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Warkworth (Māori: Mahurangi) is a town on the Northland Peninsula in the upper North Island of New Zealand. It is in the northern part of the Auckland Region. It is located on State Highway 1, north of Auckland and south of Whangarei, and is at the head of Mahurangi Harbour. The Warkworth district is known as the Kowhai Coast, named after the native kowhai tree, and the town's annual Kowhai Festival is one of the largest community festivals in the country, running for around a week in spring. New Zealand's main satellite communications ground station is located south of Warkworth. From 2018 Warkworth is served by hourly buses to Hibiscus Coast Station and less frequent buses to Snells Beach, Algies Bay, Matakana, Omaha and Point Wells. InterCity buses run through Warkworth from Auckland to Kerikeri and Mahu City Express twice a day to Auckland. Warkworth Museum, a local museum showcasing local history, opened in 1979. [edit] History
The area at the head of the Mahurangi River was known by Māori as Puhinui. Warkworth, previously known as Browns Mill, was founded in 1853 by John Anderson Brown (born Newcastle upon Tyne), who named it after the village of Warkworth, Northumberland, where one of his relatives had taught for many years. In 1853 the government finished surveying the district and began to offer the land for sale. John Anderson Brown purchased of land and his daughter Amelia purchased a further . He then surveyed the land into allotments where the well known streets such as Lilburn, Alnwick, Neville, and Bertram were named. Six months later in May 1854 the allotments were offered for sale in The New Zealander, an Auckland Newspaper.[1] Bridge House Lodge, established on the site of John Anderson Brown's home next door to the Warkworth Bridge, is the oldest surviving building in Warkworth. Early industry included logging of kauri and other timbers, flour milling and boat-building. The first portland cement manufacturing works in the southern hemisphere, Wilson's Cement Company, was established near the town in 1884.[1] The company began when Nathaniel Wilson, who manufactured roche lime using local limestone, became interested in cement in 1883 and formed a company with his brothers John and James. By 1910, the cement company had become one of the major employer in Warkworth.[2] In 1918, the company amalgamated with the New Zealand Portland Cement Company, who were based in Motu Matakohe – Limestone Island in Whangārei, and the operation was gradually moved to Whangārei, eventually closing entirely in 1929.[2] The ruins still remain and the mine is now a popular local fresh water swimming hole. In 1883 the Masonic Hall was built and up until 1911 served as a public hall until a dedicated building was constructed on the corner of Alnwick and Neville streets. Across the road on the opposite corner the new post office was built the same year and was furnished with a telephone exchange within 12 months of being open.[1] In 1922 Stubbs Butchery first opened and took over the site on Wharf Street that once housed Bowen's Store, the first commercial premises to be built in the 1860s.[1] During World War II, Warkworth was host to thousands of United States servicemen. There were 25 military camps which sprung up around the town's farmlands. They carried out exercises prior to being sent to the Pacific Campaigns, and were well-received by the community. Warkworth was part of the Rodney District during its existence from 1989 to 2010. [edit] Research Tips
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