 The kauri timber industry was responsible for developing the area, with logs floated down the Kaukapakapa River to the Kaipara Harbour, where they were loaded onto ships for export.Gum-digging (beginning in 1873-74 and continuing until at least 1914) and flax processing (in the 1880s) were also significant early industries.A shipyard operated from 1864 and into the 1880s.