The Historic Village, 1976-1998

Tauranga Historic Village, c. 1979
Postcard published by Aero Surveys, Tauranga
Collection of Justine Neal

From 1972 plans were being made for an historic village showing life in Tauranga between 1820 and 1920, to be built on the 14 acre Thomas Wrigley Reserve at the bottom of 17^th Avenue.

Around 1974 Selwyn Neal heard through family that volunteer help was needed with restoring an old house at the site of what was to become the Historic Village. The house was one of the first ones in the complex and was the school master’s house from Maketu which had arrived at the village in two parts. Access to the site was interesting. Because of the mud and swampy conditions you could only walk a short way then had to walk on planks to reach the house. Sel worked on the house on the weekends, patching up the floor and ceilings and putting the porch back on. The Village finally opened on December 11^th 1976. At its heyday there were 91 buildings  and exhibitions on the site.

Tauranga Museum, N.Z.
Postcard published by Souvenir Distributors New Zealand Ltd
Collection of Justine Neal

From my postcard collection I have chosen just a few to enlarge upon. The Village Church was built using old materials from other buildings in the Village. The original church, built as a chapel by Taiaho Ngatai on tribal land at Matapihi, fell into disrepair after his death. An agreement was reached with the hapu that features of the old chapel including the tukutuku and kowhaiwhai panels and decorative rafters were to be incorporated into the building. The church was dedicated on October 16^th 1976 to be used as an interdenominational place of worship.

1912 Dennis Bus. Used to carry the many visitors around the Village
Postcard published by Views Photographics, Mount Maunganui
Collection of Justine Neal

The Dennis Double Decker bus took four years for a volunteer to build. He wrote to the London Bus Company requesting the plans for a 1913 bus. The chassis for the bus came from the remains of a Dennis truck which had been donated to the village. When completed the bus could seat 34 people, 16 downstairs and 18 upstairs. The bus was delivered to the Village on December 10^th 1979.

MV Taioma, Tauranga Historic Village, N.Z.
Published by Bayprint 1976 (Bay of Plenty Times Ltd), Tauranga
Collection of Justine Neal

There was great excitement as the MV Taioma travelled slowly along Cameron Road to her presumed final resting place at the Historic Village. She had started life in 1944 as the Empire Jane and was brought by the Union Steam Ship Company in 1947 when she became the SS Taioma. Her working life in Wellington Harbour lasted until 1977. She was one of the first vessels at the scene of the Wahine disaster. In 1978 she was donated to the Historic Village and became a very popular exhibit, especially with small boys.

Tauranga Historic Village postmark
Collection of Justine Neal

The replica Post Office was one of the few in New Zealand to open seven days a week, and had its own date stamp.

Photograph by Justine Neal

The Whakaangiangi Post Office was recorded as being the smallest in New Zealand. Built around 1930, it serviced the Whakaangiangi Valley 8 miles south west of Te Araroa at the top of the East Coast, and was moved to the Historic Village in 1978. It is a well-travelled little Post Office as a few years ago, while travelling round the East Coast, we came across it at the East Coast Museum, just out of Gisborne.

Photograph by Justine Neal

For 22 years until its closing in 1998, the museum part of the Historic Village was enjoyed by locals and tourists alike.

Reference: Souvenir Book, Tauranga Historic Village Museum

Te Awanui Restoration Project Update

Next time you’re walking past the waka shelter (Te Urunga) at the end of The Strand you’ll notice that it sits empty. This is because the Te Awanui Restoration Project has reached its final phase, with the hull of the waka undergoing conservation treatment.

Repair of split Tauihu and replacement of missing pieces
Image: Dean Flavell, Private Collection

Project co-ordinator Dean Flavell, had this to say about the undertaking:
“It is often acknowledged that the art of carving requires numerous skills, and most carvers will readily recognise the obvious disciplines of sculpting and shaping, drawing and painting, engineering and technical aspects a jack of all trades to coin a phrase. A definite skill not always acknowledged is that of repairman or restorer. Damage and repairs are topics carvers usually don’t like to think about because they denote a setback or at the very least, an interruption in the completion of a carving."

Te Awanui on the water, Tauranga harbour, 10 February 1973
Image: Bay of Plenty Times, Tauranga Heritage Collection

“However, time is the great leveller and wood, a most vulnerable material, does succumb to natural conditions such as temperature, light, water and probably the most unforgiving wear and tear from usage. Te Awanui has undergone several restorative phases throughout its nearly 50 years. Most of these have been to address various accidents or misfortunes around breakage during use. Other restorative attempts have resulted in the removal of protective coatings such as polyurethane and non-marine paint rendering which has over time obscured the detail of the carvings."

A restored piece of Te Awanui
Image: Fiona Kean, Private Collection

"For the past few years restoration efforts have been focussed on the carved Tauihu (bow) and Taurapa (stern) pieces as these are in the greatest need of repair and renovation. Preliminary works were started on the Rauawa (top strakes) in removing paint rendering and coated to protect the wood from possible deterioration. It is now time to finish the job.”