Author(s): Christine Clement

Rotorua Books

This book is a history of the Te Puke are and provides an overview of the Te Puke area as well as touching on important milestones in our history to date. As a factual account it will be a valuable resource for students of history as well as interested readers. It will also be a starting point for anyone who is interested in further research. This book touches on the lives and gives the names of many people who have had a part in the creation of Te Puke and district. From the abundant fishing on the coast to the timber resources on the hills, the Bay of Plenty was well named. Those early settlers and their families traded in timber and flax and over a period of time developed the hills and the swamps into dairy, sheep and cattle farms. From there, on to horticulture citrus through to kiwifruit. These are the main primary sector industries that have deveroped in our area. It would be fair to say that we have attracted people with ideas and dreams over the years. These ideas and dreams have been tried with various degrees of success and this innovative approach is still occurring today. In the last 20 years we have seen a major increase in the population of this area and at the present rate of growth, in the future there will be substantial areas that will be in roads, houses, industrial areas, making a major change to a completely urbanised environment. This change underlies the importance of this book. As the people take their surroundings for granted the book will enable them to get an idea of the past while they live, work and play in the present and plan and create the future.