A small snap shot of what has been a vibrant community since the 1850’, when settlers first started arriving in Whitford. Farming was the mainstay of those early settlers who co-habituated with the local Maori community in teaching each other how to live off the land.

All the three estuaries played an important role from way back in the 1850’s right up to the time when clay roads, sometimes lined with ti-tree were finally built to Whitford. The ‘estuaries were the roads to Auckland City’ and Whitford was one of the food bowls supplying the growing city. 

A Post Office was originally located at Waikopua before being shifted to the Turanga estuary - and trees were shipped for timber.
Cream, produce and the Granger bricks at Whitford village all went via the Turanga River.

Produce, fruit and stock from the Mangemangeroa gorge were all transported down the river to go to the city markets. 

Large coastal steamers from the Clevedon Shipping Company would come right up to the Whitford village wharf to collect the produce and deliver goods to the early settlers. Other farmers on the river would row their cream and produce out to meet the steamer in the estuary, for the cream to go to Auckland to be made into butter. There were a few wharves along the Turanga estuary, but they have long been gone.

Many of the road names are from the early settlers to the district.