Back to School

My family moved to a farm near a tiny town called Okaihau in the early 1970’s - we lived there for 8 or so years, although I went off to Whangarei for school and then work after just five years. I attended Okaihau College for all of those five years, from what was Form 1 through 5 (ages 11 - 15). It’s because there is a school reunion that I have come north. Although Okaihau College only started in 1971, it had been an Area School before that. The reunion is not, however, just about my school - it is to celebrate 150 years of education in the area. The first school, Okaihau East, had 21 kids.

Okaihau’s only real claim to fame is that from 1923 to 1987 it was the northern terminus of New Zealand’s rail network. There had been a plan to run the line to Kaitaia, and a start was made - the track ran for a few kilometres througth the Waihao Valley, but the terrain made it unworkable. For about ten years, starting in the mid 1950’s, there was an 88 seat rail car running directly from Auckland to Okaihau. Apparently, until 1976 there was a passenger train still running, but connecting to the Opua branch line. I seriously have no recollection of this train. The line closed completely in 1987. Very little remains of what had been the railway yard, station and platform, although the tunnel built to allow trains into the valley is here.

The town hasn’t actually changed much since we lived there 45 years ago - most buildings are still standing and none have been added, but most have changed use. This is how it looks as you come in off SH1. Behind the fence on the right is where the petrol station was, selling Europa or Atlantic, I can’t remember, but whichever brand it was has long gone. The wee brown building was the Post Office and Telephone exchange, manned by a fellow called Hec. We had party lines: Hec could be relied on to be listening in, and would often respond if a question arose during the course of a conversation - useful if you wanted to know the time or get a weather update. The orange building was our main supermarket - a 4 Square. We had an account there so could buy groceries on tick. Not being very clued up, I used to think I would buy the supermarket, put it on the account and then not have to pay for it. It was never big, but is a shadow of what it was.

In the first photo below, we’re looking back down the street. There’s a café in the first building - it had been a chemist shop (I think) but then became Dyke’s Dairy - an interloper, because there was already a dairy, Gillibrands, just down the street where we’d get Sunday bread and, every so often, fish and chips. As a special treat, we could get them brought to school for lunch - no tuck shop in my days. Opposite, the butcher shop is still going, and what had been the Hardware shop (Derkson’s) is now a gift shop. Out of shot - the entrance to the garage workshop.

Just up from the butcher’s is the Okaihau Hall. Opposite is what used to be a clothes shop, possibly just menswear, but I have vague memories of it being called a Drapery. I do remember going in every couple of years and buying a pair of jeans - these passed for my posh pants until I started work. I don’t remember what the third building was, possibly it too was used as a chemist shop. That’s about it as far as town goes. There had been a pub out on SH1 - at a very young age, I’d be sent in to get a crate of DB for Dad - even more so when I could drive. It was the target of an arson attack when a robbery went bad in 2008, and there’s just a bottle shop now. There was also a surgery for a visiting doctor beside the pub - not sure what’s in there now.

One thing that has been added is a wee coffee shop called Kiwi Kai, in what had been a space beside the foodmarket. They do burgers and the like, along with pretty decent pies - the top seems to be phyllo pastry - it keeps blowing away in the wind as I bite into it.

OK, let’s go to school - it is just up Settlers Way (the main street). This is the first (and only stage I ever appeared on - bit parts in Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat and Jonah and the Whale. This is where the main event of the reunion is held - a Friday night mix and mingle. I had hoped some family would be coming but that didn’t work out. I don’t actually see any of my classmates, but chat to friends of my brothers, and of my dad as well as former neighbours (we have a good laugh at the ridiculousness of the parents of another neighbour - the Ropes. Yes, the called their son Guy.) They have about 20 prizes to raffle - mainly young trees, which I’m sure will go down well for the people who have flown in from Perth (no one came from further away).

I’m back the next morning to walk around the school site - it’s grown a lot since I was here, but all of the buildings I had classes in are still here. I spent four of my five years in this block - 1C(ook), 3M(asters), 4M(asters) and 5E(dwards). Two “famous” people taught in this block: Richard Egan of the Bulldogs Allstar Goodtime Band and Jim Hickey (TVNZ weatherman).

The school library is also in this block: every so often, I would avoid PE by hiding in the library. There were also times they would find me avoiding PE or lacking the gear for it and put me on detention - in the library! They didn’t know me very well. I’m a little surprised to find quite a few adult (not that sort) books in the library.

This is the building I did Form 2 in, with Mrs Langstone. Mr Larkin was also here, teaching me art. Sure!

In this block I had maths (Mr Malcolm, who would get me to help him as I was normally done quite quickly) and science (Ms Griffiths and hmm, we called him Moose, but I don’t think that was his real name - he had a tiny wife, whose name actually was Dot).

Out the back was an area (before the fence was put up) where we would play bullrush, and right on the edge of the property, the woodwork room with Mr Bonthron, who doubled as a bus driver.

There’s another event in the evening - a street party at the school. I’m supposed to come back for it, but go to a pub in Kerikeri for a couple of drinks, then back to the hostel in Paihia where I fall asleep. I decide bugger it, I’ll have a couple more drinks here and not go anywhere.

I can’t say I loved school - it was good in parts, as they say - but I was reasonably good at most things. Maybe I would have ended up as head boy had I stayed on here until the seventh form - I didn’t because even the sixth form had only a very small number of students (like - two!). My parents thought I needed the challenge of a bigger school, so I went to Whangarei.

Cheers!