Tataraimaka
Tataraimaka (Maori pronunciation, "Ta-ta-rai-ma-ka") is a rural coastal area in Taranaki, New Zealand. It is predominantly a dairy farming area, approximately twenty kilometers south-west of New Plymouth. Tataraimaka is located south of Oakura and north of Okato. The Timaru river passes through Tataraimaka, from Mount Taranaki. On the 10th of October 1998 the Timaru river flooded and tore through Surf Highway 45, the road wasn't re-opened until the 19th of October.[1] Tataraimaka has a rich dairy farming history, with a historic dairy factory previously called the Timaru Creamery dating back to the 1800s.[2] In 2008 a local farmer re-opened the factory as the Patua Co-operative Dairy Factory to provide an alternative to the dairy giant Fonterra. The production of their organic Okato Cheese ceased due to financial difficluties in 2010.[3] The dairy factory is currently used as a site for the formation and display of rock carvings.[4]
The area is well known for its beaches. Weld road beach is a popular surf beach with the locals. The area is becoming increasingly popular for people building lifestyle properties. There are many hiking tracks available to the public which traverse the Kaitake ranges. One of these treks is the Boars Head Mine track which takes hikers to a historical mine. The area is idyllic with the Kaitake ranges at the foot of mount Taranaki; steep farmlands which overlook rolling pastures are intercepted by many creeks and rivers leading to the rocky, west coast shoreline.
References
- ↑ Tataraimaka. [online] Available at: URL:http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Cyc06Cycl-t1-body1-d1-d27-d59.html
- ↑ Ten Years on. [online] Available at: URL:http://www.tompapers.com/pdf/okatotom_oct08.pdf
- ↑ Tarankai Daily News. [online] Available at: URL:http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/3432751/Okato-organic-cheese-dilemma
- ↑ Taranaki Daily News "Sculpture adorns old dairy factory" 2013 feb 28.[online]Available at: URL:http://www.pressdisplay.com/pressdisplay/viewer.aspx