Tokirima History - Return to Home page
Daily News King Country Page Nov 1955 :
Cross Country Magazine May 1997.
Maraekowhai Station's story began in 1910 when Oscar Monrad led a party into the Ohura river area to inspect a block of Maori land a few kilometres upstream from the Wanganui River. He found the block to be 2500 hectares of wild and steep country between the Heao and Ohura rivers. The Maraekowhai Land Development Company was formed to run it. The block was completely covered in bush and fern and the arduous task of clearing began.
First manager of the station was Cecil von Blaramberg who stayed on till 1929. By the beginning of WW1 more than 1800 hectares had been cleared. Jimmy O'Neill joined in 1916 and remained until 1961, the longest worker in their history..
Stock access was difficult in the early years. Any stock that was bought came to Taumarunui by rail and was then driven to Maraekowhai along a bush track down the western side of the Wanganui.
Wool, the first clip of nine bales had to be sledged to Tokirima, which was the furthest a bullock wagon could get, and then taken to Ongarue.
When Mr A R Sandilands arrived as Manager in 1929 the property was carrying 2800 ewes, 6000 dry sheep and 890 cattle.
By 1955 these totals had increased to 18,775 sheep and lambs and 2000 head of cattle with 400 bales of wool produced annually. With the advent of aerial top dressing in 1950 the whole block was sown with approximately seven hundredweight to the acre and three pounds of white and subterranean clover. Mr Sandiland became a shareholder of an aerial top dressing company and was recognized as one of the pioneers of aerial topdressing in the district.
From 1955 the Manager's position was taken up by Mr J S Onslow - Osborne (Lex) who had previously managed the Paparata Development Company at Tatu. He and his family stayed until 1969 when the position was filled by Alan Daniell.
When Maraekowhai celebrated its 75th Jubilee in 1985 it was stated with pride that "Maraekowhai's strength lay in its uninterrupted ownership for three quarters of a century, with a Monrad (Peter Monrad) Chairman of the Board of Directors". It had also always been policy to play an integral part in the life of the Tokirima District.
From 1975 the property was managed by Gary Gash and was in, in 1985, running 12,000 ewes, 4000 mixed hoggets and 2500 head of cattle as well as the beginning of diversification into deer, with 60 hinds.
The low level bridge at Oumutu, which had been ceremoniously opened in 1939, was replaced in 1979. It was a big project, memorable because a flood almost knocked out the bridge before it was completed.
Maraekowhai was sold in 1989 to a company with 3 shareholders, one of them Kevin Harper, general manager and his wife Jennie, the company secretary.
In 1993 2839 hectares of Otuiti was added and in 1996 2839 hectares of Koiro was included. At this time Maraekowhai had a staff of 13 and still ran a cookhouse for single workers. Wayne Hill managed the Otuitit/Koiro Blocks.
In 1998 the Harpers left the district and since then Wayne Hill has been in charge. An access road between Koiro and Kaikara Road (through Fordhams) has since been established.
Typed by Lyn Neeson - Sep 2003 Return to Timeline