NEW ZEALAND WINDMILLS /
EUROPEAN TYPE WINDMILLS IN NEW ZEALAND
WATER, HORSE & OTHER MILLS IN NEW ZEALAND
About 1888, Philip VERCOE started a brick works using clay from near the Murphy Creek. The pugmill was originally horse powered, but later the creek was diverted into a race to operate a pelton wheel.
Please note that these watermills are restricted to those powered by water wheels - undershot, overshot, breastshot & Pelton. They do not include water turbines.
Waterwheel and flour mill buildings built in the Grehan Valley by Charles Lagden HAYLOCK & his sons, who landed in Akaroa in 1850.
Used water carried in trenches from the Opetea Stream. The site sign is located on River road at the Kono St junction.
William MOTION, in a company called LOW & MOTION, built a mill using the water flowing from the domain pond to grind flour. This supply was limited and they could only operate the mill two half days a week.
With the lack of supply of the Domain Pond causing problems, it was decided by LOW & MOTION to build a new mill at Motions Creek. In 1872, with local drought, the city was forced to buy the Western Springs Park site from LOW & MOTION for the water.
Established by William MOTION c1840 for a Mr WATSON.
Erected on the Avon River by or for William BRAY, who was a squatter as well as a miller. He was also the first civil engineer to the Provincial Government.
There was a flourmill, or less likely a flaxmill, on the Murphy Creek, run by Charles Benjamin TAYLOR c1888.
About 1888 Philip VERCOE started a brick works using clay from near the Murphy Creek. The pugmill was originally horse powered but later the creek was diverted into a race to operate a pelton wheel. When the local supply of clay was exhausted and the brickworks moved to Redwoodville is the probable period when the family began a flaxmill on the site, presumably powered by the pelton wheel.
This mill was established in 1855 by Alfred SAUNDERS. It was later bought by John RUTHERFORD and converted to a roller mill. On the Wairoa River.
[Probably a water mill] Operated by John RUTHERFORD from pre 1882. On the Wairoa River. This is a short distance from SAUNDER's mill.
The earliest flour mill on the site was 4 storeys high and operated by a water wheel. Later, a brewery was built and the present house "The Malthouse" dates from 1878.It was located North of the other two Brightwater mills
Daniel INWOOD brought a flour mill with him from England and erected it where the Waimairi Stream crosses Straven Road. It was the first mill on the Canterbury Plains.
The founder and builder was William Derisley WOOD, who arrived at Lyttelton aboard the Randolph, the second colonising ship to arrive in Christchurch in December, 1850. WOOD was born in 1824, in Suffolk, into a family of millers and travelled to NZ expecting to die here as he was thought to be suffering from tuberculosis. These fears proved unfounded though, as he lived to 80 years; he was probably suffering from lung congestion, common among millers of the day.
At first WOOD worked as a secretary for John Robert GODLEY, first Provincial Superintendent. In 1856 he made a short visit to England, returning with a wife and prefabricated windmill. This was a wind powered seven-storey tower mill with four huge sails with moveable canvas slats. His first flour mill was built at the end of Windmill Road (later Antigua Street) in 1856. Sydenham settlers grew wheat, which they threshed with flails and trundled in wooden handcarts to the mill.
It was not long before the windmill could not keep up with the demand for flour in Christchurch. WOOD realised that to keep his share of the market he would need to set up a water-powered mill and so he secured a "water-right" to use the Avon River at Riccarton. He initially applied to build his mill in the middle of Hagley Park. Fortunately for future generations, a site at the end of the present Wood Lane, at a loop in the Avon River, was acquired by leasing (and later buying) land from the Deans Estate trustees. The WOOD family home was built next to the flour mill. Wood Lane, not formed until 1949, was the drive to their home and a footbridge over the mill race connected its gardens to the mill. WOOD cut a mill race across the loop and built a weir to form the Mona Vale mill pond, which gave a 1.5 metre fall to drive the water wheel. The mill used a 4 metre diameter water wheel, which drove imported French Burr wheels. Production commenced in 1860.
Although working 24 hours a day, 6 days a week, the demand soon outstripped supply. In 1880, steam turbines of about 40 H.P were added to increase production. Steel rollers were installed in 1889. WOOD eventually transferred his operations to Addington in 1891 and the property was bought by Richard ALLEN (c1860-1930) in 1895-6. He rebuilt it to use steam power as well as water. Electric motors were introduced in 1915.
