Kakahi
Encyclopedia
Kakahi is a small village about 10 kilometres up the Whanganui River
from Taumarunui
in New Zealand
. It can be accessed from State Highway 4
using access roads Waitea Road or Whakapapa Road.
Kakahi derives its name from the Kakahi fresh water shellfish
which may be found in the area.
The North Island Main Trunk Railway passes through Kakahi over the Kakahi Stream via a large concrete pillar and steel girder bridge.
Te Rena Road in Kakahi is notable for extensive colonies of glowworms which live all along the sheer banks where the road cuts deeply through the hill side for about 500 metres.
The local sports teams are generally dressed in blue and gold. There is a local sports area (called "The Domain") to the north of the village overlooking the Whanganui River
. It was here that the Kakahi field hockey
team was based. And here also during the 1970s was a regular motocross
and the Kakahi rodeo
Club competitions. These were run to raise funds for community activities. Around the perimeter of the hockey field are the remains of a racing bicycle track, except a portion of the track was washed away during the 1950s flood.
sawmill
town, with four timber mills around the township, many tram
lines for moving the timber (mainly totara). Kakahi also had three churches, one hotel
(burned to the ground), one boarding house
and a pool hall
. It still has the active Kakahi Primary School (Photos), the Kakahi General Store (also a post office
), and the Kakahi Hall (which has been restored to full function by the community).
In 1906 Ngati Tuwharetoa
and the Tongariro Timber Company struck an argreement for the construction of a 40 miles (64.4 km) railway line from Kakahi (on the main trunk line) to Pūkawa
on the shores of Lake Taupo
. This was in exchange for the milling rights of 134500 acres (544.3 km²) of land, and other considerations. Subsequently in 1908 a case was put to the Stout
Ngata
commission over the lack of action. By May 1929 this line had still not been built and the government acquired the Tongariro Timber Company. A road was deemed at being more viable. The Tongariro Timber Company railway land was finally disposed by the Parliament of New Zealand
in as in the Maori Purposes Act November 24, 1967.
The hall was originally commissioned by one of the local timber milling businesses and was used as a silent movies
cinema and dance hall
. As such it still retains its piano, fireproof Celluloid
film
projection room and even has copper tubing in the ceiling for the "white spirit
" internal lighting system.
Other commercial buildings that remain in Kakahi that are no longer in their original use are the butcher
, baker
(complete with retired bread oven), original post-office and a Blacksmith
's stables.
The Kakahi bakers here were known for trucking their hot bread widely in the region, and even supplied many of the Bush Mills in the hills as far away as National Park
. Interestingly the expression "The best thing since sliced bread" belies that fact that many small bakers could not afford the expensive patented (and sometimes unreliable) bread slicers. This was a contributing factor in the closing of bakers here.
A marae
(photos) of the Ngati Manunui hapu
of Tuwharetoa is located in the town. A Catholic
church, complete with its bell tower, stands on the edge of the marae.
Kakahi is also noted for trout
fly fishing
(in-particular the "Kakahi Queen" fly) and for a once resident Peter McIntyre
(Official wartime artist for the New Zealand military) who published a book of paintings titled "Kakahi".
The Whanganui River
and Whakapapa River
meet about five kilometres to the east of Kakahi, about 1 km from the end of the Te Rena Road (an old logging tram line).
Whanganui River
The Whanganui River is a major river in the North Island of New Zealand.Known for many years as the Wanganui River, the river's name reverted to Whanganui in 1991, according with the wishes of local iwi. Part of the reason was also to avoid confusion with the Wanganui River in the South Island...
from Taumarunui
Taumarunui
Taumarunui is a town in the King Country of the central North Island of New Zealand. It is on State Highway 4 and the North Island Main Trunk Railway....
in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. It can be accessed from State Highway 4
New Zealand State Highway network
The New Zealand State Highway network is the major national highway network in New Zealand. Just under 100 roads in both the North and South Islands are State Highways...
using access roads Waitea Road or Whakapapa Road.
Kakahi derives its name from the Kakahi fresh water shellfish
New Zealand freshwater mussel
The New Zealand freshwater mussel, scientific name Echyridella menziesi, or kakahi, is a species of freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusc in the family Unionidae, the river mussels....
which may be found in the area.
The North Island Main Trunk Railway passes through Kakahi over the Kakahi Stream via a large concrete pillar and steel girder bridge.
Te Rena Road in Kakahi is notable for extensive colonies of glowworms which live all along the sheer banks where the road cuts deeply through the hill side for about 500 metres.
