Museum Mural

Ohinemuri Regional History Journal 38, September 1994

Cassandra Crowe and Mural

The photograph above shows Paeroa artist, Cassandra Crowe, with the mural she painted for the Paeroa Historical Society. The mural, painted on the wall of the paint shop alongside the Paeroa Museum, is based on a photograph showing a scene at the Junction Wharf, Paeroa before 1900.

Paeroa's first wharf was at the end of Arney Street, the second at the end of Wharf Street, and after the railway bridge of 1895 made these inaccessible, the third was the "Railway Wharf" below the bridge. This was not used for long and the fourth wharf was established at the end of Junction Road and became an important facility for the town. Not long after the photo on which the mural is based was taken, the Junction Wharf became unusable because of river works. A further wharf was built just upstream of the Puke Bridge but there were problems with steamers using the swinging bridge span. Finally the Ngahina Wharf below the bridge was built and this became Paeroa's river terminus remaining so until the end of the river transport era.