It has been 150 years since the Waikaka Valley was settled and though some have come and gone from the area, it is a mark which led to an enjoyable night, tripping down memory lane.
The valley community have stuck it out through feast and famine, through farming and mining, and kept working hard for returns which, like anything over the past 150 years, have been a mix of good and bad.
The Waikaka Valley was populated in the late 1800s, with six families taking on the mighty task of farming the Southland area.
Now a century and a-half later, some families still remain while others moved on, as a testament to their hard work in establishing the area.
Waikaka resident George Morrison said he credited the continued success of the region to the strength of agriculture.
"I suppose it’s been that the type of farming has been relatively stable. Once refrigeration became available, sheep became the most important type of farming.
"So through that route, through all those, it’s remained very stable. Some have converted to dairy; most remain [with] sheep," he said.
To celebrate 150 years, families and residents of Waikaka gathered at the Waikaka Valley Hall for a night of looking back and learning.
Speeches were given on the history of the region, its forays into gold and coal mining, the railway line cutting across, and the stories and histories of the families of the Waikaka Valley.
Waikaka Reunion chairman and instigator Craig McIntyre said the event was fantastic.
"It went extremely well. [there was] a lot of comradeship. It was very social, and all of us learnt a lot.
"Each family explained their settlement, they had their own records, and we had speakers explaining the history as well," he said.
The Waikaka township grew from the discovery of gold at the end of 1867.
The first gold rush to Waikaka was in May 1869 and prospectors worked across most of the gullies in the area.
