Village life a slice of paradise
It might be a bit wide-eyed, but residents of a small Waikato village think they have it all.
Being stuck in rush hour traffic just isn’t for them.
They can usually get home to Maungakawa from Cambridge’s town centre in peak hour traffic and be enjoying their first glass of red in seven minutes.
And the secret’s out, say Pat and Marie Coles. They’ve lived in the village for 14 years and seen it grow from 10 houses to 100.
Nestled into a picturesque hillside, Maungakawa has become a haven, and not just for its stunning rural views. It has the feel of the hit TV show Cheers – a place where you can escape the world and everyone knows your name.
It’s mainly families who have made the village home, Pat said, and everyone knows all the children.
‘‘It’s a bit of a cliche to say, but this is what Godzone is all about.’’
The village offers the Coleses the escape they both need from their busy careers.
Pat is involved in the fuel additive business and Marie works in the travel industry.
‘‘Every home is the hub of the community.’’
Special times are usually held down the road at the local politician’s house, and any social decisions – like the annual street party – are made over another glass of red. The streets of the village usually come alive over the weekend as a parade of sportspeople make their way up the hill and through the village as part of their training regime.
‘‘We’re used to them and they usually give us a wave as they pass through.’’
Newcomers to Maungakawa are made welcome, as Australians Narelle and Grant Huggins found out.
‘‘They try to rag us about the Wallabies, but we’re from the AFL stronghold of Victoria, so it falls on deaf ears,’’ Narelle said.
A decision was made to update the town sign and Narelle, being an artist, volunteered her time to help. She describes her sign as a ‘‘naive interpretation of a sentimental collection of the lifestyle of the village’’.
Nearly the entire community turned out for the unveiling of the sign, covered by a blue tarp from someone’s chook shed.
‘‘We were interested, but really, it was just another reason for everyone to get together,’’ Pat said. ‘‘After all, that’s what a village does.’’ Four University of Waikato students have been awarded scholarships totalling $28,000 in the latest round of Freemasons scholarships. Whakatane’s Rebecca Yeates (Master of Science) received a $10,000 Freemason’s Postgraduate Scholarship. Taranaki’s Ellen Plumtree Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) majoring in chemical and biological engineering, Hamilton’s Bal Timilsina Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) Mechanical and Matamata’s Matthew House (Bachelor of Science, majoring in Earth and Environmental Sciences) received Freemason’s University Scholarships of $6000 each. The programme is now in its 39th year and is the largest privately funded programme in New Zealand. During this time it has awarded 1134 of the country’s top students more than $5 million in university and postgraduate scholarships.