A survey of the Tolaga Bay Community (Part 1)

Te Ao Hou, March 1959, Page 6

A survey of the Tolaga Bay Community (Part 1) by Dr. D. SINCLAIR Tolaga Bay is a pleasant little East Coast township that nestles snugly on a smallish area of flat dairy land which is almost completely encircled by a crescentic series of easy to rugged sheep hills. The horns of the crescent project far out into the sea as precipitous cliffs of soft sedimentary rock, forming a deep bay lined by a dazzling white sandy beach. The broad Uawa river curves gently around the south western limits of the township and discharges its blue green waters into the sea at about the centre of the bay. The whole aspect is dominated by the evergreen slopes of Titirangi Station whose grassy trig capped peak towers some nine hundred feet above the unique concrete wharf that abuts its base at the southern extremity of the bay. The township serves the rich pastoral lands that comprise the Uawa County. Wool is king here, but cattle and dairy farming all contribute their quota to the community income. The bulk of the land is owned by the descendants of the early pioneer families whose original holdings were gained in the years following the Maori Wars. Many of the larger holdings were subdivided in the 90's of the last century and millions of superfeet of peerless native timbers that sheltered uncounted hosts of native birds gave way to rich grasslands. Military settlements followed the close of World War I and World War II saw an even more ambitious rehabilitation project carried through to a most successful conclusion. In this article, I shall briefly record the history of the Maori people in Tolaga Bay, and describe their way of life today—the occupations they follow and the way many of them migrate to the cities. Of course all the changes that have occurred in the last century have been influenced deeply by education at the local school. In fact, without the

school, the other things that happened could hardly be understood. After describing the life of the people I shall therefore give special attention to the history of education in Tolaga Bay and show its influence and the way the school has supplied the basis of the peoples success.