Visit to Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom

That’s a bit of a mouthful, isn't it?  Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom is a new building in Foxton housing the library, council services, and museum, featuring the history of local Maori, early European settlers, and Dutch immigrants who arrived after WWII and made such an impact in this community.    Te Awahou is the Maori name for Foxton and the waterway which runs under the building, translating to new stream in English, and Nieuwe Stroom in Dutch.  It was Robin’s turn to organise an outing for our SLG friends, so this is where we went.

Dutch explorer Abel Tasman had the first encounter with local Maori when he anchored at Golden Bay in 1642, although he did not come ashore.    After a skirmish, there were deaths on both sides, and Tasman named the bay Murderers Bay and sailed away.  While Tasman had been warned of the possibility of attack, Maori had experienced a number of bewildering firsts – firearms, tall ships and white men. It would be more than 120 years before Maori and European next met, with the arrival  James Cook in 1769.  There is a wonderful painted wall of blue tiles in the museum  relating this first encounter.

After being occupied by the Germans during the war, the Netherlands struggled to reconstruct its ruined economy and society. High unemployment, housing shortages, and a baby boom increased the pressures.  The peak years were between July 1951 and June 1954, and by 1968, approximately 25,000 immigrants born in Dutch territories had come to settle in New Zealand.  Immigrants brought their furnishings to remind them of home.

A little taste of home

“The Great Wall of Bikes” reminds us that the Netherlands is a land of bikes, and cycling culture.  The bikes on the wall were mainly brought over by the immigrants.

Also in display are photos and artifacts from the early Maori times in this area.

The sleepy town of Foxton was once home to a thriving flax-milling industry. Native flax was a vital source of durable fibre for Maori, who made it into baskets, fishing nets and clothing. An export trade began from the 1820s, and a major industry developed, with large mills around Foxton.   For over 80 years - from 1888 to 1974 - the production of flax fibre was Foxton's principal source of income and three generations of workers found employment in the swamps and mills of the district.

Then it was time for lunch, and we had booked a table just next door at the aptly named Dutch Oven Café.  Then on the way back home,  we had to call in to RJ’s for a licorice fix.  Most visitors to Levin like to pop into the factory shop to replenish supplies.

Robin, Ashley and Yvonne