Farming times

An early example of a dairy herd in the Waikato

An early example of ploughing in the Waikato

The Waikato Region as a whole contains about half of New Zealand’s peat land. Peat forms from rotted plant material in wet environments. It is potentially highly productive for pastoral farming purposes, but needs to be drained and cultivated to achieve that potential. Draining of the peat lands surrounding Waiwhakareke began in the 1860s soon after European settlement in the area. This allowed pastoral farming to be established on the land and it has continued to the present day.

Baverstock Road, which runs along the south eastern boundary of Waiwhakareke Natural Heritage Park (WNHP), was formerly known as Thomas Road. Land directly around Lake Waiwhakareke was owned by the Thomas family from 1929, followed by the Clements family who eventually on sold to Council. These families used the land primarily for dairy farming with sheep being grazed occasionally. Crops were sometimes grown for winter feed, usually lucerne and turnips.

Up until Council purchased the area in 1975, the lake was not fenced off. It was used at various times for swimming by children and also as a short cut through the area via canoe for some people. Mushroom collecting from the surrounding paddocks was common in autumn.

A direct result of the lack of fencing around the lake was pollution of the water through cattle effluent. Cattle were able to access the lake directly and could graze the edges, with the resulting contamination degrading water quality. This, in combination of nutrient rich run-off from the pasture, moved the lake from a dystrophic state (very low fertility and peat stained water) to a fertile, algae dominated system.The hills to the north of WNHP largely consist of clay soils which are difficult to farm. Over time droughts have had a major effect on the productivity of this area with visible signs of past dry spells evident in places.

The boundaries of Hamilton City have expanded towards WNHP over time. There are now built up residential housing areas to the south and south east of the Heritage Park with the industrial land of Te Rapa to the east and northeast. Much of the rural land on the remaining boundaries has been subdivided. This has promoted more intensive farming of the area which can at times degrade the land. Beyond the boundaries of WNHP farming has diversified over time with land use no longer being exclusively dairying and animals such as deer now being reared on some properties.