From the old
to the new.
History.
The Town takes its name from the Maori Village Te Hawera, which was near Whareroa South east of the Present Town. In 1866 a Government military base was established, and the town grew up around a blockhouse in the early 1870s. Its population increased by over 60% between 1878 and 1886 Local writer Ronald Hugh Morrieson presented a dark, seamy version of mid-20th-century Hawera in his novels. Many locals found his descriptions offensive. An attempt by fans to save his house from demolition in 1992 failed, partly because of this.
Hawera on fire.
A major fire destroyed many buildings in Hawera town centre in 1895. It started when a lamp fell over in a drapery store and spread from building to building - 17 shops were destroyed, including the Egmont Hotel,the new post office and the headquarters of the towns newspaper. Two people were killed, both of them occupants of the hotel.
The New Building which is expected to be built in 2020 will be called "The Te Ramanui o Ruaputahanga". Te Ramanui o Ruaputahanga means the beacon or signal fire of Ruaputahanga,a famous Taranaki Maori ancestress. Ruaputahanga would light the beaconas a signal for Iwi to meet so they could talk, share ideas and knowledge.
We think the name , which was gifted by Ngati Ruanui, perfectly symbolises the new centres purpose as a place for the community to meet in order to share information and gain knowledge," he says The Te Ramanui o Ruaputhanga project is to creat a new vibrancy in Hawera providing enhanced community services, and improving connectivity for both the South taranaki community and for visitors to the district,"
To log this cache please answer the following questions. Send answers to us do not post here.
1> Who is the artist of the sculpture just east of the coordinates ?
2> What is the date on the sculpture?
3> What is the big number on the fibre optic cable box right beside you ?
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between June 4, 2019 and June 4, 2020. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 2.0 on the Geocaching Blog.