Their history and preservation

Felicity Goodyear-Smith, published July 2025
Verity Press, Auckland, New Zealand
Dimensions 252 x 190mm, Paper back
IBN 9780473-74539-4
Full colour throughout

The book is now available from:
canoeandkayak.co.nz

Description

Dacre Cottage and the Weiti Block tells the story of a little brick building, Dacre Cottage, built by Captain Ranulph Dacre to house his 15 year old son Henry. Dacre had bought the 3333 acre Weiti block of land where the cottage is located, had logged all the kauri trees, and now wanted his son to farm the land.

Dacre was a sea captain, trader, entrepreneur, businessman, and family man. The book tells of his adventures and enterprises, his eleven children and his many contemporaries in early colonial Aotearoa New Zealand.

The Weiti block lies between the Weiti and Ōkura Rivers, south of Whangaparaoa Peninsula and north of Long Bay on Auckland’s North Shore and the coastal area includes Karepiro Bay, site of the cottage: Over many decades the cottage fell into disrepair. This is also the story of the community groups and individuals who have fought to preserve Dacre’s original Weiti Block, restore his cottage, and to protect its surrounding land – including the forest, estuary, beach, and wildlife. Their endeavours have led to much of the bay being declared as part of the Long Bay-Ōkura Marine Reserve, and limits on the number of houses that can be built on the southern banks of the Okura estuary.

The sands of the bay are also home to many birds, including the endangered New Zealand dotterels, and godwits arrive every spring back from their northern migration. The book contains many black and white and full colour paintings and photographs, depicting both the historical and the natural heritage of this area.

Felicity is a member of the Dacre Reserve Management Committee and has assisted in planting, weeding and general maintenance of the Reserve. This book was conceived after the Committee Chair, Peter Townend, produced a box of archived materials at a meeting. Examination of their contents led to Felicity conducting much more research into Dacre, and this book is the result.

All proceeds from sales of the book will go to the Dacre Reserve Management Committee to contribute to their ongoing maintenance and improvement programme for the Cottage and the Historic and Esplanade Reserves.