Tokoroa's Talking Poles

I used to live in Tokoroa long ago – back in the days when I was a cadet journalist on the South Waikato News. That was long before the town’s Talking Poles came into being. They’ve been springing up since Tokoroa started sprucing itself up in 1998 and now there’s over 34 of them around the central shopping area. I had to stop in Tokoroa to get petrol on my recent Frommers New Zealand road trip, so I took the opportunity to photograph a few of them.

Tokoroa. April 2009. Ajr
Tokoroa is the second largest town in the Waikato with a population of around 15,000 (I think) and 35% of it is Maori. It is said to be named after the great chief, Tokoroa of the Ngati Kahupungapunga tribe, who was slain during a battle. The town also has the largest Pacific Island community outside Auckland and Wellington – and you can see both influences in the carved poles – pou in Maori. They’re certainly a mixed bag when it comes to carving style – this no doubt to reflect the mutli-cultural nature of the people living there.

Tokoroa Carvings - Another View

Tokoroa. April. 2009. Ajr

More of the Talking Poles in Tokoroa's main shopping area.

Welcome to Tokoroa

Tokoroa. April 2009. Ajr

I used to live in Tokoroa decades ago and I've never really gone back. It's been more a case of flashing past on State Highway 1 on my way to somewhere else. On my way north on this trip, I had to stop there for gas, so I took a little detour around some of the main streets and was amazed by the fabulous decorative pou that have been placed in the town centre. I'll feature some of those soon but in the meantime, I loved this rather unfriendly looking fellow welcoming people to Tokoroa on the billboard leading into town.