Kete New Plymouth

George Street was named after Ernest Alfred George, twice Mayor of Waitara.

Ernest was born in Inglewood on 1 February 1885, the son of railway guard Joseph George and his wife Mathilda. The couple had immigrated to New Zealand from Wolverhampton in 1874 but Mathilda died when Ernest was just seven, leaving his father to bring up ten children.

Joseph moved to Waitara in 1904 and established a successful cordial business. Ernest joined the trade, manufacturing and selling a range of soft drinks using “only the best cane sugar, high-grade

 (Daily News, 15 December 1972)

In June 1972 the first vessel was able to tie up at the brand new Blyde Wharf in Port Taranaki. Before that, a new road had been formed to provide access to the wharf. It would soon be named after a long-serving port official, Mr Bruce Hutchen.

Hutchen began farming in the Mahoe area of South Taranaki in the 1920s. During his many years living there he was secretary of the local school and on the board of the

Namu Road in Opunake was named after the historic fortress of Te Namu pā.

The pā was located on the western bank of the Otahi stream, on a triangular headland just north of Opunake. The rocky promontory was ideal for defence and very difficult to attack – the only way into the pā was by ladder from the river side. The inhabitants of Te Namu planted crops and built whare and food storage pits but also constructed palisades and a watch tower, gathering vast quantities of stones from the

The two-storey Manaia Post Office sits prominently in the centre of the small town, a landmark since its opening in 1912. 

It was designed by the Government architect, John Campbell, who was also responsible for Parliament Buildings , the Public Trust Office in Wellington, the Dunedin Law Courts and many others during his 20 years in the position. The contractor was A.B. Burrell from Hawera and the cost £3,333.  

The foundation stone was laid on 1 May 1911 by the Minister of

This prominent two-storey building is located on the corner of Bridge Street and Stanners Street. It was erected in 1910 for A.C. (Arthur Clifford) Pease and J.F. (Joseph Frederick) Pease. It was designed by J.W. Rough of the firm Rough & Duffill, who had offices in both Hāwera and Eltham. (Plans at Puke Ariki ARC2004-1401)

Russell Standish, in his book Eltham: One Hundred Years (1984), states that this was the first building outside Europe to be built with a suspended floor. Apparently a permit was issued on