Okay, Motueka history buffs. It’s time for the third and final Motueka-based history pop-quiz.
The answers: Milk Bar proprietor Ken Darwen had a habit of visiting friends late at night if he spied a light on, and so became known as The Moth.
Piggy Corner was the junction of 225 High Street. It now houses the car park of Motueka’s Mitre 10, but was previously home to a series of butcheries.
And Arthur’s unusual middle name? Lemon.
These and hundreds more glimpses into Motueka’s past are now on public display as the town’s historic plaque project is completed.
The project is a joint effort between the Motueka Historical Association and Community Board, Love Motueka, and the MenzShed, alongside designer Janis Ord.
Together, the team has researched, created and installed the third and final tranche of anodised aluminium panels on the exterior walls of the businesses that now occupy the historic sites.
This brings the total number of plaques to 51, with each estimated to have cost about $650.
Tasman District Council councillor Trindi Walker says the project has been a long-time vision that has finally come to fruition.
Love Motueka coordinator Claire Hutt commends the modern-day businesses for being so accommodating in displaying their site’s history.
“I quite often see people stopping to look at them,” she says.
Aside from one outlier at Te Noninga Kumu–Motueka District Library, the plaques are located along High Street, stretching from the former Swan Hotel site near KFC to the Motueka Hotel.
