Waiapu County was one of the counties of New Zealand on the North Island. NB: This section is derived from text in Mackay, Joseph Angus. Historic Poverty Bay and the East Coast, N. I. N. Z, available here at the New Zealand Electronic Text Centre; the Waiapu County, which included the area which became Matakaoa County, was formed in 1890. Its first council comprised: E. H. Henderson, W. Milner, A. H. Wallis, Travers and White. At a meeting at Port Awanui on 27 December 1890 Mr. Henderson was elected chairman. In March 1874, there were only 32 European residents on the East Coast above Uawa—9 males and 3 females in the Te Araroa district, 13 males and 7 females in Waiapu. By 1878 the number of pākehā had risen to 109; the 1906 census showed 2,611 Maoris. The native census had been taken on a tribal basis. In 1926 the figures were: Europeans, 1,809. Representing residents absent on war service; the Guide to Travellers section of the Poverty Bay Almanac for 1884 contained a warning to visitors to Waiapu not to attempt to pass round headlands where there was no track.

Mention is made of a track from Waipiro Bay to the hot springs at Te Puia, of another leading to Makarika. From Tuparoa a track led to the oil springs at Rotokautuku. There was a track from Port Awanui to Wai-o-matatini. In October 1884, the Poverty Bay Independent praised the development work, being undertaken by Mr. J. N. Williams and Sir George Whitmore. "There is a movement among the dry bones of Tawhiti," it remarked, "and, to-day, the district is alive with the voices of labourers." It added: “Smallholders could not make any strides in the work of converting those wilds into pleasant and verdant pastures.” It was not until 1894 that steps were taken to effect appreciable improvements to the old native track leading north from Tolaga Bay along the Hikuwai River. A contract was let to D. Malone to form a road 1.8 metres wide for a distance of 13 kilometres. C. H. McCracken and a mate squared the timber for several 2.4-metre-wide bridges. Manuka was used for the stringers, studs and sills; some attention was next given to the track leading over the hill into Tokomaru Bay.

When the council raised a loan of NZ£10,000 for road works in 1901 considerable improvements were made to the inland route. By February 1902, drays could make the journey from Tolaga Bay to Tokomaru Bay. Floods have, on several occasions, done considerable damage to bridges; the greatest setback was suffered in May 1916, when the overall damage was estimated at £30,000. Both the Tikitiki bridge and the Rotokautuku bridge were damaged; the Tikitiki bridge was again extensively damaged in February 1917. A further flood in March 1918, swept away four of the spans, the site was abandoned. Phenomenal rains at Tokomaru Bay on 21–22 January 1917, caused the Mangahauini Stream to rise to a record level in a few hours. Part of W. G. Keane's home was undermined, A. N. Wilkins's wool-scouring works was demolished, two bridges were swept away. At Waima, Edgar A. R. Louis, who lived in a tent, was drowned; when Mr. and Mrs. Hanlon had to leave their home the husband took charge of their 18-months-old infant, but it slipped from his grasp when he became entangled in a fence, was swept out to sea.

In the heyday of development on the East Coast shipping was a important industry. All inward goods and outward produce had to be "surfed" at Tokomaru Bay, Waipiro Bay, Port Awanui, Te Araroa and Hicks Bay. In the case of Tolaga Bay small craft could enter the river. Tolaga Bay, Tokomaru Bay, Te Araroa and Hicks Bay were equipped with wharf facilities. NB: This section is derived from text in Mackay, Joseph Angus. Historic Poverty Bay and the East Coast, N. I. N. Z, available here at the New Zealand Electronic Text Centre; the pattern of a large section of the East Coast was altered by the diversion of traffic from the coastline to the inland route. For many years Port Awanui had three hotels, a courthouse, police station, post office, three stores and a wool store. Nothing now remains to indicate that it was once a busy locality. Tuparoa had two hotels, post office, two large stores, boarding-house, smithy, wool store and dumping shed. It, has been shorn of most of its former glory. Waipiro Bay has lost two of the three large stores which it boasted, besides a wool store, saddler's shop and a smithy.

On the other hand, Ruatoria has blossomed from a sparsely-settled junction known as "The Cross Roads" into a substantial township, Te Puia has become a popular spa. Tokomaru Harbour Board is the only harbour board in New Zealand that has never levied a harbour rate. In 1911 it built a wharf at a cost of £ 10,000. In 1925 some rocks were removed. Two years the board bought the New Zealand Shipping Co.'s brick wool sheds, etc. for £13,000. A new wharf and approach were built in 1940 at a cost of £28,300; the port's busiest years were from 1913 to 1916. As in the case of other small ports, it suffered a heavy decline in

Merrimack County is the 1972 album from pioneer Folk rock musician Tom Rush. The standout tracks are "Mink Julip", "Mother Earth", "Jamaica, Say You Will", "Wind on the Water" and "Roll Away the Grey"; the album was on the Billboard 200 chart for ten weeks and charted as high as #128 on June 3, 1972. "Kids These Days" – 4:10 "Mink Julip" – 2:25 "Mother Earth" – 2:36 "Jamaica, Say You Will" – 4:11 "Merrimack County II" – 2:46 "Gypsy Boy" – 3:20 "Wind on the Water" – 3:34 "Roll Away the Grey" – 2:59 "Seems the Songs" – 3:39 "Gone Down River" – 4:16 Tom Rush – guitar, lead vocals Trevor Veitch – guitar, background vocals James Rolleston – bass, background vocals Gary Mallaber – drums, vibraphone Paul Armin – fiddle Erik Robertson – organ, piano Bill Stevenson – piano Kathryn Moses – flute John Savage – drums Tom Rush – producer Jay Messina – engineer Byron Linardos – photography Richard Navin – design