all land in North Auckland, good, bad and indifferent. Returns from other primary industries brought the total annual income to over £2,000,000.