About | Old Cement Works
If you enjoy a bit of history and love to explore old ruins then you will love this place! The Old Cement Works is such a lovely place to go to relax in the sun or take a dip in the water and it’s all right by the Old Cement Works.
If you’re interested in a little bit of history on this place, here’s a little rundown: Nathaniel Wilson began manufacturing lime and after experimenting with Portland cement in 1883, he expanded the plant and began manufacturing it the next year. The cement business was booming in Warkworth and Wilson’s business once employed 180 people in 1903 and was the major source of income in Warkworth. It closed down in 1929 when the plant was moved to Whangarei Harbour where Wilson’s Portland Cement is still made. The Old Cement Works, abandoned and now turned to ruins, and with the quarry since being flooded with water, it now makes the perfect swimming spot on a nice summers day.
Because the ruins haven’t been tended to and the structure rather unsafe, a fence has been put around the whole thing to stop people from entering, you can still enjoy the ruins from the outside.
Being a quarry, it gets deep straight away, so bring some floaties for the younger children to enjoy. There’s also a swing that you can swing off and into the water.
There are toilets and the town centre is close by if you get hungry.
Nearby
Warkworth township
Kawau Cruises & Kawau Water Taxis
Location
At the end of Wilson Road South, there’s a carpark at the end. Walk down the track to the left.
Photos
A rope swing you can jump into the water on. It was waay too cold on this day though, being in the middle of winter!
The boys are trying to figure out how deep the quarry goes, throwing stones in and watching it sink until it disappears.
