Topic: Heywards via Mike Harris
Topic type:
Records from neighbour Mike Harris, of Te Arai Point, about the Heyward family of Te Arai.
HEYWARDS
The Heywards lived on what is now Russell Coopers property from 1951 to 1964. Mr
Heyward was a dairy farmer with 120 cows and carted his cream by horse and sledge
over the hill to the Lake Road/Ocean View Rd comer, though Lake Road was not a
through road and access to the ar~ was via Lake Road. Cherry Scott nee Hayward lived
here in 1951-52 before boarding at Epsom Girls Grammar. She used to walk over the hill
past our place and catch the bus at the Lake Road comer to go to Mangawhai· School,
There were no connecting roads to Tomorata School. The school bus was driven by
Jimmy Jackson. Te Arai Point Road was only developed as far as the Calders but was
used by Mrs Coulter for access, and when it was later extended to facilitate Council
quarry operations. People using it, often to access the vast mussel beds at the Point, often
got stuck on the big sand hill by the current forest entrance where the Mangawhai
publican has bought a block from Russell Cooper. In the 50s there was a hut owned by
the Council about 400 metres back from the quarry, but no other buildings on that part of
the road.
The Heywards lived in a house just above Coopers cowshed near where there is a water
tank on a rise. This house has since been burnt down. Mr Hayward built the current
Cooper house in 1957. Cherry Scott is familiar with the Chipchase grave adjacent the
track above their house and the story of how he was killed by a bolting horse. Cherry's
brother in law Des Penney owned Te Arai Point. Other neighbours were Jimmy Dorreen
who lived opposite Lake Road in the old house we "inherited". The Wordsworths lived
in the Lake Rd house next to where the Paceys are now, and the Locks lived below the
Pacey Quarry. Ron h.. and his family were living in this Lock house when one of their
children accidentally shot and killed another sibling. This caused the family to move off
the farm. Marie Simmons lived where Ingo now lives at the top of take Rd. The Te Arai
library was moved adjacent to her place from Cemetry Rd so she could keep and eye on
it. There used to be an Auckland - Whangarei bus which traveled via Mangawhai and
Waipu Cove, north on a Friday afternoon and South on Mondays. Cemetry Rd was at one
stage designated the Main Road North. In the 60s there was a community hall near the
comer of Ryans Road called the Tobacco lands Hall because tobacco was grown in the
area. The hall became Braddock's woolshed, and is now owned by Peter McIntyre. Tung
oil crops were grown on Peter McIntyre's farm.
Cherry's husband graham farmed the Keith Rd area for 30 years before establishing
Molesworth Four Square, and in 1974 had a contract for thinning the Mangawhai Forest
for posts at one shilling per post.
