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Articles researched and written by Claire Fitzjames,
Carol Wright and Tovi Daly
T
he team composed of
the Pukiore and Tairua
clubs, journeyed as far as
Tauranga to play matches.
Excerpts from this article
(see clips) gives an account
of the walk-over Tauranga
had over the small Tairua
team. The players would
hop aboard the Onslow at
midnight Friday in Tairua
and arrive in Tauranga by
7am Saturday morning.
“The bitterness of defeat was,
however, soon forgotten, in the
warmhearted and liberal hospitality
displayed by the Tauranga people.
...and to the Tauranga footballers for
the flair and gentlemanly way they
played the game, for although our
boys’ got ‘woodened’ it was from
superior weight not rough play”.
Thames Star, 5 October, 1905
Jack McCall and Harold Cory-Wright, mates having a bit of fun
on the field in the 1920s. (Photo courtesy of Clem McCall)
Many interviews and hours of research unearthed a
colourful portrait of Tairua’s Rugby–one of the oldest
teams in New Zealand. A big thanks to all those that
contributed time, stories and photos–we ended up
with more than we could fit this time around, and
know there’s even more. We plan to continue a series
of future articles leading up to the 125th jubilee.
J
ust think: it’s 1769, and Captain Cook’s Endeavour lands on the
Coromandel coast. A scant hundred years later, rugby lands! The
early English settlers were not about to leave their beloved rugby back
home. Within 25 years of the establishment of the sawmill and the first
homestead on Paku, the Tairua Rugby Union was formed: Here is the
announcement from the
Auckland Star, 5 April, 1888
.
Recognize anyone?
Other news accounts tell of harrowing
injuries, tries scored and, as always,
gracious entertainments
Labour Weekend, 2013, Tairua will celebrate
a significant event... 125 years of rugby!
I
magine what life was like – few houses
and few or no roads, making travel to
even nearby towns a challenge. What was
it like to play rugby at the end of the 19th
century, where the only way in and out
was by horseback or boat once every two
weeks?
Are we there yet?
The first road for vehicles in and out of
Tairua was not built until 1928; before
that, games played in the other four areas
were accessed by boat or by track. Imagine
riding by horse back for seven hours from
Thames, over the range on the infamous
Neavesville/Puriri track–then passing
through the small gold mine settlement
of Puketui then through Pukiore (now
known as Hikuai), and finally reaching
the small township of Tairua. Instead of
noisy jet-skis and boats dominating the
river and estuary, giant kauri logs made
their way down the river to the Timber
Mill where our Fishing Club and Tairua
Residential Care are now located.
Area’s rugby teams tied to pioneering
industries
The development of rugby in New
Zealand’s provincial towns paralleled
the fluctuation of timber, gold, forestry,
fishing and other industries. As towns
developed, so too did the game of
rugby. Tairua and Hikuai townships,
along with the many small towns across
the Coromandel Peninsula, owed their
existence to the industries of timber, gum
and gold. The growth and decline of the
rugby club was heavily dependent on the
success of these industries.
During the boom of the late 19th
Century, the Tairua district split into two
parts; the Tairua and Pukiore (Hikuai)
townships. Rugby and cricket matches
were played between the two settlements.
The two then merged to form the Tairua
teamwhich would play in the Coromandel
County Union (Tairua, Mercury Bay,
Whitianga, Kuaotunu and Coromandel
town). Mercury Bay was recorded as one
of the stronger sides with a 23-3 winning
record in matches played over three
seasons.
Thames was a league above Tairua
during this period, a much bigger
township at the time and a town who
played larger more prominent teams such
as Auckland and Rotorua. Thames was
proving to be a rugby crazed township
with up to 2500 spectators supporting the
Thames side.
This 1899
Thames Star
article gives
good account of what the games
were like.
14
PAKU VIEWS
ISSUE 5 SPRING 2012