Your Place - Totara North

Totara North, on the northern shores of the Whangaroa Harbour, north of Kerikeri, has a population of around 200. There is a primary school, a community hall, a bar and cafe, a small wharf an even smaller crayfish processing plant, and a boat ramp. It was also home to the shipbuilding firm Lane & Brown. Between 1870 and 1906 they built more than 70 ships of up to 350 tons gross weight, all constructed from kauri and other hard woods. When wooden ships were consigned to history the firm turned to timber milling and survived until 2004 when it was sold and closed down.