Pitone Beach
Dates: 1895-1915
Location: 217 Greenwood Road, Taranaki (-39.132746, 173.896208)
Registration No: 495
Brand name: OAKURA
Google Earth - 2026
The Pitone factory/creamery history dates back to December 1869 when it was originally built as a flax mill by Mr J Dingle at the mouth of the Pitone Stream at the beginning of a flax boom.
A pond was constructed a short distance upstream with a water race down to the water wheel constructed from puriri and rimu. The wheel was 4m in diameter and ran at about 8 horse power.
The flax boom was short lived and the Platona Flax Mill as it was known was advertised for lease in 1872.
It was eventually sold to Mr Samuel Clover in 1875 for £250. Mr Clover was a store keeper and baker at the Post Office Store in Oakura.
Mr Clover installed wheels for grinding grain and operated the mill as a flour mill until it was advertised for sale in 1877 with the advertisement stating:
“A flour and flax mill with machinery complete, with a large supply of water in the driest stream, in a fine corn growing district south of New Plymouth”.
Mr Clover sold the mill to HD and EJ Vavasour who operated the mill until they left the district for Blenheim around 1882.
Mr C Andrews was mill manager around 1880.
It is unclear when the mill closed but with the decline in wheat growing and the start of dairy farming, the mill was converted into a butter factory by Mr JC Honeyfield around 1895.
In 1901, the Oakura Co-operative Dairy Factory Company Limited agreed to lease the Honeyfield brothers factory for a term of one year at a rental of £10 and the use of the factory cottage at 1/- per week.
It is unclear whether the factory (which the Oakura Co-op converted into a creamery for its Oakura butter factory about 9kms away) was sold to the Oakura Co-op or whether it continued under a lease arrangement.
FROM THE MINUTE BOOK OF THE OAKURA CO-OPERATIVE DAIRY FACTORY COMPANY LIMITED
Saturday, 17 August 1901 at 1pm
The Chairman proposed:
Mr W Pearce seconded:
That the Directors inspect Messrs Honeyfield Bros Factory premises on Wednesday next at 11am with a view to ascertaining the terms upon which the Proprietors will treat with the company for a transfer of lease, and also the prospects of milk supply etc.
Minutes of Special Meeting held at Messrs Honeyfielf Bros Factory, Pitone Farm on Wednesday, 21 August 1901.
Present: Mr GW Wareham (Chairman), Messrs J Pearse, O Oxenham, F Julian, J Looney, T Sefton.
After inspecting the water-wheel, dam and building Mr Pearse proposed and Mr Julian seconded:
That Messrs Honeyfield Bros offer to lease the water wheel, dam and factory building for a term of one year at a rental of £10 and the use of the factory cottage at 1/- per week be accepted, subject to the terms of the draft lease. Carried.
Messrs Honeyfield Bros. agreed to provide grazing for the Company’s horses at 1/- per head per week.
Mr O Penwarden was employed to do necessary work to water-wheel and building.
The Pitone creamery continued until 1915 when the Oakura Co-op went into liquidation. Although the Timaru creamery at Tataraimaka was rebuilt as a cheese factory by the newly formed Patua Co-operative Dairy Company Limited and the Oakura butter factory became a creamery of the Omata Co-operative Dairy Factory Company Limited , the Pitone beach creamery was closed. As at May 2026, the creamery site is occupied by an old milking shed.
Managers included:
T Morris
JA McCallum
Plan showing creamery section and landowners including Dingle, Clover, Vavasour and Honeyfield