Taihape is a small but picturesque town near the middle of the North Island of New Zealand. Taihape is often the butt of jokes owing to its "one horse, blink and you'll miss it" reputation and the back-country nature of its inhabitants. Image File history File links NZ-Taihape. ... North Island The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, the other being the South Island. ...

Economy

Taihape is a rural supply town and at its peak during the 1960s, was a bustling railway town and transport hub for the surrounding farming community. Much of its economic activity revolved around the railway and rural communities. A major decline occurred in the 1980s due to a restructure of the railway system and a general downturn in the farming sector. Taihape's location on the main trunk railway and on State Highway 1 has ensured its economic survival as a key stop off point for weary and hungry travellers. Taihape's main claim to fame however, is as the "Gumboot Capital of the World" which attracts large numbers of people to the annual gumboot throwing contest.

Geography

Taihape is located near the confluence of the Hautapu and Rangitikei rivers about 2,000 meters above sea level. It is situated in a sheltered valley among the high country of the central North Island close to the Rangitikei River on State Highway 1 and on the main trunk railway line between Auckland and Wellington. Despite these transport links, it is considered to be isolated by most New Zealanders because there are no towns of a comparable size for a considerable distance. Few towns in New Zealand have a steeper street profile which provide spectacular views across to the Ruahine Ranges. Taihape is surrounded by fertile high country ideal for sheep and deer farming. Its location close to the mountains, rivers and lakes has made it ideal as a service point for hunting and outdoor tourism. Its position at the southern edge of the volcanic plateau ensures that it gets its fair share of seismic activity. The Rangitikei River is one of New Zealands longest rivers. ... The New Zealand State Highway Shield. ...

The road south winds through rugged hill country farmland down onto the Manawatu Plains, some 100km south. Some of the most fertile land in the southwestern North Island of New Zealand is located on the floodplains of the Manawatu and Rangitikei Rivers, in an area known as the Manawatu Plains. ...

North of Taihape the road and railway must first cross the wide volcanic plateau (with the volcanoes Mount Ruapehu, Mount Ngauruhoe, and Mount Tongariro) and the Rangipo Desert before the road reaches Lake Taupo and the more hospitable country beyond Taupo at the north end of the Lake, while the railway turns briefly westward through Ohakune on its way to the Raurimu Spiral at the north-west edge of the plateau. The North Island Volcanic Plateau (often called the Central Plateau and occasionally the Waimarino Plateau) is located in the central North Island of New Zealand. ... A volcano is a geological landform usually generated by the eruption through a planets surface of magma, molten rock welling up from the planets interior. ... Mount Ruapehu, or just Ruapehu, is an active stratovolcano, situated at the southern end of the Taupo Volcanic Zone. ... Mount Ngauruhoe is an active stratovolcano in New Zealand. ... Mount Tongariro is a volcanic mountain complex in the North Island of New Zealand. ... Say the word desert, and the usual definition conjured up is one of dry land that rarely if ever sees rain. ... Lake Taupo. ... Taupo is a large urban area in the centre of the North Island of New Zealand. ... Ohakune is a town in the North Island of New Zealand. ... The Raurimu Spiral is a notable feat of engineering in the central North Island of New Zealand. ...

There are no transport links west (rugged hill country is in the way) and only one rough road east, over a mountain range to the port city of Napier. Before State Highway 1 and the railway were built the latter road was the main route in or out of what was then an extremely isolated community. Napier is an important port city in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand. ...

History

The Taihape region was originally inhabited by local Maori tribes who lived in the area well before the arrival of Europeans in the mid 1800s. Descendants of these tribes still live in the area. Taihape, also known as Otaihape was later settled and farmed by Europeans who had moved north mainly from Canterbury in the South Island, drawn by the promise of land and work. Many of the original families have descendents still living in the area. Before the establishment of the North Island Main Trunk Railway, the bulk of farming produce (wool) had to be transported East by horse and bullock cart over the rugged Gentle Annie Road to Napier, from where it was exported. Until the establishment of decent 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 heydays of the 1950s and 1960s. Unfortunately the town declined during the downturn of the 1980s and today Taihape is largely a refreshment stop-over for travellers and a service point for a few essential services that remain in the town. The North Island Main Trunk Railway (NIMT) is the railway line connecting Auckland and Wellington, the two major cities of New Zealands North Island. ... The word Napier has several possible meanings in the English language. ...

People

Taihape has a population of around 2,000 people. (It was about 3,500 in the 1960s, but declined in parallel with many rural towns all over the world.) The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ...

It has a primary school (motto: Nulla Vestiga Restrorum [never look back]) and a secondary school (motto: step forward together). The secondary school is reputed to be the second smallest in the country. However it was decided in April 2004 by the education minister that the secondary school and the primary school were to combine and pool their resources to become an Area School. The making of this school has raised conflict between many Taihape locals, especially regarding the change in the choice of site. However the new school is set to be built with new state-of-the-art features with an approximate $10 million budget.Many see this as an attempt to buy off Taihape. It also has an integrated Catholic School (motto: Christus Dux Nostrum [Christ Our Head]) which opened its doors in 1916. Currently the school has approximately 130 students in attendance.

Fame

For most New Zealanders who are aware of it at all, Taihape is a place through which they may pass on their way north or south, perhaps stopping for a snack or meal. This perception dates back to when the Day Express on the North Island Main Trunk Railway would stop in Taihape for passengers to alight to stretch their legs and queue to grab a snack to eat at the railway cafe. The North Island Main Trunk Railway (NIMT) is the railway line connecting Auckland and Wellington, the two major cities of New Zealands North Island. ...

They may also have heard of Gumboot Day, the Tuesday after Easter, first celebrated on Tuesday 9 April 1985. This was cleverly devised by local business people who realised that they could never rid the town of its rural backwater image, so they would instead capitalise on it. It seems to have worked. How many other towns, of similar size, are known country-wide? Gumboot Day is celebrated Tuesday after Easter in the town of Taihape, New Zealand since 1985. ... This article is about the Christian festival. ... April 9 is the 99th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (100th in leap years). ... This article is about the year. ...

Taihape's second claim to fame is due to it being regarded (along with Eketahuna) as being the archetypical small New Zealand farming town. This reputation was greatly enhanced when entertainer John Clarke used it as a location for his Fred Dagg comedy persona. Eketahuna is a small rural service town, the most southerly in the Tararua District in the Manawatu-Wanganui region of the North Island of New Zealand. ... John Morrison Clarke (born July 29, 1948) is a comedian and writer. ... Fred Dagg is a fictional archetype satirist from New Zealand created and acted on stage, film and television by John Morrison Clarke. ...

Another reason why most New Zealanders have at least heard of Taihape is that it is a separate district in the Met. Service weather forecasts (although sometimes included in the "Central Plateau" region).joey payne lives in taihape with jerome tomas Weather is an all-encompassing term used to describe all of the many and varied phenomena that can occur in the atmosphere of a planet. ...

External links

• World Gumboot Throwing Championships