Coal For Christmas

Coal for Christmas, Ketenikau Mine

Alyce Charlesworth, Curator 

Children around the world have had concerns during this time of year, that Santa Claus may deliver a lump of coal in a few weeks’ time. The threat of the naughty list has had parents with the upper hand in many different cultures but what will happen when this fossil fuel runs out? The world’s reserves versus consumption means it has around 130 years before coal is off the menu as a fuel and as a consequence of poor behaviour.

The story of coal in the Whangārei region is an interesting one. The first discovery was in Whau Valley by a local Māori man named Johnny Rake, who had been to Thames and realised what he found here in the creek was similar to the highly prized black ore from the South. He chipped away some stone and took it to Mr H. Holman from the flax mill near Tikipunga and who had a great knowledge of minerals and other topics- many describing him as encyclopaedic. Holman confirmed the stone tucked in Rake’s kiekie kit as coal and they made quick arrangements to initiate a mine. Those arrangements included sending Johnny all the way to Wairoa to deliver a letter to a potential investor- Mr Henry Walton. The boy walked there and back in about a week for the sum of 5 shillings and he returned with a reply saying Walton would be interested. The investor turned up in Whau Valley six months later, in the year 1864 and they negotiated a lease of the block from the local Māori who had refused to sell it.

By 1865 the mine was operating, and the first load of coal was transported by horse drawn tramways down the Harrison Branch Line to the Town Wharf and loaded onto ships Aquila and Elizabeth. The infrastructure created at the Ketenikau Mine Syndicate was extensive, and Walton imported some of the first corrugated iron to be used in New Zealand. They also made the first two-storeyed flats to be built in the country for the miners living quarters. A photograph of the Ketenikau Mine shows quite an elaborate community setup- consisting of a blacksmith, butchery, bakery, sheds, paddocks, a building made of punga and even a pigsty.

The mine was not far from Kamo Cemetery on Ketenikau Road and when a particular shaft was being worked, the miners could hear when a grave was being dug. The location was also prone to water seepage and because of this ongoing issue Mr Walton closed it down after three years in operation. The next operators to try their luck at Ketenikau were Love & Smith who worked to drain the flooded mine. Mr Love then retired from the mining industry when his arm was torn off in a winch. For almost twenty years the mine lay idle and only a couple of sporadic attempts were made to recover more coal. The total amount of the black gold mined at Ketenikau was around 73,000 tonnes with the first Holman/Walton attempt taking the initial 70,853 tonnes.

The mine entry of Ketenikau is currently on display at the Whangārei Museum along with tools and artefacts from our mining history… including a huge sack of coal to inspire visitors to be good in the lead up to Santa’s deliveries.