Shortland Wharf, or the Landing, is a significant location in the history of Thames.

Shortland Wharf sits within the area of the former Te Kauaeranga Pā, located at the mouth of the Waiwhakaurunga (Kauaeranga River). It was a significant pā of the area, where many different hapu (family) and sub-tribes lived.

The foreshore was a landing for waka, that would have travelled from the coast, or via the Waihou River, which was seen as a ‘highway’ for Hauraki Māori, with many settlements along the shores of the river.

In 1842 the area was given the name Shortland, after the then-acting Governor of New Zealand, Willoughby Shortland, transliterated by Hauraki Māori as Hotereni. The Ngāti Maru chief Te Hauāruru Taipari also adopted the name Hotereni (Shortland) and his son Tīkapa, Wīrope, after Sir Willoughby.

To meet the demands of the goldfields, Shortland was suggested as a wharf location due to its deep channel running out from the Waiwhakaurunga River.

The wharf was built in 1868, one of five in the Thames area, and it is the only one remaining. Less than a year after it was built, 473 vessels landed more than 8000 passengers at the Shortland Wharf. Included in the cargo inventory over the same period were 43 horses, 15 tonnes of sugar, 325 tonnes of coal, 473 tonnes of potatoes and 24,800 cigars.

Shortland Wharf later proved to be a fortuitous location for the kauri loggers of the early 1900s, who drove huge Kauri down the river to the waiting sawmill or transferred whole logs by boat to Auckland. It was a boom for the wharf but had its peaks and troughs as drought periods meant logs couldn’t be brought down the river for years at a time due to the water levels required.

The Heritage Rail Trail starts or ends at Shortland Wharf, along the line of the old rail line to Grahamstown and is still a working commercial fishing area and boatyard.

It’s also a great spot to grab some fresh fish and chips and a cold refreshment at The Wharf, you can continue through the boatyard and up the Coastal Walkway into the CBD and Grahamstown area.