If the walls of the Williams & Sons shed in Rawene could talk, the conversation would be deafening.
This corrugated iron hut has been a feature of the Northland town’s wharf and waterfront since 1873. It was originally built as a repository for dry stores, goods, and explosives. During its lifetime, it has moved location along the wharf at least twice before coming to rest in the late 1960s at its present spot, on piles, above the Hokianga shoreline.
The building has served all manner of roles, from storage to ferry office, bus depot, and boat maintenance workshop. It is best known to locals as the go-to outlet for fresh and smoked fish. While the shed’s iron sidings may not have the ability to speak, proprietors Nick Williams and his son Hugh are not averse to having a natter about the place and their family’s connection to it.
A full-on working space
The interior of the Williams’ fishing shack feels more like the cluttered back room of a maritime museum than the working space it is. There’s tackle, tools, outboards, fuel cans,
