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Story: Taranaki region

Shipments of Taranaki wool

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Shipments of Taranaki wool

Taranaki wool, more properly known as wood-ear fungus, grew profusely on lowland forest in Taranaki. In the late 19th century, as the forest was being cleared, merchant Chew Chong shipped bales of it from New Plymouth to China. This shipment went via other New Zealand ports.

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National Library of New Zealand, Papers Past

Reference: Taranaki Herald, 9 September 1880, p. 2

Permission of the National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Ron Lambert, Taranaki region – Farming, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/25338/shipments-of-taranaki-wool (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Ron Lambert, published 23 February 2010, updated 1 August 2015.