Basic HTML Version
22
PAKU VIEWS
ISSUE 4 AUTUMN/WINTER 2012
Tales of Tairua
����������������
�����������������
�������������������
��������������
For personalised,
award-winning kitchens
with a ten year guarantee
see Mastercraft today.
Mastercraft
Kitchens Whitianga
243 South Highway
Whitianga 3510
P: 07 866 4111
M: 027 2266289
by Living Kitchen Designs
www.mastercraft.co.nz
Tairua residents were shocked to wake up to this big house sitting
on Rewa Rewa Road. Bay House Movers expertly manoeuvre the
Lee’s family house on to their property—the largest home they
had ever moved.
Perhaps you remember seeing Viv Attwell’s stunning
surf photos in our last issue. “My love of photography
originates from childhood memories of drying photos
hanging in my father’s darkroom”. She has photographed
a diverse range of subjects over the last 30 years and,
while she enjoys commissions, she finds photographing
community events like these very rewarding. See more
on her Viv Attwell Facebook page.
ABOVE: This couple got their glow on at the Beach Hop in April.
BELOW: Viv captures the All Blacks shooting a Rexona ad on Tairua
Beach in 2010.
Seen ‘n Snapped
by Viv Attwell, Random Pix NZ
I
f there’s one book that should be
on everyone’s bookshelf here in
Tairua, this is it: Why?
Because it’s full of charming little
stories about people you probably know,
it’s an easy read straight through, or
to dip in and out of, and is offered at a
reasonable price.
Launched at the Tairua library just
before Christmas, Tales of Tairua is
a compilation of extracts from 29
interviews made by the local oral history
group between 2004 and 2011. This rich
mix of recollections covers the period
from the 1950s to the present. In that
respect, it is the perfect companion to
Father Bennett’s comprehensive classic,
History of Tairua (1986).
This is a very personal view of what
people remember about life in Tairua
in the days when all the roads were
dusty and slow. Savour the nostalgia
for the days when the fishing was
fantastic and property prices were
affordable. There was no electricity.
Water came only from your roof runoff.
These inconveniences didn’t seem too
important, as everybody was charmed by
the area’s natural beauty.
Like today, the sense of community was
strong—sports days, cinema sessions,
and New Year’s Eve bonfires on the
beach were all big events on the local
calendar, at a time when most people
were camping or had a simple bach.
The most significant event mentioned by
those interviewed was the opening of the
Kopu-Hikuai road as that marked a real
watershed in the town’s development.
Suddenly, Tairua was no longer a remote
sleepy spot based on kauri, gum and gold;
but a place ideally located for weekend
get-aways and retirement by the beach.
Of course, there may be a bit of repetition,
and some gaps of people who surely
had other good tales to tell, but we can
only congratulate all those involved in
producing this little gem which will surely
be treasured by generations to come.
Tales of Tairua is available at the
Information Centre for $25.