Henderson's Waterwheel, in Henderson, is the third heritage site published on Tohu Heritage: a water-powered timber sawmill site now captured in photorealistic 3D.
The original mill was built around 1849 by Thomas Henderson, the settler after whom Henderson, Auckland is named. Powered by an overshot waterwheel drawing from a dam on the Opanuku Stream, it was cutting and exporting sawn timber and shingles within its first year, with shipments reaching as far as San Francisco by 1850. Production declined through the 1860s, and the original mill structure was gone from the site by the 1870s.
The waterwheel standing today is a 1997 replica, built without the original dam and so turning as an undershot wheel instead, a working reminder of the industry that once stood here. The site is part of the Auckland Unitary Plan's Schedule 14.1 Historic Heritage (ID 00133), shared with neighbouring Mill Cottage, and is maintained by the West Auckland Historical Society. You can explore Henderson's Waterwheel now.
