page_title: Dargaville
section_title: History and culture
hierarchical_section_title: Dargaville / History and culture
caption_attribution_description: English: Statue of a gumdigger, Dargaville, New Zealand
context_page_description: Dargaville is a town in the North Island of New Zealand. It is situated on the bank of the Northern Wairoa River in the Kaipara District of the Northland region. The town is located 55 kilometres southwest of Whangārei.
  It is noted for the high proportion of residents of Croatian descent. The area around it is one of the chief regions in the country for cultivating kumara and so Dargaville is known by many locals as the Kumara Capital of New Zealand.
context_section_description: The town was named after timber merchant and politician Joseph Dargaville (1837–1896). Founded during the 19th-century kauri gum and timber trade, it briefly had New Zealand's largest population.
  The area became known for a thriving industry that included gum digging and kauri logging, which was based mainly at Te Kōpuru, several kilometres south of Dargaville on the banks of the Northern Wairoa river.  The river was used to transport the huge logs downstream to shipbuilders and as a primary means of transport to Auckland. Dalmatian migrants were particularly prominent in the kauri gum extraction.
  Te Houhanga Marae and Rāhiri meeting house is a traditional meeting place for Te Roroa and the Ngāti Whātua hapū of Te Kuihi and Te Roroa.
caption: Gumdigger statue at Dargaville
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