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Patea
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The fine old town of Patea is best known for its monument of the Aotea Memorial Waka and the outstanding Patea Maori Club that put Patea on the map forevermore with its eighties hit Poi-E. The South Taranaki District Museum in Patea is another key feature - the museum is emerging as one of the most important archives of Taranaki's extremely rich Maori and European history.
The first shops and offices were sited on land at the beach and were occupied under Squatters' Licences. The present township was surveyed in 1867 on land half a mile from the small ferry settlement at the beach. Carlyle Beach and Mana Bay are very popular destinations for fishing, surfing and swimming today. Two lookouts at the beach provide spectacular views of the Tasman Sea and the magnificent South Taranaki coastline.
Specially-designed heritage walks through Patea will take you past buildings that are among the most significant in Patea's social and economic history. They include:
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THE PORT, FREEZING WORKS AND COOLSTORES |
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Meat and freezing works form an extremely important part of Patea's history. The Patea A&P Association promoted the establishment of a meat-processing plant in the district. The West Coast Meat and Produce Export Company was formed in August 1883 and operated a tinning plant and tallow factory in the area. Changes in technology saw the company change from canning to freezing in 1904.
The Patea Freezing company came into being in 1910. In 1933, a new Patea Freezing Company was formed. However, the company suffered badly during the downturn in the New Zealand meat-processing industry in the early 1980s. The Patea works were among the first to close down, ending operations in 1982.
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THE AOTEA MEMORIAL WAKA |
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The wonderful waka - a key feature as you drive through Patea - was constructed in 1933 to commemorate the settlement of the area by Turi and his hapu.
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ST GEORGE'S ANGLICAN CHURCH |
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This beautiful old building was consecrated in 1885. It was designed by Frederick de Jersey Clere, the noted ecclesiastical architect. This building is registered as a Category 1 Historic Place with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust.
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BANK OF NEW ZEALAND BUILDING |
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Patea's first Bank of New Zealand building was constructed in 1875 at the top of the hill on Bedford Street. The bank was moved to new premises in 1881.
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THE SOUTH TARANAKI DISTRICT MUSEUM |
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Perhaps the most important archive of district information, articles and pieces, the South Taranaki District Museum is on the main road through Patea. The central section of the museum is the oldest colonial building in South Taranaki. It was built in 1869 and housed Taplin and Muir's General Store at the time of the first government sale of town sections in 1870. The museum offers a rich and varied history of the area. Make sure you stop in when you come to town!
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SOUTH TARANAKI i-SITE VISITOR CENTRE |
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55 High Street
Hawera
Contact:
- Tourism and Events Manager: Fiona Greenhill
Phone: 06 278 8599
Fax: 06 278 6599
Email: visitorinfo@stdc.govt.nz
Hours are:
Monday - Friday 8.30am-5.15pm
Weekends and Public Holidays 9.30am-4pm (December-April) 10am-3pm (May-November). Closed Christmas Day.
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Patea Heritage Inventory (1.1MB)
This file offers a detailed inventory of heritage sites in Patea for people who would like more information regarding this important historic town. The file is in Adobe format, so please click on the image below to download Acrobat Reader if you do not have it
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*Click here or on the image to download the Adobe Acrobat Reader which can display pdf
files on your computer
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Historic Places Map |
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