State Highway 1 between Tūrangi and Waiōuru – the Desert Road – will be shut for about two months for repairs.
Whanganui-based Nicky Rennie returned to her home town in 2018 while celebrating three decades in broadcasting. She has written a column for the Whanganui Chronicle since 2021.
OPINION
At the very beginning of 1990, I packed up my old kit bag and went on my big adventureto New Zealand Broadcasting School in Christchurch.
I was 18. I had spent the previous year working five jobs in Whanganui to save for my tertiary education and I took a great sense of pride that I was able to completely fund my tertiary education on my own.
Student loans weren’t in place then, so most students – if they were able – had to rely on the Bank of Mum and Dad. I didn’t want to put them under that financial pressure.
When the students who began at the same time as I did all finished level 4, there was an influx of calls from radio stations around the country trying to fill positions in their various markets.
One such call was from the station manager at Radio Forestland in Tokoroa.
He wanted to interview me over the phone for a varied role as the creative director, production manager and afternoon announcer – yes, that was one role.
The salary was $20,000.
Back in 1990 and straight out of training, this was big money.
Nobody else seemed vaguely interested in going to Tokoroa, but I wanted to get into the industry and on the ladder. I was offered the job and I took it with both hands.
Good old Mum and Dad offered to deliver me to said town that I had really never seen.
The very unusual and poignant smell of Kinleith Pulp and Paper Mill is the first thing you notice as you drive into Tokoroa.
It’s a bit like the sulphur smell of Rotorua. It polarises people, but for the residents in both situations it becomes a sign of arriving home.
The choice of accommodation in town at the time was certainly not what you would call salubrious, and as we drove to my paltry little block motel, my heart started to drop.
The “what have I done?” question was swirling through my mind and to be perfectly honest, my 19-year-old confidence was starting to wane just a little.
That got worse when Mum and Dad drove off and left me to put my big-girl pants on and get on with it.
After a good cry, I made the decision to be positive. I was going to employ the you-get-out-what-you-put-in philosophy.
As it transpires that was 100% the correct call to make and I ended up being the richer for it.
I joined the squash club, Tokoroa Operatic Society, Tokoroa Tennis Club, and also took a second job as a waitress at what is still the best Italian restaurant I have ever eaten at, Albericos.
The fact I had to wear a skirt made out of curtains was a small price to pay to see the food and hospitality that we dished up.
At that time Pākehā were outnumbered by the Pacific Islands and Māori communities. This only added to the unique fabric that was woven through the town.
I loved the rich, diverse culture of Tokoroa.
However, the greatest jewel in the crown was without doubt Kinleith.
It didn’t matter who you ran into – they, someone they knew or a family member worked there.
That is still true to this day and is why the drastic changes we saw this week will have a devastating effect on a town I grew to love and am grateful for.
Ohakune was rocked by the closure of Winestone Pulp this year. Photo / NZME
Closer to home the Ruapehu district is experiencing the same devastating loss.
It is going to impact on people and businesses that to me seems such a sadness and I worry in these situations about the impact on mental health. The fallout if you will.
Whilst I have never gone back to Tokoroa to live, I am (as I’ve mentioned before) a sentimentalist, so I always drive through if I’m passing.
Radio Forestland where I worked is now a Pizza Hut. My flat in Mannering St still looks the same and I’m sad to say Alberico recently passed.
I still have friendships with people I met when I lived there that will last me a lifetime – again, another reason to feel indebted to this South Waikato town.
One positive for Tokoroa is it is on State Highway 1, so people pass through it; the key is giving them a reason to stop for more than only a burger.
As well as the mountain, the Ruapehu district just got some great news that will bring an injection of people into the area.
