Tall Spars, Steamers & Gum - Kaipara 1854-1947 by Wayne Ryburn (Signed Copy)

This is a second-hand copy of the book Tall Spars, Steamers & Gum - A History of the Kaipara from Early European Settlement 1854-1947 by Wayne Ryburn. This copy is signed by the author.

Condition: This is a used book in very good condition. The spine has light sun-fading - see photos.

Publisher: Kaipara Publications
Year: 2000
ISBN: 9780473016760
Format: Softback
Pages: 248
Condition: Used (Very Good)

Tall Spars, Steamers & Gum: A History of the Kaipara From Early European Settlement 1854-1947 ~ the 'mighty Kaipara' Harbour and its hinterland is now a quiet, almost forgotten part of New Zealand. In its heyday though, the 30-year period from 1876 to 1906, the Kaipara was the leading timber export port of New Zealand. The hills rang to the sound of axes and saws as settlers, local Maori and itinerant bushmen plundered the kauri forests for the golden timber that helped build or cities as well as Sydney and Melbourne. The waters of this immense harbour, one of the largest in the southern hemisphere, were crowded with the tall spars of sailing ships laden with timber and steamers ferrying passengers from the distant reaches of the Kaipara. Timber was not the only magnet drawing people into the region. thousands of years, ancient kauri had given up another treasure in the form of solid resin gum, which found commercial use in the second half of the 19th century. Diggers from many countries converged on the Kaipara at this time to prowl its valleys and lowlands, the diggers returned armed with spades and steel spears which they used to locate the buried nuggets of gum.