Quarried stone tells tales. Karamuramu Island stands as a testament to industry and family legacy in the Hauraki Gulf. It sits just east of Auckland.
Karamuramu Island spans a mere 6.5 hectares. Yet this small island packs a punch in terms of geological significance. It is a privately owned island.
Imagine the McCallum family arriving here in 1894. They bought it from Sir John Logan Campbell along with neighbouring Pakihi Island. In 1904, William Fraser McCallum and his brothers formed a partnership. By 1908, they had established a quarry on Karamuramu Island.
The island’s red chert became known as McCallum chip. This decorative stone has made its way into Auckland’s most iconic structures. It is used to make decorative red concrete.
Consider the Grafton Bridge. The Auckland Motorway shoulders also feature stone from Karamuramu Island. The red stone adds a distinctive touch to these landmarks.
The quarry on Karamuramu Island continues operations to this day. The McCallum family still runs the mining. They oversee the extraction of this unique red stone. The island holds reserves exceeding several million cubic meters.
Before Karamuramu Island, the McCallum family quarried on Pakihi Island. Quarrying of red chert started there in 1906. It continued until 1927. A lone wharf pile remains as a vestige of the Pakihi quarry.
Early on, workers loaded shingle onto scows with shovels and wheelbarrows. They pushed these up planks to the hold. Eventually, quarries were established. This made the process more efficient.
McCallum Bros Limited used bucket and grab dredgers to extract alluvial shingle. This happened from around Pakihi and Karamuramu Islands. It lasted from before World War One until the 1950s. Remains of these structures are on Pakihi Island’s southern tip.
The company supplied millions of cubic meters of material. This was for regional construction projects. The first pre-cast concrete piles in Australasia used McCallum Bros Limited shingle. These were built for the Auckland Harbor Board in 1904.
Aggregate from Karamuramu Island and Pakihi Island was used as far north as Wellsford. It stretched south to the Hauraki Plains. Scows and barges distributed the material by sea. Roads were poor and trucks had limited carrying capacity.
McCallum Bros Limited aggregate was used in many early projects. These include the Auckland War Memorial Museum and Auckland Central Rail Station.
More recent projects feature McCallum Bros Limited aggregate too. These include the Sky Tower and motorway infrastructure. Residential housing also uses the distinctive red stone.
Today, McCallum Bros Limited remains family owned. Callum and Jan McCallum took full ownership in 2014. Callum is the Managing Director and Jan manages the finances. The fifth generation of the McCallum family shows keen interest in the business.
The company is involved in sand extraction from Pakiri and quarrying on Karamuramu Island. They also handle beach replenishment and distribute sand, cement, and aggregates.
So, as we look at Karamuramu Island, remember the McCallum family. Remember their legacy. Remember the red stone that has shaped Auckland’s landscape. It is a story of industry. It is a story of perseverance. It is a story etched in stone.