"It’s hard to imagine Tokaanu as a busy port, but in the late 1800’s good roads were few and far between. This meant the easiest way for locals to send their products out to the wider world was by boat. Goods shipped north across the lake included wool, dairy products, and flax; mail and food supplies came in on the return journey. The first steamers anchored offshore and goods and passengers were ferried in on smaller boats. The wharf was probably built in the late 1870s or early 1880s.

The wharf played an important part in the early days of New Zealand tourism. The nearby thermal pools were a highlight on the ‘Grand Tour’ of North Island volcanic attractions. However, this leisurely age of travel came to an end as the roads improved. Regular lake services stopped in the mid 1920s and the wharf began its long, slow decline.

 The original section of wharf was built more than 120 years ago and is one of the oldest man-made structures in the area. But in 2002 it was in a sorry and very unsafe state. A restoration project began in 2003 organised by the Department of Conservation in association with the Department of Internal Affairs and with funding assistance from the Tongariro Natural History Society. Where possible, original beams, decking and handrail timbers were reused on the oldest section of wharf (closest to the shore) making it safe and historically intact. Newer timbers were used on the outer part of the wharf."