Notes

Pictorial memories of early New Zealand.
The East Coast was the place Europeans first set foot in this country, and with Hawkes Bay was one of the earliest regions settled. The rugged terrain ensured its isolation from the rest of the country, and farmers faced back-breaking work wresting huge sheep stations from the land. The biggest event in the region was a natural one - the great earthquake of 1931 - which changed the face of the coastline and the cities of Napier and Hastings.