1858 - The date of the original Crown grant is May 13, 1858.  The area of 3,223 acres was granted to William Wright, of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

1881 – Richard Knibb Davis raised mortgages from the Public Trustee and John Benjamin Russell. 
1888 – R K Davis ran into financial problem and the Public Trustee and J B Russell acquired the land.  J B Russell was authorized to sell the land in lots.  57 acres was cut off the western side and sold to Murdoch Wm. McKenzie on July 10. A further piece of land was sold to Henry James Burnside.
1890 – H J Burnside transferred his piece of land to Edwin Ford, Charles Edwin Ford, Caleb Ford, Joseph Smith, Walter Matthews and William Jeffs.
1893 – Financial difficulties and the land was auctioned on June 9, by Sam Cochrane and Son’s Mart, Queen Street, Auckland.  The Public Trustee bought the land. John Benjamin Russell again acquired all of the land (with the exception of the 57 acres).
1894 – The probated will of John Benjamin Russell transmitted his numerous properties including Brynderwyn to Edward Robert Nolan Russell, Hugh Campbell and William Stephen Cochrane.
1903 – The Maungaturoto Co-operative Dairy Company leased just over an acre of land.
1904 – The whole area was subdivided by Charles Otway, surveyor.  The lots were sold to Gilbert Calvert, Maungaturoto Co-operative Dairy Company, John Mountaine, Otamatea County Council, John Robertson Rogers, Henry Worthington, William Jeffs, Thomas John Stewart, William Kerr, Edward William Drinkwater, Luke Langton, Thomas Taylor, Charles Underwood, Walter J Rowsell and John W Matthews, Charles Edward Ford, and George Ford.

1858 – March 2, the area of 3,223 acres was granted to William Smellie Grahame under the Land Claims Settlement Act, 1856.

1878 – Land Transfer Title was issued on April 12, subject to the laying out of roads, for an area of 3,521 acres. (3,223 acres acres plus 298 acres purchased from John Whitehead Macnee)
1877 – July 30, William Grahame, granted John Smellie Grahame the power of attorney.
1878 – August 14, John Smellie Grahame sold the land on behalf of William Grahame to James John Taine.
1891 – Land leased to Humphrey Arnold Prideaux and Edwin Bingley Welch.
1892 – February 24th, transferred to the Queen a portion of land for roads. July 29th 35 and a half acres was sold to John Curtis of Pukekaroro for £70. 
1895 - Prideaux transferred his interest in the lease to Welch.
1897 – Welch sub-leased to Donald Murdoch McLean.
1902 – Taine sold to Alexander Aitken and Henry Octavius Nolan.
1903 – Aitken transferred his interest to Nolan. Nolan had it surveyed into smaller lots and transferred to: Robert Stanley Cullen and Arthur Joseph Cullen, Angus James McKay, Roderick Simon Finlayson, George Mailin Curtis, Ernest Claude Mason, Eric Hughes Hudd, Herbert John Cullen, Frederick Ernest Cullen, Eleanor Jane Cullen, Charles Stewart, James Wallace, William Sinclair Wallace, Hervu Lionel Judd, and Donald Finlayson.
1906 – John Curtis sold his 35 and half acres (1892) to Thomas Joseph Coates.

1861 – John Rogan in a report to the Chief Coimmissioner – 6,815 acres of excellent level open forest land, with small patches of Manuka, scrub and toitoi, accessible, having water communication by the Wairau.
1862 – 21st May, ..”full and final sale conveyance and surrender by us the Chiefs and People of the tribe of Ngaitahuhu”  signed:  S. Percy Smith (in the absence of Mr. Rogan), the following made their mark – Miriama, Paki, Maaka, Wi Apo, Heremaia. Witness to the payment and signatures:- Te Hemara, Te Keene, Mitia Pene Taui, C G Knight.  £511/2/6

1861 – December 18, John Rogan’s report.  2,600 acres, nearly the whole of this block is good forest land, the open land is rich, dark, clay soil covered with fern and scrub.  There is deep water frontage to this land where vessels of 600 tons may anchor in perfect safety. 
1862 – July 24, £260   Signatories:- Pairama, Wiremu Tipene, Eramiha Paikea,   Arama Karaka.  Made their mark:- Paikea, Hemana, Paki, Wi Apo.  Witness to payment and signatures:- Hanson Turton, Clerk, Native Office, J.P. Kauwau, L.P.D.

