Mill at Whatipu

Mill at Whatipu

Timber milling was pivotal to Auckland’s economy in the late 19th century. This 1880 painting by Charles Blomfield shows a mill at Whatipu (Manukau Heads). Behind the mill is a dam – probably on the Whatipu stream. Logs were stored in the dam and then released, the flood carrying them downstream to ships. Blomfield strongly advocated the conservation of native bush.