Tinui Times

05/12/2025

WHAREAMA SCHOOL STUDENTS 1957

Lots of familiar names here.

Back row from left: Alan Kerse; Nancy Sladden; Madeline Paku [identified as N. Paku]; Mr William Foster (teacher); Bernard Sladden; Darleen Waaka; Dinah Corlett; Mary O'Dowd; Jennifer Douglas.

Middle row: James Benn; Noel McKay; Kenneth O'Dowd; Sally Kerse; Jennifer McKay; Suzanne Barnes; Elizabeth Douglas; Loma Waaka.

Front row: Pamela Jones; Timothy Hosken; Maureen Paku; Henry Reiri; Susan Douglas; Robyn Benn; Elizabeth Street; Fay McKay.

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Photo / Tinui Historical Society Collection Wairarapa Archive - 05-39/P-I-13-5

05/12/2025

IKEA'S FLAT-PACK FURNITURE SPELLS THE END FOR SIX PORANGAHAU FARMS

Since 2020 IKEA has converted six Central Hawke's Bay farms into pine forestry, which they believe makes them the largest forestry owner in the district.

This move, combined with the sale of at least four other Hawke's Bay farms to overseas forestry companies this year, is sparking concerns from locals about the loss of productive farmland and the risks associated with converting large areas into pines.

The Swedish furniture giant is one of the biggest forestry owners in a region, and it's worrying residents.

05/12/2025

On 15 January 1954 the Wairarapa was in a state of great excitement. The new Queen and Prince Philip were visiting Masterton by train.

Diesel-electric locomotives pulled the royal train from Wellington to the Summit station. There the trusty Fell engines took over with their central rail to ensure the royal party descended the incline at a safe speed.

At Cross Creek locals had ten minutes of the royal couple all to themselves as the Fell engines were swapped for a steam locomotive.

Then it was off to Masterton, with crowds gathering at all the stations to wave to the Queen and Prince Philip.

The royal train arrived at Masterton Station, where they were greeted by the Prime Minister, Sidney Holland and a crowd of 5,000 on the station lawn.

The royal couple's next stop was Wairarapa College, where 3,000 schoolchildren were waiting for them and a further group at Lansdowne School.

The Civic Reception was held in Masterton Park (now known as Queen Elizabeth Park), where the mayor (Ted Coddington) welcomed the Queen and the Duke.

An invitation-only lunch was held at the Empire Hotel which had been "magnificently decorated" with flower arrangements. No expense had been spared - grapes were flown in from Auckland, apricots and peaches from Otago, strawberries from Greytown and tomatoes from Nelson.

The Queen and Prince Philip returned by road to Wellington, with groups of flag-waving people at farm gates and intersections. In Carterton, new mothers were seated outside Sister McKenzie's maternity home and patients from Greytown Hospital were also seated outside the hospital so they could see the Queen.

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Some of our older readers may remember the Queen's visit in 1954. I remember being held up on my father's shoulders at Hastings when a "nice lady" waved from the back of the train.

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Photo / Mayor E G (Ted) Coddington and his wife es**rt the royal couple to the dias for the formal welcome.

Ralph Hopkins Collection, Wairarapa Archive - 99-299/77

05/12/2025

Congratulations to this year's winners of the Peter Laing Agricultural Trust grants.

03/12/2025

THE CHIMNEY THAT FOUGHT BACK

In 1923 the Post and Telegraph Department decided Tinui needed a new post office.

The job of demolishing the old post office was contracted to Mr William Wise, a Masterton-based English building contractor.

With no Worksafe, or even a council building inspector to oversee the process, builders erecting or demolishing buildings could use whatever techniques they liked, as long as the client was happy.

When it came to getting rid of the old chimney, Mr Wise used a crowbar to "undermine" the chimney, presumably to make it unstable so it would collapse onto the ground.

This worked a treat, except Mr Wise got hit "on the back and the head, causing severe injuries." Presumably if you use this technique you want to keep your eye on the progress of the chimney.

Constable Berthelsen and Tinui Store owner John Johnston provided first aid and bundled him into the car. Dr Cowie, of Masterton, also hopped in his car and met them part-way to Masterton.

After spending a while in Masterton Hospital, on the seriously-ill list, Mr Wise made a full recovery and went onto live to the ripe old age of 89.

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Photo / The first Tinui Post Office in 1903. The first office was in existence in 1880 and was probably built even earlier. I think this building faced onto Blackhill Road.

Tinui Historical Society Collection, Wairarapa Archive - 05-39/P-F-3-1

02/12/2025

How great to see the rain! 15mm in Tinui so far, and more to come. Heavy rain is forecast until about 11am today, then bits and pieces, otherwise known as showers, over the next day or so.

UPDATE: 2.46 pm, 41mm at the Tinui weather station near The Peaks, 30mm in the headwaters of the Whareama River.

02/12/2025

A great story of the 2020 Castlepoint Races. Lots of familiar faces and names. Enjoy.

Freelance jockeys, keen spectators, farming families with station hacks and horse trainers with thoroughbreds descend on the Wairarapa every autumn to take part in one of New Zealand’s longest-running events.

01/12/2025

THE FRUIT TREE TAX

Bureaucracy rather lost the plot in 1916 when a regulation was passed that decreed that anyone who had more than one fruit tree on their property had to register with the Department of Agriculture as if they were a commercial horticultural operation.

At a time of flourishing urban and rural gardens, most people had more than one fruit tree in the back yard - maybe an apple, lemon and plum tree. Grape vines also counted as one tree, so the average quarter-acre section suddenly became a commercial orchard.

The idea of the regulation was to register those who were growing fruit trees for selling fruit, but the regulation had unintended consequences.

Naturally this created a fairly sizable political storm in both town and country and, to add insult to injury in those internet-free days, the registration forms weren't available from post offices either.

Clarification was urgently published to exclude backyard fruit trees, but this is a great example of what happens when governments pass legislation too quickly.

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Photo / Apple tree at Wardells' farm at Te Whiti.

Wardell family album, Wairarapa Archive - 12-69/1-21

30/11/2025

29/11/2025

This is wonderful. View from Rewanui trig.

Send a message to learn more

29/11/2025

THE THREE BUSHGROVE HOMESTEADS

There's some confusion crept into discussions about which Bushgrove homestead is which.

Here are photos of the three homesteads that occupy the site last occupied by a succession of Groves, ending in the Thomsons.