The mill was now known as the Riccarton Roller Flour Mills, producing a well-known brand of flour, Snowball Flour. The mill was sold to Flemings & Co of Invercargill in 1918 and business ceased in 1958.
Throughout the following decades the main products of the mill were poultry and stock food. Succeeding owners were the Northern Rolling Mill, the General Foods Company and finally Watties Industries. In 1971 the mill was damaged by fire and closed soon after. The mill was demolished in November 1974, ready for the building of the Christchurch Girl's High School, despite pleas from WOOD's descendants asking that the original mill be spared in the belief that it was the oldest surviving water-mill in N.Z. No trace remains except for the weir. image of Riccarton Mill 1862
Completed in 1861 on part of the Dean's Estate where Christchurch Girl's High School was later to stand. It only existed as a watermill for a short time. In 1880 its power was increased by the introduction of a "double" water turbine and in 1889 the millstones were replaced by steel rollers. Wood Bros flour mill at Addington, Christchurch 1900.
The Coromandel Gold Stamper was commissioned by the New Zealand Government and opened on August 16th 1900. Its purpose was to process gold ore from over 65 different mines in the Coromandel area. It was powered by New Zealand's biggest working water wheel and was also one of the first stamper batteries in New Zealand to be started with a diesel motor running part of the plant. In 2003, the Coromandel Gold Stamper is a fully operational working museum, demonstrating the process from crushing the rock ore from the mine, to the final product - gold. view images
There was an accommodation house and water wheel built in 1860 by Christian HILLE, near the confluence of the Waitaki and Kurow Rivers. It has since been restored. (2003)
Built in 1882/3 to dress the native flax that grew abundantly in the area. An elaborate enterprise, the money and ownership was provided by James RUTHERFORD and the expertise by his brother John. A private jetty was also built. It was apparently stripped later in 1883 or 1884, to use the machinery at Pungarehu.
The name of this mill is Maori for "Governor", and was used because it was one of the mills supplied by Governor George GREY. It was built in 1854 and closed down in 1913. Restoration started in 1978. images
This is a four storey limestone flourmill, built in 1866 to grind wheat and oats for the owners of Totara Estate. Flour was produced from 1867 until 1976. In 2001 the mill equipment was still standing in the mill. further information and images
This was a flour mill and biscuit factory built in 1854 by John BYCROFT. It was located by the springs in Princes Street. A dam was built to hold and regulate the water to the watermill. Later the mill converted to steam power. reconstruction at Howick Historical Village
An almost 8 metre in diameter overshot waterwheel was erected at the "Young Australian Mine" battery in the summer of 1874/5. The wooden framed wheel had iron buckets and was itself held in a wooden frame. The wheel drove the machinery via an iron ring gear. Water was transported to the battery by the 34 kilometre long "Carrick" water race. The battery was in use for about 10 years before the stamps, but not the wheel, were removed to another site.
This settlement had a water wheel powered flour mill known as the Kaurkore Flour Mill in circa 1854.
This is probably a water mill and was built c 1884 by James RUTHERFORD. He lived there for many years, before falling prices and other factors persuaded him to retire to New Plymouth.
This sawmill was operating on the Mill Creek on Stewart Island in 1880 but was always short of power, which meant that work was stopped until the dam filled. After it was shifted off its props by a tidal wave, the mill was disassembled and moved to Halfmoon Bay and erected somewhere near the Bakers shop [2003].
This mill was buried in the eruption of Mount Tarawera on June 10 1886. 150 lives were lost in the village and surrounds. The stream had been diverted for the watermill.
The UNA claim had a gold mine battery erected near the Karaka Creek, Thames. The Battery was in twin buildings with a brick chimney and overshot waterwheel. The UNA was a large claim, with adits driven in both sides of Una Hill. It worked from 1868 to 1878, then continued under other names until at least 1930.
HENDERSON's Sawmill history begins on 8th October 1844, when Governor FITZROY proposed a Crown Grant of half the land claimed by HENDERSON and MACFARLANE, and the partners commenced milling activities in this area. In about 1847 they established a water powered sawmill which used a 5-metre water wheel. The wooden holding dam was set up here in the late 1840s to contain the kauri logs brought down from further upstream. The foundations of the dam are still visible in the stream bed in 2003.
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