A story of prosperity and decline in Ohingaiti book

Irene Collins has compiled a comprehensive history of Ohingaiti. Photo/ Bevan Conley

The history of Ohingaiti has been compiled in a book to be launched on Friday.

Former resident Irene Collins has put the comprehensive history of the Rangitikei settlement together inOhingaiti 1850-2016.

The book includes school registers, sports clubs, survey maps, photos and family histories and has taken about three years to complete.

"I was up there one day and I was looking at all the old houses there and one of them I lived in as a child of course," said Mrs Collins, who now lives in Feilding.

"I just thought what a shame that no one knows who lived in them and I just started doing some digging."

The book has an original print run of 100.

Farming and construction of the main trunk line gave propriety to Ohingaiti, between Hunterville and Mangaweka, at the turn of the 1900s but the settlement has been in slow decline since the 1960s.

Ohingaiti was a base for rail workers as the Makohine Viaduct was being constructed.

Mrs Collins remembers Ohingaiti when it had five schools and three or four balls each year.

"I used to work at the general store there. We has some good times. There was a great line of businesses down the main road.

"And then all the farms amalgamated of course. The holdings were too small and neighbours bought out neighbours and so forth."

The last school, Ohingaiti Primary, closed in 2002 and a 125th reunion is being planned for this October.

She hopes there will be some interest in the book then.

Anyone interested in getting a copy of the book can contact 06 323 1988.

*Ohingaiti 1850-2016 is launched at the Hunterville Settlers Museum on Friday, August 11 at 1pm.