Sports
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The local sports teams are generally dressed in blue and gold. There is a local sports area (called "The Domain") to the north of the village overlooking the Whanganui River
Whanganui River
The Whanganui River is a major river in the North Island of New Zealand.Known for many years as the Wanganui River, the river's name reverted to Whanganui in 1991, according with the wishes of local iwi. Part of the reason was also to avoid confusion with the Wanganui River in the South Island...
. It was here that the Kakahi field hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
team was based. And here also during the 1970s was a regular motocross
Motocross
Motocross is a form of motorcycle sport or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off road circuits. It evolved from trials, and was called scrambles, and later motocross, combining the French moto with cross-country...
and the Kakahi rodeo
Rodeo
Rodeo is a competitive sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States,...
Club competitions. These were run to raise funds for community activities. Around the perimeter of the hockey field are the remains of a racing bicycle track, except a portion of the track was washed away during the 1950s flood.
History
Last century Kakahi was a King CountryKing Country
The King Country is a region of the western North Island of New Zealand. It extends approximately from the Kawhia Harbour and the town of Otorohanga in the north to the upper reaches of the Whanganui River in the south, and from the Hauhungaroa and Rangitoto Ranges in the east to near the Tasman...
sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
town, with four timber mills around the township, many tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
lines for moving the timber (mainly totara). Kakahi also had three churches, one hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
(burned to the ground), one boarding house
Boarding house
A boarding house, is a house in which lodgers rent one or more rooms for one or more nights, and sometimes for extended periods of weeks, months and years. The common parts of the house are maintained, and some services, such as laundry and cleaning, may be supplied. They normally provide "bed...
and a pool hall
Pool hall
A billiard/billiards, pool or snooker hall is a place where people get together for playing cue sports such as pool, snooker or carom billiards...
. It still has the active Kakahi Primary School (Photos), the Kakahi General Store (also a post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
), and the Kakahi Hall (which has been restored to full function by the community).
In 1906 Ngati Tuwharetoa
Ngati Tuwharetoa
Ngāti Tūwharetoa is an iwi descended from Ngātoro-i-rangi, the priest who navigated the Arawa canoe to New Zealand. The Tūwharetoa region extends from Te Awa o te Atua at Matata across the central plateau of the North Island to the lands around Mount Tongariro and Lake Taupo.The iwi is identified...
and the Tongariro Timber Company struck an argreement for the construction of a 40 miles (64.4 km) railway line from Kakahi (on the main trunk line) to Pūkawa
Pukawa
Pūkawa / Pūkawa Bay is a bay and a small township on the western shores of Lake Taupo in New Zealand. It is off State Highway 41 between Turangi and Taumarunui. It is home of the Ngati Manunui hapu of Ngāti Tūwharetoa and the newly-opened Manunui-a-Ruakapanga marae, which was opened on 18 November...
on the shores of Lake Taupo
Lake Taupo
Lake Taupo is a lake situated in the North Island of New Zealand. With a surface area of , it is the largest lake by surface area in New Zealand, and the second largest freshwater lake by surface area in geopolitical Oceania after Lake Murray ....
. This was in exchange for the milling rights of 134500 acres (544.3 km²) of land, and other considerations. Subsequently in 1908 a case was put to the Stout
Robert Stout
Sir Robert Stout, KCMG was the 13th Premier of New Zealand on two occasions in the late 19th century, and later Chief Justice of New Zealand. He was the only person to hold both these offices...
Ngata
Apirana Ngata
Sir Apirana Turupa Ngata was a prominent New Zealand politician and lawyer. He has often been described as the foremost Māori politician to have ever served in Parliament, and is also known for his work in promoting and protecting Māori culture and language.-Early life:One of 15 children, Ngata...
commission over the lack of action. By May 1929 this line had still not been built and the government acquired the Tongariro Timber Company. A road was deemed at being more viable. The Tongariro Timber Company railway land was finally disposed by the Parliament of New Zealand
Parliament of New Zealand
The Parliament of New Zealand consists of the Queen of New Zealand and the New Zealand House of Representatives and, until 1951, the New Zealand Legislative Council. The House of Representatives is often referred to as "Parliament".The House of Representatives usually consists of 120 Members of...
in as in the Maori Purposes Act November 24, 1967.
The hall was originally commissioned by one of the local timber milling businesses and was used as a silent movies
Silent Movies
Silent Movies are 13 solo guitar compositions by Marc Ribot released September 28, 2010 on Pi Recordings.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Thom Jurek awarded the album 4 stars stating "For those interested in one of the more compelling and quietly provocative and graceful guitar records of 2010,...
cinema and dance hall
Dance hall
Dance hall in its general meaning is a hall for dancing. From the earliest years of the twentieth century until the early 1960s, the dance hall was the popular forerunner of the discothèque or nightclub...
