Great Barrier Island History

Home       Travel     Map      Boaties      Photos    About GBI     Links    Contact

Great Barrier Island (Aotea) has a diverse history dating back some 700 years to the first colonisation by people from East Polynesia.  In the 1800's European arrived and their activities on the island included; the mining of copper at Miners Head, silver and gold mining at Okupu and Whangaparapara.  Kauri was logged for many years and a restored kauri dam is still standing on the Kaiaraara track to Mt Hirakimata (Mt Hobson). Farming was innovative and included cattle, sheep, goats, deer, bees and of course marine farming. Commercial whaling occurred in the nineteenth century and again during the 1950's.  Many ships were built on the island including the barque Stirlingshire. Great Barrier Island has also been the location of more than 30 shipwrecks, the best known being the SS Wairarapa.

(A survey of Kaikoura Island includes information on Maori and European settlement of Great Barrier Island (Aotea).

Are you seeking information on your family history? or can you help with enquiries - Click Here

Magazine Articles

WWII History around Great Barrier Island

Gold Edinburgh Expedition to Great Barrier 1972 The route was carefully planned amongst all members of the family and took in courses in navigation, seamanship, boat handling, and Quarter Master duties.

Riding to school on Great Barrier Island  Lesley Rockell (then Lesley Mabey) rode to and from school in the 1940s and 1950s on Great Barrier Island.

Adams Family at Buschs' Beach, Kaiaraara Bay

Rev Baker's  Pastoral Visit to the Great Barrier Island  from the Journal of the Rev. A. Baker, M.A. (Church Gazette.) March 1881

Cooper Family

Jim Eagles - Stepping Back in Time on Great Barrier Island September 2004

Freddie Ladd - Flying to Great Barrier 1971

Le Roy Family

A E LeRoy - The Great Barrier Island  Published in the ‘Journal of the Auckland-Waikato’  Issue No. 32 April 1978

Girlie Leroy

Alethea Major (nee Lamond)

E M Malcolm's Lonely Life on Great Barrier Island 
Part of a printed booklet of 1904 “My Own Story” in which Emile Monson Malcolm describes the sixteen years the family spent on the island from 1854.

Fred Medland's Fishing Tales Fishing on Great Barrier Island from the 1930's.

Paddison Family

Sanderson Family

Moor Family - Family Tree available, see end of article

Dion (Stud) Stellin and Barrier Gold

Don Woodcock
- A Reflection: My time on Great Barrier Island

 


 

 

Karaka Bay Graveyard 
Compiled by Margaret Peacocke, a great-great-grand-daughter of Edward & Annie Paddison

Kaiaraara Kauri Dam - Three dams were erected from the kauri logs, built across the headwaters of the Kaiaraara Stream, directly below Mt Hirakimata.

NZ's First Airmail Service - the Great Barrier Island Pigeongram

SS Wairarapa Shipwreck
SS Wairarapa Graves with a partial list of 250 passengers and crew.

Orama Christian Community at Karaka Bay

Flight of the Albatross Movie 1996 
World Premiere on Great Barrier Island

Castaway reality television show filmed on Great Barrier Island on February 28th 2007

North Barrier Library at Port FitzRoy

Painting of Kaiaraara & Mt Hirakimata (Hobson) by George Frederic Allen

Castaway on Great Barrier Island 2007

 

 

Historical images not related to articles.

 

Join the Facebook
Great Barrier Island History Group

 

All contributions gratefully received.  Contact Web Owner

Copyright © 2002 by GBINZ. All Rights Reserved.
All  text and images on this website are the copyright of GBINZ and permission must be sought to use them.