Mercer, New Zealand


Mercer is a village in the Waikato District Council area of the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is 70 km north of Hamilton and 58 km south of Auckland, on the east bank of the Waikato River, 2 km south of its confluence with the Mangatawhiri River.
The shops and cafe in Mercer continue to cater to people travelling between Hamilton and Auckland, like its railway station refreshment room once did.

History

The first attack in the invasion of the Waikato took place on 17 July 1863, when about 15 Māori defenders were killed at Koheroa. The village was named after a Captain killed at Rangiriri in November 1863. The navy river gun-boat Pioneer was wrecked on the Manukau bar in 1866 and one of the gun turrets forms part of the war memorial.
The North Island Main Trunk railway opened to Mercer on 20 May 1875. A crash in 1940 killed the driver and fireman. Until 1958 many trains stopped for refreshments. The station closed in 1986.
The beached hulls of steamers operated until 1976 by Caesar Roose can be seen on the west bank of the river just south of Mercer. bought the remains of the Roose sand dredging business in the mid 1980s and, after dredging ended in 1997, redeveloped of its yard with a petrol station and a food court.

Bridge

In 1965 Roose offered $100,000 towards the $343,000 bridge to replace the Mercer ferry. The long single span concrete Caesar Roose Bridge was opened on 18 November 1972 by Roose's daughter, Jeanette Thomas, with the Minister of Works, Percy Allen.

Education

Mercer School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of as of.

Former residents