. As such it still retains its piano, fireproof Celluloid
Celluloid
Celluloid is the name of a class of compounds created from nitrocellulose and camphor, plus dyes and other agents. Generally regarded to be the first thermoplastic, it was first created as Parkesine in 1862 and as Xylonite in 1869, before being registered as Celluloid in 1870. Celluloid is...
film
Photographic film
Photographic film is a sheet of plastic coated with an emulsion containing light-sensitive silver halide salts with variable crystal sizes that determine the sensitivity, contrast and resolution of the film...
projection room and even has copper tubing in the ceiling for the "white spirit
White spirit
White spirit [CAS 64475-85-0], also known as Stoddard solvent [CAS 8052-41-3] or mineral spirits, is a paraffin-derived clear, transparent liquid which is a common organic solvent used in painting and decorating. In 1924, an Atlanta dry cleaner named W. J. Stoddard worked with Lloyd E...
" internal lighting system.
Other commercial buildings that remain in Kakahi that are no longer in their original use are the butcher
Butcher
A butcher is a person who may slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat or any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat, poultry, fish and shellfish for sale in retail or wholesale food establishments...
, baker
Baker
A baker is someone who bakes and sells bread, Cakes and similar foods may also be produced, as the traditional boundaries between what is produced by a baker as opposed to a pastry chef have blurred in recent decades...
(complete with retired bread oven), original post-office and a Blacksmith
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
's stables.
The Kakahi bakers here were known for trucking their hot bread widely in the region, and even supplied many of the Bush Mills in the hills as far away as National Park
National Park, New Zealand
National Park is a small town on the central plateau of the North Island of New Zealand. Also known as National Park Village it is the highest urban township in New Zealand at 825 metres. As the name suggests, it borders the World Heritage Tongariro National Park, New Zealand's first national...
. Interestingly the expression "The best thing since sliced bread" belies that fact that many small bakers could not afford the expensive patented (and sometimes unreliable) bread slicers. This was a contributing factor in the closing of bakers here.
A marae
Marae
A marae malae , malae , is a communal or sacred place which serves religious and social purposes in Polynesian societies...
(photos) of the Ngati Manunui hapu
Hapu
A hapū is sometimes described as "the basic political unit within Maori society".A named division of a Māori iwi , membership is determined by genealogical descent; a hapū is made up of a number of whānau groups. Generally hapū range in size from 150-200 although there is no upper limit...
of Tuwharetoa is located in the town. A Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
church, complete with its bell tower, stands on the edge of the marae.
Kakahi is also noted for trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
fly fishing
Fly fishing
Fly fishing is an angling method in which an artificial 'fly' is used to catch fish. The fly is cast using a fly rod, reel, and specialized weighted line. Casting a nearly weightless fly or 'lure' requires casting techniques significantly different from other forms of casting...
(in-particular the "Kakahi Queen" fly) and for a once resident Peter McIntyre
Peter McIntyre (artist)
Peter McIntyre OBE was a New Zealand painter and author. He was the son of Peter McIntyre, a lithographic artist, and his wife, Isabella Edith Cubitt.He was New Zealand's official war artist during World War II....
(Official wartime artist for the New Zealand military) who published a book of paintings titled "Kakahi".
The Whanganui River
Whanganui River
The Whanganui River is a major river in the North Island of New Zealand.Known for many years as the Wanganui River, the river's name reverted to Whanganui in 1991, according with the wishes of local iwi. Part of the reason was also to avoid confusion with the Wanganui River in the South Island...
and Whakapapa River
Whakapapa River
The Whakapapa River in New Zealand trickles off the Whakapapa skifield of Mount Ruapehu, down the western slopes of the mountain through Owhango before finally merging with the Whanganui River just east of Kakahi at ....
meet about five kilometres to the east of Kakahi, about 1 km from the end of the Te Rena Road (an old logging tram line).
Notable people
- Keith Chapple
- Peter McIntyrePeter McIntyre (artist)Peter McIntyre OBE was a New Zealand painter and author. He was the son of Peter McIntyre, a lithographic artist, and his wife, Isabella Edith Cubitt.He was New Zealand's official war artist during World War II....
- Landscape Painter and Author 1910 - 1995 http://www.dnzb.govt.nz/DNZB/default.asp?Find_Quick.asp?PersonEssay=5M15
External links
- [worldwind://goto/world=Earth&lat=-38.93647&lon=175.38455&alt=4987&dir=-0.2 Kakahi Hall - NASA Satellite Image]
- [worldwind://goto/world=Earth&lat=-38.93659&lon=175.38451&alt=576&dir=147.8&tilt=78.7 Composite Satellite/Radar Image of Kakahi with Mountains: Ruahehu, Tongarero and Ngarahoe in background]