In the book Bitter water : a story of Waikawa by Deb Shepherd and Laraine Shepherd (a must-read, but out of print — ask at your Library) there are several references to ropewalks
at Waikawa Beach in the mid 1800s.
I never had any clue what that actually meant, but this excellent 4 minute Swedish video shows a ropewalk in action: Making a four strand rope of tarred hemp using a historic ropewalk. It shows strands of fibre being twisted together to create ropes. Fascinating.
Update, 08 May 2024: there’s a different, 3 minute video at: How Rope Was Made the Old Fashioned Way.
