Soon after Joshua Carder?s arrival in September 1863 he was producing pottery at Hobsonville, his wife and sons arriving in New Zealand to join him in 1865 (Smithies n.d; Madden 1966; Scott 1979). The skills he had gained in Staffordshire set him up well for production in his new country. He had plaster moulds for press moulding ornamental pieces including sporting scenes and sheaves of wheat (Luckens n.d.: 2). He no doubt made use of these moulds as well as producing more functional wares.

Joshua Carder?s sons, Walter and George, set up their own pottery in 1872 (the Waitemata Pottery) at Scott?s Point on the edge of Limeburners Bay, and were the first to harness steam power in the production of pottery (Madden 1966: 62; Eaves 1990: 79). However in 1879 they sold to Walter Dowden and returned to Joshua Carder?s pottery (Eaves 1990: 100). Two years later they set up a pottery at Ponsonby and George Vasey (Carder?s apprentice) took over the operation of Joshua Carder?s (AWN 10.5.1879: supp. p.2).

A by-product of pottery manufacturing at Hobsonville was lime. This was produced by stacking sea shells onto the kilns during firing. The heat powdered the shells into lime which was used as mortar in brick construction. It is likely that both Carder and R.O. Clark produced the lime for which the bay was named (Goodall 1965).