South Whau blockhouse
South Whau blockhouse 19th century newspapers are an excellent source for stories on our area and also the early settlers. Weekly News, 17 February 1883 South Whau blockhouse derelict At present South Whau looks, as many of our townships have done, an expanse of fern. The Blockhouse, a relic of the Waikato war of 1863, stands in ruins on the crest of the hill (with its loop-holed embrasures and half-filled trenches), dominating the country for miles around, and at the time of our visit the other day, only the haunt of nomadic gum diggers, who prowl over the adjacent Crown lands for gum.