Dargaville

Dargaville is a town in the North Island of New Zealand. It is situated on the bank of the Northern Wairoa River in the Northland region. The town is located 45 kilometres southwest of Whangarei, on the junction of State Highways 12 and 14.

The town is named after timber merchant and politician Joseph McMullen Dargaville (1837–1896). It was founded on the 19th century kauri gum and timber trade, and briefly had the country's largest population. Currently it is home to a more modest population of 4500. It is noted for the high proportion of residents of Dalmatian descent. The area around it is one of the chief regions in the country for cultivating kumara (sweet potato) and so Dargaville is known by many locals as the Kumara Capital of New Zealand.