In future Greenies we aim to include regular stories about the early days of Waiau Pa and Clarks Beach. We’d love your stories and memories of pioneer days and long- established families. Please send your contributions to chair@clarksbeachwaiaupa.co.nz . Rough notes are fine, plus photos. Or pick up the phone:
0275 846 348.
A brief overview
To get the ball rolling we’ve put together this brief overview, mostly extracted from past residents’ records. We’d love to hear of any variations or corrections from local historians.
The real history begins with Maori settlement, but we want to check details with our iwi friends and historians to ensure accuracy before sharing widely. So, please forgive us for starting only 170-odd years ago.
The Clarks—two families, and unrelated!
It was the early days of Pakeha settlement in this country. Around 1858, Joseph Clark and his wife Emelia bought Mr Laing’s Crown Grant of 445 acres, in the district known as Waiau. Their purchase was located at the end of what we now call Seagrove Road. Given they named their farm ‘Seagrove’, we’re probably safe to guess this is the origin of today’s Seagrove Road.
Their three sons, Robert, Isaac and Joseh Jnr also farmed at ‘Seagrove’ and later purchased other land in the district.
At a similar time, just to confuse us Johnny-come-latelies, two Clark brothers, Henry and Richard and unrelated to Joseph and Emelia, purchased a land grant that included Waititi Pa (at the end of Wharf Road and beside today’s Waiau Pa Boat Club), round to what is now the Golf Club, Motor Camp, Yacht Club and Torkar Reserve.
In 1886, the Seagrove Clarks, in the person of son Isaac, expanded the family reach; he bought much of Henry and Richard’s land.
In early days the western end of the beach, (think Yacht Club), also known as Karaka Point, was sometimes referred to as Clark’s Point. (It’s not clear which Clark was being referenced.) However, it wasn’t until the 1920s that the wider area began to be known as Clarks Beach.
Many descendants of the Seagrove Clarks still live in the area. We feel it’s safe to guess our present Clarks Beach name honours them, rather than the original ‘speculators’, What do you think—or know?
Sources:
Phyl Fausett ‘Memories of Clarks Beach from December 1925 to June 1992’
Jewel Dell, `The mystery of the history of Waiau Pa’