Waikanae Past and Present by Chris & Joan Maclean

Hardback, first edition 1988, 248pages, good condition Has fading to the spine The Waikanae area has a long and fascinating history stretching back to the first Maori inhabitants. More recently, in the 1820s, Ngati Toa and Ngati Awa migrated to Waikanae, led by Te Rauparaha. The opening of the Wellington-Manawatu railway in 1886 brought pakeha settlers to work in the timber and flaxmilling industries and to clear the land for farming. Since World War II Waikanae has flourished as a leisure and retirement centre, its population exploding as new residents and holidaymakers have flocked to the Kapti Coast.

In this book Chris & Joan Maclean have created a vivid and interesting picture of Waikanae past and present. Part 1 of the book focuses on Waikanae's social history, both Maori and Pakaha, while part two is concerned with the landscape and ecology of the area and with changes in land use over the years.