Katikati (population 3,579 at 2006 census) is 40 kilometres from Tauranga to the southeast, and 28 kilometres south of Waihi. was settled in 1875 by settlers from County Tyrone in Ireland through the Orange institution. The settlement was established by the Irishman George Vesey Stewart, who led two groups of settlers there aboard the ships Carisbrook Castle (1875) and Lady Jocelyn (1878). The land upon which the town was built was confiscated from local Māori after the land wars, and was given to the settlers by the Central Government.
The settlement was formed from two distinct groups "the settlers useful and the settlers ornamental" referring to the tenant farmers and those with wealth. The settlement managed to withstand early economic problems and developed into a healthy town, based around farming and agriculture.
Katikati is known for its many murals painted on walls of commercial buildings, started in the 1990s as a project to regenerate tourist interest in the town and district - the effort was recognised with the bestowal of New Zealand's 'Most Beautiful Small Town' award for towns of less than 8,000 population in 2005 by the Keep New Zealand Beautiful Society.
You can 'keep the kids amused' on a long journey by encouraging them to 'spot the murual' - if they start getting beyond '35' you know they're telling porkies 'cos that's the limit.
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| The 'Book of Kells' T-shirt was an accident - honest! |
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