Portal:New Zealand/Selected article/Week 28, 2006

Whitianga is the main settlement of Mercury Bay on the North Island of New Zealand. According to the Census of New Zealand 2001 the population was 3078, a small increase over the 1996 census. The town has undergone considerable growth since 2001 and this is expected to be reflected in the census figures from 2006.

Historically Whitianga was a centre for boat building, kauri milling, flax milling, gold mining and gum digging. For many years, it was a leading timber port, with sailing ships from Norway, Sweden, France, Italy and Great Britain coming to load timber. Over a period of sixty years, it is estimated over 500 million feet of kauri was exported from the Whitianga district. The first kauri gum was exported in 1844. It reached its peak in 1899 when over 11,000 long tons of gum was exported at an average of $120 per ton.

Today Whitianga serves as a small regional centre for the eastern side of the Coromandel Peninsula / Mercury Bay area and is a focal point for local fishing, farming and tourism industry. Recently featured: Jonah Lomu &middot; The Catlins &middot; Holy Trinity Cathedral &middot; Archive