Mackaytown is a settlement in theHauraki District andWaikato region of New Zealand'sNorth Island, located at the north-western end of theKarangahake Gorge just south ofPaeroa.
It is named after local Government administrator and politicianJames Mackay.[1]
The settlement consists of eight roads branching offState Highway 2.[2] It is bordered by Turner's Hill, Doherty's Creek,Ohinemuri River, and the sacred Tapu Ariki burial grounds on Te Moananui's Hill.[1]
The Ohinemuri River is within therohe (traditional tribal area) ofNgāti Hako andNgāti Tara Tokanui. Ohinemuri is aMāori word, meaning "the girl left behind", referring to a legend about a chief's daughter who was detained by ataniwha at Turner's Hill.[1]
Early Māori settlers travelled the area extensively, mostly bywaka (canoes), but also by crossing the forest and stream fords on foot. MissionarySamuel Marsden was across the river, when passing through the area on his way fromThames toTauranga in 1820.[1]
Europeans began settling the area for gold-mining in the middle of the 19th century. They reachedPaeroa by boat, and followed the river on foot. The hilly country made it difficult for horses to haul heavy machinery to the mines.[1]
The new town was named after local administratorJames Mackay, who was involved in establishing the township during his time as Thames Goldfield Warden in 1867 and 1868.[3] The nearby Turner's Hill was named after early settler James Turner, who built a thatched cottage on the hill.[1]
The town became an important stop for travellers. A post office opened in 1875 and a school opened in 1876.[1]
The area was surveyed between 1877 and 1887, allowing roads to be built further into the gorge. The Mackaytown school house burned some time after 1885, and a new school was established in the main Karangahape settlement in 1889.[1]
In 1898, the Mackaytown Hotel was replaced with a newer, larger hotel.[4] It had eight bedrooms, three sitting rooms, a commercial room, a dining room for sixty guests, and a stable for 15 horses.[5]
By 1900, 50 people were living in Mackaytown and property prices were rising.[5] The township had a suburban atmosphere, and acalcium tungstate mine.[4]
The town continued to accommodate passing travellers well into the 20th century.[4]
Photographs of the settlement, held by theNational Library of New Zealand, shows little change to the size of the settlement between 1914 and 1958.[6][7]
37°24′40″S175°42′25″E / 37.411°S 175.707°E /-37.411; 175.707