Text Box: Home Woodlands Estate

Text Box:  Figures published in 1880 showed that 64,000 acres (25,900 hectares) of land in the area had been drained and partly cultivated. Of this figure 22,000 acres ( 8930 hectares) were at Woodlands, which was one of the showpieces of the Waikato country. The first manager of the Woodlands Estate was Mr. Henry Reynolds, a man of great mechanical ability who ensured that everything possible was done to save unnecessary labour. He wanted the water to be used to provide  power so he designed and made a water wheel. Work began in 1875 and four years later 804 kilometres of drains had been dug. the Woodlands estate had it's own butcher, baker carpenter  and they even made there own candles.