Foxton Flax Mill. Foxton. New Zealand.
S 40° 28.445 E 175° 16.820
60G E 354226 N 5518201
An old Flax Mill in Foxton now operates as a Flax Museum, keeping the history of the industry alive today. It is now the only working flax stripping museum in the world.
Waymark Code: WMAXFM
Location: North Island, New Zealand
Date Posted: 03/07/2011
Views: 6
There is only one settlement in New Zealand that can be appropriately described as a "flax town" and that is Foxton. Foxton has a long history of Flax milling.
In 1869 Mr C J Pownall set up the first flax mill in Foxton installing a stripper machine that he had designed. The flax industry thrived throughout New Zealand during the later years of the 19th century but during the 20th century there was a gradual decline and the last mill, in Foxton closed in 1973.
The first flaxmills on the banks of the Manawatu River were established in 1869, when a shortage of manila fibre on the world market pushed up the price of New Zealand flax. Charles James Pownall (an English entrepreneur) built a large steam-driven mill in Harbour Street, Foxton, utilising stripping machines of his own invention.
The machine was invented to beat the green leaf between a revolving metal drum and a fixed metal bar. Metal beaters on the surface of the drum struck the leaf at great speed, stripping away the non-fibrous material and releasing the strands of fibre. This machine (which became known as a ”stripper”) produced a much coarser fibre than the Maori hand-dressing process, but one machine could produce about 250 kilograms (a quarter of a tonne) of fibre per day, whereas one Maori worker (using a mussel shell) could produce only one kilogram of fibre in the same time. By 1910 the stripper had been improved to the point where it was capable of producing 1.27 tonnes of fibre per day.
This old flax mill is now a working museum, with a working flax stripper and provides a history of Foxton's Flax industry.
Year built?: 1869
Is the mill or gin still in operation?: Yes
What is or was processed here?: Flax
Are tours available?: Yes, on a regular basis.
How is or was it powered?: Unknown
Related link to this waymark.: [Web Link]
What is it used as today?: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
A picture of the mill or gin along with any information you can provide about the waymark and what you might have experienced while visiting.