Gold & Death in Whananaki! The story of "Toki" & "Tutu"
- Dallas Gurney
- Jun 28
- 1 min read
In January 1937, a bizarre and tragic story unfolded on the rugged coastline of Whananaki North — a story that began with a gold prospector's dream and ended in a mystery that captivated newspapers across New Zealand.
We journey back to a very different Whananaki: a settlement connected by newly built dirt roads, without its iconic footbridge, and still shaped by the hardships of the Depression era.
At the centre of the story is Neha Toki, a determined prospector convinced that a rich seam of gold lay hidden beneath the rocks of Mutton Bird Island at Motutara Point, Whananaki.
Driven by faith, obsession, and an unshakeable belief in his discovery, Toki spent a year battling the sea and the elements in pursuit of treasure. What followed was one of the district's most remarkable tragedies — a tale reconstructed from contemporary newspaper reports, coronial evidence, and local history. This is the forgotten story of the Whananaki Gold Dream and the deaths that shocked Northland in the summer of 1937.
Listen to the full story below as we take a ride back in Whananaki FM's Time Machine.
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