Historic Station Broken Up

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30962, 19 January 1966, Page 3

Historic Station Broken Up

'•The Press” Special Service HASTINGS, Jan. 18 Mokopeka Station, which pioneered hydro - electric power in 1890, has lost its identity. For more than a century the 7000-acre station belonged to the Chambers family, but now it has been split up among four owners. Mokopeka is 14 miles southeast of Hastings, in the Maraetotara district.

Its 113-year-old history ended last week with a clearance sale of 7200 Romney sheep, 370 head of Aberdeen Angus and Aberdeen AngusShorthorn cross cattle, plant and implements.

The sale was the biggest stock clearance seen in Hawke's Bay since the turn of the century.

According to Mr J. E. Aurish, who conducted the sale, it was the strongest North Island cattle and sheep sale for years.

Mokopeka Station’s history began in 1852 when Mr John Chambers, an Englishman who had been farming in Australia, landed in Napier with his wife and three children and acquired the block. He built a homestead (close to where the present one stands) out of timber brought down the Tukituki River from the Waipawa district. Mr Chambers and a friend drove the first sheep into Hawke’s Bay from Wellington —no easy task in unroaded, hostile country.

Mokopeka was later taken over by a son of the pioneer, also named John, who qualified as an electrical engineer. In 1890 he installed the first hydro-electric generating plant in Australia or New Zealand. harnessing the waters of the .Maraetotara river, and became New Zealand’s first sheep owner to shear with electric power.

I The plant, slightly modified, is still operating. Five months ago the station was split up into four fairly equal sections. The homestead block was bought by Mr Jack ChamIbers, nephew of the late Mr jjohn Chambers. Another nephew. Mr Mason Chambers, also bought a section.

The other sections are owned by Messrs W. Ormond and B. Kettle.