Te Mahoe

Te Mahoe is a rural settlement in the Whakatāne District and Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand's North Island, next to Lake Matahina.

The community consists of about 150 people,[1] including 30 families in the village at the base of the Lake Matahina Dam.[2] Locals describe the community has close-knit and centred around the local school.[3]

History

Hone Tuwhare

Poet Hone Tuwhare lived in Te Mahoe during the 1950s and 1960s with his wife, writer Jean McCormack, and their three sons.[4] He worked as a boiler-maker on the construction of the Matahina hydroelectric dam.[5]

In 1962, the Whakatane Beacon newspaper published one of Tuwhare's poems. It began:

Up at the dam site, at Te Mahoe,
among the clatter of pneumatic drills,
the settling dust and the raw earth,
a man is writing poetry.[5]

His first book was published two years later, in 1964, to immediate critical acclaim.[6]

Cyclone Cook

The area was affected by Cyclone Cook in April 2017. The school was closed for several days.[7] A boil water notice was issued for residents due to sediment from floodwaters contaminating water supplies.[8]

Education

Te Mahoe School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students,[9] with a roll of 30 as of April 2023.[10]

References

38.109008°S 176.815941°E / -38.109008; 176.815941

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