“On a Mish” #308 James Craig’s Dream (Part One). Port Craig Lodge / Village. Fiordland National Park. 23.4.2015. It is hard to believe that down on the South Coast far away from the small towns of western Southland was once the site of the most modern sawmill in the southern hemisphere. Port Craig is now part of the Humpridge Track and the trees are looked at and instead chopped down. Some of the reminders of the past remain while some are being consumed by Fiordland. What was once James Craig’s Dream has now been and gone, but the mighty forest he marvelled at a long time ago still grows on the remote South Coast…
Daniel Reese and John Craig were the driving force behind the timber town of Port Craig. Located at mussel beach, the place was once just that, a beach covered in mussels. Around the time of the First World War the area was scouted, and wooden gold was discovered. The abundance of huge podocarps like the Rimu, totora, kahikatea, and rata made the place the perfect location for a sawmill town… Apart from the fact that it was in a very remote location.
Once the land was acquired the difficulties of construction in a place that does its best to reject human activity were overcome, and along with a mill, a tramline with huge viaducts was built to haul the massive trees out of the forest down to the chopping table. After being cut, the timber was taken to a wharf to be shipped to different places all over the world. The size and operation of the mill made it the biggest in the south. For years the place was a success and John Craig’s dream was a reality.
Unfortunately, John Craig wouldn’t see the place in full swing as his life would be cut-short in the waves of Te Waewae Bay. When a small but very important piece of equipment was left behind John leaped into action and took to the ocean with many advising him to wait out the storm that was lashing the area. After crossing Te Waewae Bay, the small boat Jon was traveling in capsized in the waves, and it was in the wash of the water that John would drown. The man was said to be bold and enthusiastic, as well as extremely dedicated to the bay that would now have a small section bearing his name.
Along with John Craigs death, the Port Craig operation had many accidents and a few deaths. After John Craigs fatal journey his brother James travelled south to search for the body of his brother. He would end up staying on at the mill, and less than a year after John’s drowning, James would be involved in an explosion that would take his life. The Craig Brothers paid the ultimate price while working at Mussel Bay, but their legacy will live forever with the area and operation becoming ‘Port Craig’.
Nowadays, John Craig’s dream lives on forever with the area now known as Port Craig and is the location of the Humpridge Tracks second lodge (along with Okaka Lodge). The tramlines (minus the rails) and viaducts are also part of the track and every time I stepped carefully along the trail of sleepers, I had visions of the noise and activity of the sawmill operation in full swing. The mix of Fiordland Forest and historic relics is a unique treat only available down on the South Coast of the South Island…
