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Pictures from the Past
Pioneering days in Gisborne and along the East Coast consisted of not only breaking in the land, but also making roads and building bridges. One of the first such contractors to work on the East Coast in this capacity was the late Charlie McCracken, who was also the first man to take draught horses and a wheeled vehicle up the coast. He and his family lived at Te Puia.
The Mata river bridge was built by Charlie McCracken in 1906. (That's Charlie with his back to the camera). The steel parts for the bridge were made in San Francisco. In the background can be seen the workers camp and the galley.
The McCrackens first lived in this cottage at Te Puia. This was even before roads on the Coast were properly formed. Mrs McCracken and the children are shown at the side of the cottage.
A few years later the family home was built on the same site as the cottage.
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