In the early years of European settlement Parry Kauri Park was part of the property owned by the Rev Robert McKinney (1826? - 1905), the first minister of the Presbyterian Church in Warkworth and the Mahurangi. The land was later purchased by the Simpson family who requested that on the sale of their land, the trees and bush be offered for purchase as a public amenity . The trees were named respectively the McKinney and the Simpson kauri (Ref. 1).
Rev McKinney, formerly from the Presbyterian Church of Ireland, was Inducted at Mahurangi on the 3.12.1856, the day the new Church was opened. He retired in 1904 and died in May the following year. The parish was notable for much boat rowing to visit the people. ‘His was a scattered parish. It was so intersected with rivers and inlets of the sea as to make visitation difficult and on alternate Sundays he had to pull himself in his own boat, often against wind and tide, about 14 miles, besides preaching at least twice, - a work without parallel in the history of modern clerical life.’ (Ref. 2)
The park itself is named after Harry Parry and the drive leading to the trees and museum after Tudor Collins. These two former kauri bushmen were instrumental in raising the money to save the kauri and land to establish a reserve in the 1920's (Ref. 3).
References:
1) Warkworth & District Museum notes
2) Register of New Zealand Presbyterian Church
3) Judy Waters, 'Generosity saves kauri' Mahurangi Matters, 02 Oct 2014.