New Zealand - Taihape - Taihape from the North end? - 1910 Period - Real Photo Postcard Format #500454 - Taihape is located in the Rangitikei District of the North Island of New Zealand. It services a large rural community and lies on State Highway 1, which runs North to South through the centre of the North Island. - The Taihape region was originally inhabited by Maori tribes who settled the area well before the arrival of Europeans; descendants of these tribes still live in the area. The first record of a European to the region is William Colenso's visit in 1845. In 1884, the surveyor's party for the Main Trunk railway line cut a rough track through the district. - The town was founded in 1894, when European settlers arrived from Canterbury in the South Island. The site of the town was a small natural clearing in dense native bush, which the first settlers set about clearing. Many of the original families have descendants still living in the area. The settlement was first called Hautapu after the local river, then Otaihape ("the place of Tai the Hunchback"), and finally Taihape. - Before the establishment of the railway, the bulk of farming produce (wool) had to be transported east by horse and bullock cart to Napier, from where it was exported. Until the establishment of roads and railways in the early 1900s, Taihape, like other rural towns, remained largely an isolated pioneer settlement. - Taihape developed as a key railway and transport town, reaching its peak of population and activity during the heyday of the 1950s and 1960s. The town declined during the downturn of the 1980s and today it is largely a refreshment stop for travellers and a service point for the local farming community. - Taihape is home of the annual Gumboot Day, first celebrated on 9 April 1985. This festival was devised by local business people who decided to capitalise on its rural image. Entertainer John Clarke used Taihape as a location for his Fred Dagg comedy persona. - In 2005 Taihape's primary and secondary schools amalgamated to form Taihape Area School due to the declining numbers of students in both schools. (source - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taihape)