Author(s): Lorelei Hayes

Rotorua Books

"Waiaua to Kauri Cliffs" is a lively, well-researched account of Tepene (previously known as Waiaua, a farm situated on the east coast of Northland between Whangaroa and the Bay of Islands) and the surrounding area, from the 1830s when the first European settlers arrived to the present day. It was a tough and lonely life for these pioneer families. Many of the men worked long and hard in the bush as well as clearing the land for building their homes and for farming. For the women it was perhaps even more difficult. With families to feed and care for, and little or no medical assistance to help with sickness and injury, they lived in primitive and harsh conditions. Running water was a luxury and there was the ever-present need to supplement the food supply. Throughout the early years there were also some tense moments as the settlers developed ongoing relationships with local Maori. However as the local people became more established they went on to start schools and set up other community amenities. Lorelei Hayes writes movingly of the struggles through the Depression years, the poverty experienced by those who were unemployed in the area, and the resourcefulness and skills needed to survive. She includes her own experience of farming at Tepene until it was sold, and concludes with the development of Kauri Cliffs, one of New Zealand's top golf courses and luxury lodges, which has been built on the property. Lorelei Hayes was born in Auckland. In 1951 her parents purchased Tepene, then a remote sheep station in the far north of New Zealand. It became a wonderful place for the family to stay for school holidays. Lorelei and her husband Ian farmed at Tepene from 1962-2000, continuing to lease a portion of the farm for five years after the family sold the property. A member of Nwq Zealand Historic Places Trust, Whangaroa Museum and Archives Society and Forest and Bird, Lorelei Hayes has a keen interest in the history of the area and a sincere appreciation of the environment.