Australian aviator Guy Menzies surprised Harihari locals when he completed the first solo trans-Tasman flight in 1931 by landing – unintentionally – in a flax swamp. Today Menzies' watery arrival spot is marked by a plaque. Archival audio sourced from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives, http://www.soundarchives.co.nz/. Sound files may not be reused without permission from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives (Reference number 32347).

Roadside Stories

Swampy landing at Harihari

After gold was discovered in 1864 a lively town sprang up at Hokitika. Within a few months it had 5,000 residents and 72 hotels. However, its port was dangerous, and many ships met their end on the bar at the river mouth. When the gold rush finished, Hokitika dwindled – though since 1990 its Wildfoods Festival has been popular with daring eaters.

Gold fever in Hokitika

Pounamu – greenstone or jade – was prized by Māori, and gave its name to the South Island (Te Wai Pounamu). Long associated with the Ngāi Tahu tribe, pounamu was especially common in the bed of the Arahura River. This precious stone is said to have been created by the taniwha Poutini. Archival audio sourced from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives, http://www.soundarchives.co.nz/. Sound files may not be reused without permission from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives (Reference number sa-d-02206-s02-pm).

Precious pounamu

West Coast coal has been mined since the 1860s, and coal was a vital source of energy in the 19th century. But coal mining is back-breaking work that can also be dangerous – 65 men died in the 1896 Brunner mine explosion, New Zealand's worst industrial disaster. In 2010, 29 workers died after an explosion at the Pike River coal mine. Archival audio sourced from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives, http://www.soundarchives.co.nz/. Sound files may not be reused without permission from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives (Reference number CDR742, Spectrum 865).

The dangers of coal

The famous Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki resemble a layered stack of pancakes, and caves beneath them open into blowholes which emit spectacular bursts of spray. The rocks are made of limestone – a sedimentary rock that is soluble in rainwater and often forms dramatic karst landscapes of caves, sinkholes and underground rivers.

Punakaiki's Pancake Rocks

Many settlers on the West Coast were Irish, and conflict sometimes erupted between Irish Catholics and Protestants. The worst confrontation was at the gold-rush tent town of Addisons Flat, where Protestants and Catholics fought in the streets in 1868.

Conflict at Addisons Flat

Dramatic landslides, rock falls and waterfalls are the legacy of the two massive earthquakes that hit the Buller region in the 20th century. Lives were lost at Murchison in 1929, and again at Īnangahua in 1968. Archival audio sourced from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives, http://www.soundarchives.co.nz/. Sound files may not be reused without permission from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives (Reference number sa-d-01135-04-s01-s02-pm).

Murchison and Īnangahua quakes

In late 1846, with his Māori guides Kehu and Pikewate, surveyor Thomas Brunner set off on an epic journey down the Buller River and to the West Coast. The group battled hunger, illness, injury and terrible weather, and it was 18 months before Brunner encountered another European. Archival audio sourced from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives, http://www.soundarchives.co.nz/. Sound files may not be reused without permission from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives (Reference number sa-d-02422-su01-s02-pm).

Brunner on the Buller

Northland was once covered in magnificent kauri forests – but almost all were logged after Europeans arrived in New Zealand. Felling the giant trees was dangerous work, and dams were built so the logs could be floated down rivers. Today a museum at Matakohe showcases the history of kauri forests and their exploitation. Archival audio sourced from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives, http://www.soundarchives.co.nz/. Sound files may not be reused without permission from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives (Reference number Spectrum 535).

Matakohe kauri

In the late 19th century Auckland's main export was kauri gum. One rich source of the gum was the swampy land around Dargaville where kauri forests had been cleared. Gum-digging was tough work, often done by Dalmatian immigrants and by Māori. Today the Dargaville area is known for growing kūmara (sweet potato). Archival audio sourced from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives, http://www.soundarchives.co.nz/. Sound files may not be reused without permission from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives (Reference number 27604).

Dargaville – from kauri gum to kūmara

Waipoua Forest is the site of majestic giant kauri, including the towering 1,500-year-old Tāne Mahuta. Waipoua is one of New Zealand's few remnants of kauri forest – much of which was logged for timber in the 19th and 20th centuries. Archival audio: Archives New Zealand – Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, http://www.archives.govt.nz/ Weekly Review 333. National Film Unit, 1948.

Waipoua Forest, home of giant trees

In 1955–56 a friendly dolphin known as Opo became a celebrity, drawing thousands of visitors to the sleepy town of Opononi on the Hokianga Harbour. Enjoying human company, Opo performed tricks and let children ride on her back. Archival audio: Archives New Zealand – Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, http://www.archives.govt.nz/ Pictorial Parade 47. National Film Unit, 1956.

Opononi, home of Opo

Hokianga Harbour was the departure point of legendary Māori navigator Kupe when he returned to his homeland of Hawaiki. Kupe is said to have left behind two taniwha (water spirits), which guided the safe landing of later Polynesian arrivals.

Kupe in the Hokianga

In the 1820s the Kerikeri mission station was under the protection of Hongi Hika and the Ngāpuhi tribe. Hongi had encouraged the establishment of the mission – largely because he wanted access to muskets, which gave Ngāpuhi a great military advantage over other tribes. Today the 1822 mission house is New Zealand's oldest building. Archival audio sourced from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives, http://www.soundarchives.co.nz/. Sound files may not be reused without permission from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives (Reference number T906).

Missionaries and muskets at Kerikeri

The Treaty of Waitangi, considered to be New Zealand's founding document, was signed at Waitangi on 6 February 1840 between Māori chiefs and the British Crown. However, within five years Māori were at war with the British over land loss and treaty infringements. Since the 1970s the Waitangi Tribunal has investigated treaty breaches. Archival audio sourced from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives, http://www.soundarchives.co.nz/. Sound files may not be reused without permission from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives (Reference number D4129a sa-d-04129-s01-pm).

Waitangi, home of the treaty

A series of audio guides from the major highways and roads around New Zealand. Explore the history and places of New Zealand in this tour of attractions along the roadside. These stories are also available as an iPhone app and on YouTube - see http://www.mch.govt.nz/roadside for more information.

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Roadside Stories

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