Book cover titled 'Gold Under the Mānuka' by Bill Mouat. Features an old sepia-toned photograph of a man standing on a tractor in a rural, bushy landscape. Subtitle reads 'Mangaorapa Station - A Farming Story Like No Other.'
Table of contents page from a book with sections on W. Mouat Carrier, Kōukanui Farm, Mangaorapa Station, Mangaorapa Estate, Epilogue, and Appendices, listing chapters and their page numbers.
REO truck leaving Kōukanui, carrying a load of wrapped wool bales, with a large kānuka tree in the background.
Mangaorapa Station with multiple pens and a large flock of sheep in the pasture, with mountains and trees in the background.
A group of Friesian bulls grazing on lush green grass in a wide open field under a partly cloudy sky with rolling hills in the background at Mangaorapa Station.
Mangaorapa Estate vineyard with rows of grapevines on a sunny day, bordered by a wooden fence, with green grass, distant mountains, and a clear blue sky.
Back cover of a book titled 'Gold Under The Mānuka' with a quote about the Mangaorapa story, a description of Mangaorapa Station in New Zealand, and mention of Billy Mouat's farm achievements, along with the publisher's information, ISBN, barcode, an
William Martin Mouat (Billy), age 11, 1907, portrait black and white photograph.

Excerpt from
Gold Under The Manuka:

Chapter 1 - The Will To Work

William Martin Mouat is my paternal grandfather. He later became known as Billy. He was the key person responsible for the Mangaorapa Station journey. Whenever I first picture Billy, I see a young man with enormous potential and a life ahead of him filled with possibilities. To really understand who he was, and to gain some insight into the grit and determination that shaped his life, it is necessary to go back to his roots.

Billy was born on 22 November 1895, in the rural town of Takapau, Central Hawke’s Bay. As a son of a roadman, he came from humble beginnings and, like many children of the era, his formal education ended at the age of 12 when he left school to begin working. Though Billy’s circumstances were modest, he recognised that wealth didn’t necessarily make life easier. It simply changed the nature of the challenges you faced. Those who had more also had more to lose.

What made him unique was his unwavering resilience. Billy’s intention wasn’t just to survive — but to thrive. From an early age, he faced life’s hardships head-on, developing a toughness that would carry him through whatever lay ahead. He didn’t always have the luxury of choice in many situations, but he understood that how you approached life’s challenges was what truly defined you. As he grew older, he began to recognise the changes in the world of road transportation. The future was shifting to meet the increase in farm production, and he was determined to be part of it. He quickly understood that horsepower would be the key to improving productivity, a belief that would become the Mouat family mantra for generations.