Onekaka Iron and Steel was first floated in 1921 with the works becoming operational in 1924 and only ceasing operation in 1935. The ironworks used the limonite ore from nearby to make iron. To smelt the iron, coal and limestone were also necessary[1] and both limestone and the limonite were mined from the hills behind the works and ferried to the works 2.4 km away,[2] in buckets via an aerial ropeway.[1] Coal had originally been planned to come from the Mataura field, but was eventually sourced from Westport.[3]
 | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
.svg)  Onekaka Ironworks Location in New Zealand | |
| Location | Onekaka |
| Territorial authority | Tasman District |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 40°46′7″S 172°42′6″E / 40.76861°S 172.70167°E |
| Production | |
| Products | Iron |
| History | |
| Opened | 1924 |
| Closed | 1935 |
| Designated | 1 January 2022 |
| Reference no. | 5120 |
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When the industrial use of the iron ore in nearby Parapara was first considered in the early 1900s, it was envisaged to build a wharf north of Tukurua Point.[4] The Parapara iron ore had since the 1870s been used for making red paint, with a tram eventually connecting to a wharf.[5]
Skilton's wharf on the Onekaka Inlet was used to deliver building materials and equipment to build the ironworks in Onekaka,[3] and take away the finished product.[2] However, in 1923 the company was granted permission to build a pier 365 metres long from Onekaka Beach to deep water.[2] A tramline was built in 1924, running 2.6 kilometres from the wharf to the ironworks. This crossed the inlet on raised trestles, and passed under the highway.[2] In 1928–29, a hydro-electric scheme was built to power the pipe-making plant.[2]
The blast furnace was able to produce 10,000 tons of iron per year, outrunning local demand,[3] and produced over 81,000 tons of iron between 1922 and 1935.[2] However, the plant could not compete with overseas iron and by 1930 the market for iron pipes had also collapsed. By 1931, the company was in receivership, closing in 1935.[1]
in 1938, the government acquired the ironworks[6] and there were proposals to revive them, but efforts to revive the works ceased in 1954.[7]
Heritage
editOnekaka Ironworks Wharf and Tramline Piles have been declared part of New Zealand's cultural heritage, which has "significance as a poignant physical link to an ambitious iron mining and smelting scheme".[2]
Gallery
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Remnants of the Onekaka wharf -
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See also
editNotes
edit- ^ a b c "Onekakā Iironworks". www.engineeringnz.org. Archived from the original on 14 November 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Heritage New Zealand: Onekaka Ironworks Wharf and Tramline Piles". Heritage New Zealand. Archived from the original on 13 February 2024. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ a b c Dawber & Win 2008, pp. 81–118.
- ^ "Parapara iron ore". Nelson Evening Mail. Vol. XLII, no. XLII. 16 August 1907. p. 2. Archived from the original on 23 March 2024. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
- ^ Dawber & Win 2008, pp. 40–43.
- ^ "A general viewof the Onekaka Ironworks, which are to be run as a Slate enterprise. A special empowering Bill was passed by Parliament at the conclusion of the recent session to enable.this to be done". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. Archived from the original on 23 March 2024. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ "Heritage New Zealand: Onekaka Ironworks Quarries and Hydro-electric Power Scheme". Heritage New Zealand. Archived from the original on 23 March 2024. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
References
edit- Dawber, Carol; Win, Cheryl (2008). Between the Ports: Collingwood to Waitapu. Picton: River Press. ISBN 978-0-9582779-1-4.
External links
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Media related to Onekakā Ironworks at Wikimedia Commons
Media related to Onekaka Wharf at Wikimedia Commons
Images from the Alexander Turnbull Library