places

Sited on this corner was the Puketaha Creamery, a two storied wooden structure.
Milk was taken to the creamery once a day on a two-horse-drawn wagon. Each cart was
was driven under the verandah type part of the building. Chains were lowered to attach to
the 20 gallon milk can handles, that were then hauled up to the top floor where the
separating was done.
The farmer would then drive around to the back of the creamery to collect their ration of
skim milk used to feed their calves and pigs. Farmers often had to wait in a queue to

School Buildings

In 1944, a young man who had spent his early years around Matangi, perceived an opening for a motor repair business in Tauwhare. His name was Ray Richardson and he then lived on Mr John Pope's farm on Tahuroa Road (now C. Fletcher's) where he began repairing vehicles in a farm shed. He then moved house and workshop to buildings on Dingle's farm, until 1945 when he bought a section from Mr Bill Morey who then owned the store on the east side of the road. The price paid for the section was Thirty five pounds but with legal and survey costs the total came to Ninety eight pounds.

Church Services were held in the home of Mr Thomas Russell in Scotsman's Valley during the early 1880's. When the School opened in 1884 services were held there, being taken in turn by Presbyterians and Anglicans mainly. One lay preacher was Mr Thomas Shaw, and another who drove out in a gig monthly from Cambridge was Mr F. J. Brooks. From 1875-1905 Mr Brooks was Manager of the Bank of New Zealand in Cambridge and on retiring from that position became Town Clerk of Cambridge until 1920.

As happened in many pioneering districts, the local school was used for early district gatherings. In the Waikato Times of the 22nd November 1884 a reporter noted that the school had been opened a fortnight, and that the School Committee had kindly consented to allow the school to be used for church services on Sundays. Various denominations were to share the use of the building.

In the Waikato Times of the 1st December 1885 appeared an advertisement by the Waikato Land Association to the effect that     the Tauwhare Accommodation House, with Blacksmith's Shop and paddock attached, was available to a suitable tenant on very favourable terms.

A Post Office opened in "Tauwhare" on the 1st February1884 with Mr R. Williamson as Postmaster. In 1885 Mr T. N. Diprose became Postmaster. Thereafter, the hotel keeper, his family or local women were in charge of the Office until 1921. We do not know the opening hours.

In early days the storekeeper and hotel proprietor were one and the same. The store, built of kauri, was next to the hotel, near the site of Brockway's brick garage.

On the 28th November 1882 Messrs E. Mahoney and Son, Architects of Auckland, invited tenders for the erection of a two-storied hotel and other buildings at Tauwhare. This was a week before the Auction of town sections and farmlets.  The hotel was built by the Waikato Land Association. Because of its height and the absence of trees in the vicinity, it was visible for many miles, and was described as being "conveniently placed on the main coach road to Thames from Cambridge and Hamilton".

The southern part of the Tauwhare district was part of the Tamahere Native Reserve, shown on an 1867 map of "Waste Lands Open for Sale at Auckland". The price of first class land was fifteen shillings per acre, second class ten shillings, third class and swamps five shillings. The Karokaro block was east of the Confiscation Line and therefore not part of the confiscated territory, but the Pukemoremore block was a part.