1861 – December 18, John Rogan’s report – “hilly, forest land of average quality”.
1862 – July 29th.  £500 .  Signatories to the Deed of sale.  John Rogan, D.C. Arama Karaka, Wiremu Karaka APO, Hemara Tau Hia, Eramiha Paikia, Te Manihera, Te Hira, Henare Wharara,  Eramiha.  Made their mark: - Paikia, Paki.  Witnesses to the payment and signatures:- Henry E Rice, L.P.D.   J. W. Piri, Kawau, L.P.D.

1864 – purchase concluded by John Rogan.  Paid £2,062/10/- for 27,500 acres. 
John ROGAN entered Government service in July 1854 and was appointed Land Purchase Commissioner on July 31 of that year.  He arrived in the Kaipara district in 1857.  In the next 11 years he negotiated the purchase of blocks of land which totaled 300,00 acres. 1864 he was appointed resident magistrate for the Kaipara and appeared to have jurisdiction over the area from Tuakau to Waitangi and Te Kopuru and Kaihu. He applied for retirement on October 11, 1872, when still Resident Magistrate and also an inspector of the Maori Land Court.

1878 – August 21, 9,577 acres purchased by William Henry Colbeck.  £3,585/15/-
Bickerstaffe, named by R.J. Seddon, then Prime Minister, after the place he came from in England.
1879 – June 10, sale registered in the Native Land Court.
1880 – March 6,  Auckland Weekly News – 10,000 acres for sale, being a portion of Captain W. H. Colbeck’s celebrated Kaipara Limestone Land.
1903 – the Government acquired the land under the Land for Settlements Act.
Land offered for lease for 999 years, possession date 14th day of December. Settlement was withdrawn.
1904 – Settlement re-opened on November 28th.
1905 – 13 houses erected in which 34 people were residing.
1907 – Department report “It may be considered as dependent on the dairying industry for its principal source of revenue”

1839 – T.S. Forsaith purchased a 2,000 acre block from the Maori chief Wiremu Tipene.
1840 – May, payment finalised.  The goods purchased for the sale are listed as follows: 25 pairs of blankets, 10 waistcoats, 10 pairs of braces, 1 cloak, 10 coats, 20 pairs of trousers, 20 shirts, 5 pieces of handkerchiefs, 1 pice of dungarei, 6 pieces of gown print, 1 dozen comforters, 5 single fowling pieces, 2 boxes of percussion caps, 14 razors, 5 cloth caps, 2 bags of sugar, 2 bags of flour, 4 casks of power, 2 casks of tobacco, 6 iron pots, 1 cask ball, 2 boxes soap, 2 double-barrel fowling pieces.
1851 – July 2, sworn declaration by Forsaith, he stated he also gave a calf worth £4 not mentioned in the schedule.

The area is situated between the Maungaturoto and Bickerstaffe blocks. Approximately 1,955 acres. Rev. William Gittos is remembered as a negotiator in some of the purchases from Arama Karaka and Te Pepene Paki.
1878 – 81 acres purchased by Isaac McLeod.
1879 – 90 acres Waikino No. 2 by Jane Gloyn.
1881 – 50 acres Waikino No. 1 by Albert George Harvison,
1881 – 5.75 acres The Wairau by William Montague,
1881 – 115.75 acres the Ohungarere No. 2 by Charles Davies,
1884 – 101.5 acres the Ohungarere no. 1 by Arthur Judd,   
1884 – 102 acres the Ohungarere no. 3 by Frederick Rowsell,
1885 – 143 acres the Ohungarere no. 4 by William Little,
1890 – 55 acres the Ohungarere no. 5 by Thomas Curtis.

Time Line - This Valley in the Hills

Last updated 29 May 2006
Web page by Val. C. Gregory

url:  https://sites.rootsweb.com/~nzwlsfhs/
email: [email protected]