By CHERIE TAYLOR in Rotorua
When Michele Hawe went to Whakarewarewa School children dodged cows to get there - today they dodge cars.
"Sala St used to be a cattle stop. We used to have to chase the cows off the front door step and you didn't haveto worry about crossing the road," she said.
Like her grandmother, Rangikahuawe Hamiora, and mother Rangirauwaka Hawe, Ms Hawe attended Te Kura o te Whakarewarewa. Now her daughter Corrie, 13, is also being taught there.
The school is Rotorua's oldest - established in 1902 - and a lot has changed during the four generations of Ms Hawe's family being taught there.
When her mother and grandmother went there they weren't allowed to speak their native Maori language, but today the school is bilingual.
Classes once only catered to primary school aged pupils, but by next year it will teach right up to Year 11.
Families were a lot bigger when Ms Hawe attended class, along with her 10 siblings.
"There was so much for kids to do in those days. We made our own fun. We would go penny diving at Whaka like our gran and mum.
"We'd collect pinecone nuts and build huts in the forest," she said. "It was a very close community. It was like whanau going to school here."
While many of the families lived within walking distance of the school generations ago, today children are picked up from all around the city.
"That is progress," Ms Hawe said.
She reckons the Sulphur City is the perfect place to raise a family.
"Rotorua is a fun place for all generations. It is the heart of Maoridom."
Her daughter Corrie Hawe, 13, agrees Rotorua is the best place to grow up in and loves attending the same school as previous generations of her family.
"I like living here. It's not as big as Auckland and I have lots of friends here. Everyone is so friendly," she said.
