NOT JUST ANY OLD IRON
In the last of his road trip series, Peter Dragicevich assesses the best places for a pit stop. This week he puts his pedal to the metal to visit Tīrau’s corrugated critters.
Never underestimate the power of a gimmick to lure motorists out of their cars when they’re bored and need a break. The routes cutting through the central North Island are littered with them, several of which have already been covered in this series in recent months. The South Waikato town of Tīrau was a little late to the party but
once it settled on its schtick in the mid-1990s it embraced its role as the “Corrugated Capital of the Universe” with considerable enthusiasm.
Sitting at the intersection of State Highways 1, 5 and 27, Tīrau is one of those towns you’re likely to pass through at some point — particularly if you’re heading between Auckland and Rotorua, Taupō or Hawke’s Bay. For a brief time it was known as Oxford, perhaps as a nod to Cambridge, its neighbour to the northwest. In 1896, so as to avoid confusion with Oxford in Canterbury, it reverted to the name of a nearby hill: Tīrau, meaning “many cabbage trees”. The Oxford name lingers in the Oxford Royal Hotel, a classic wooden corner pub that no longer welcomes stagecoaches, or anyone for that matter, but its closed doors conceal decades of Tīrau secrets.
As Kiwis, we tend to prattle on about “number 8 wire” when we want to demonstrate our ability to come up with ingenious solutions derived from mundane materials. Surely
corrugated iron is a better metaphor for our times, having transitioned from cheap roofing material into a defining feature of much of our modern architecture? It seems to have become design shorthand for “we all know this house/bar/ winery cost a bomb but we’d still like you to think that we’re keeping it real”.
Tīrau’s corrugated contributions don’t suffer from any such designer delusions. First to the fray was the giant
sheep and ram built in 1994 to house a wool shop (but now sadly bereft of tenants). When the Tīrau Information Centre was built next door, naturally it took the form of a giant farm dog. The next neighbour to get in on the joke was the Tīrau Community Church, with its giant Good Shepherd completing the tinny tableau.
But that’s not where it stops. There are corrugated poppies above a cafe, a corrugated milk box above the dairy, a corrugated Santa above the Christmas Heirloom Company, at least two corrugated vehicles advertising mechanics and panelbeaters, and even a corrugated licorice allsorts man.
Many of the town’s corrugated constructions were created by Steven Clothier, who RNZ once cleverly dubbed “the Tin Man of Tīrau’. He was also responsible for the rustic Tīrau Outhouse on Hillcrest St, giving passing motorists two highly idiosyncratic public conveniences to choose between (the Big Dog, which he also built, has toilets too).
Aside from corrugations, the next most striking thing about Tīrau is the sheer volume of gift, retro and craft shops. This town of barely 800
people even has its own mini-chain, with multiple branches of the terribly tasteful Notting Hill Interiors peppering the main shopping streets.
Across from the Outhouse on Hillcrest St, Outdoor Obsession specialises in quirky Kiwiana for your garden. If you’re in the market for oversized metal jandals, ceramic pūkeko or an entire concrete cricket team, this is the place for you.
Saya Suka on the corner is a bit more boho hippy, with the Black Cat Gallery tucked out the back. Across Main Road there’s Sheepskin Trader ,the fascinating Clock Shoppe, La More homemade sweet shop, Deciduus & Santie “fine art and plant boutique”, and outlet stores for Bendon and Trelise Cooper.
Further down in the main strip of shops there’s Retro Collectables (records, CDs, coins, Crown Lynn), Little Gem (cool crafty stuff, secondhand books, crystals and angels) and the Kraft Kollective (jewellery from upcycled cutlery). Otherwise, what’s not a gift shop is more than likely to be a place to eat. Our pick of the bunch is Tucker thanks to its thoroughly charming staff and very accommodating chefs.
A few doors down, The Baker does a good line in steak-and-cheese pies, eclairs, muffins and takeaway coffee. Across the highway, the One Road Ice Cream Company is celebrating its sixth summer serving icecream made from real cream and sorbets made from real fruit, all of which is produced on the premises.
Grab a seat under the golden elm out the front to lick it up before it melts. Otherwise, take any of the side streets heading northeast to the leafy park lining the train tracks on Prospect Ave. Here, in the shadow of the heritage-listed water tower (built in 1896), you’ll get to see Tīrau’s quieter side, away from the busy highway and its metal menagerie.
● For more travel inspiration, go to newzealand.com/nz