11/22/2020

Matiere

Matiere

It seems that this building used to be the bank in the little town of Matiere in the Ruapehu district, in the Manawatu-Whanganui region of the north island. It is pretty much the main building you see on  as you pass through on Highway 4.

At its peak in the 1920s and 1930s, Matiere had a population of 750, built on saw-milling and farmers breaking in land. Road gangs, railway workers and coal miners helped to create a pioneering town with a commercial heart that at various times included dairy factory, three general stores, two butchers, two drapers, a tailor, bank and post office.  

The decline triggered by World War II gained more momentum in the 50s and 60s as the saw mills, dairy factories and coal mines closed and better roads created more opportunity at Taumarunui, 35 minutes away.

Today, Matiere is ghost town, though still with a primary school, now in its 105th year with a 2011 roll of 19.  https://www.nzherald.co.nz/property/news/article.cfm?c_id=8&objectid=10732185



11/01/2020

Yarn Bomb

Every year, Taranaki hosts two concurrent 10-day Garden Festivals, usually starting the last weekend in October, when you can visit lovely gardens and see the spring colors. The original Taranaki Garden Festival was the first but, rumor has it that the entry prices were getting too high, so the Taranaki Fringe Festival came to be.

For the last few years, a town called Opunake (Oh-poo-nack-ee)  has hosted a Yarn Bomb party during this time where the main street is covered in knitting, crocheting and other crafty things!  Here are a few things we saw as we drove through :






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