Kutarere wharf

In the 1920s, with erosion threatening Ōhiwa wharf, a new wharf was built at Kutarere. Costing ratepayers about £5000, the 150-metre-long causeway stretched across shallow mudflats to deeper water. It opened on 6 May 1922 and its central location in the Eastern Bay of Plenty led to it being called the ‘Port of all the Urewera’.

 

The Public Works Department used the wharf to bring in material and equipment to build the road into Urewera. Outgoing goods included produce from the dairy factories at Waimana, Waiōtahe, Cheddar Valley and Nukuhou. 

 

New roads and the Taneatua railhead, completed in 1928, soon made sending goods by sea less attractive. The shallow harbour was also difficult for larger ships to access. By 1930, revenue from cargo handling no longer covered the running costs of the wharf.

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From 1 January 1931 the Northern Steamship Company leased the wharf from the local councils, but there were disputes about maintenance and safety issues. It remained in occasional use until October 1951 when the coaster Waiotahi left with one last load of butter. 

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