I spent the majority of my youth in Tokoroa. Mid primary school until I left for uni (Waikato).
I have not really been back for a long long time. We spent a "honeymoon" night here as a young family. I've been really looking forward to seeing what Tok is really like and how it aligns with my 80s (almost boom town) & 90s memories of the place.
"Downtown" is … exactly … as I remember it. At least, the core shape of the town, the streets, the buildings. Almost all the businesses have changed and are shut/empty, though the Hot Bread Shop and Dairy 67 are where I remember them.
Walking through I realised two things that are different about Tokoroa, compared to where I've lived more recently.
- Extremely ample parking. One of my earliest NZ memories is the expansive car park behind town, by Toyworld. Still there, still the same. There are more places to park everywhere.
- Back alleys. All the business streets in town have back alleys, where would skulk and skate as preteens and teens.
Dairy 67 ('Munchie Heaven') was where we picked up the key to the presbyterian church. We used to borrow the church and its (youth club) drum kit to jam our metal. So many hours spent blasting distorted guitar in that church, and discovering analog sidechaining by trying to record the band by putting the one church mic by the kick drum.
The Memorial Hall is huge for me. Watching classics like The Karate Kid 2 then practicing our crane kicks in the park afterward. Attending various musicals and shows, and stage crew for a few.
DBS playing support for Supergroove on their Traction tour …and getting pelted with detritus because we played a set of our 100% original sci-fi metal (though we did a cover of Give It Away as an attempt to meet the crowd half way).
The memorial hall (3x cinema) is now closed and for sale, by the way. I'd buy it.
I also remember wandering around Tok's industrial fringe a lot. This is all still totally there, many of the same businesses, alas no Skateworld. Lots of abandoned/unused warehouses … maybe I don't need to go to Berlin or Pripyat to live out my urban wasteland rave dreams.
Lake Moana-Nui (roughly … Lake Big Water) looms large in my memories. It's a small, man-made lake on the edge of town.
I remember a peak Tok day in the mid-late 80s when it was packed with picnicking and swimming families, sunbathers lying on the concrete dam. I always wonder what led to that popular day. The rest of my childhood "the lake" was relatively deserted and dismal.
Yet still a great childhood memory walking all the way around the lake with the family and Jeff (our dog). It seemed a long walk and quite intrepid, mostly a dirt track next to farmland.
Now there's an exercise trail, and concrete path the whole way around. As well as many more trees, parkland, barbecues and seating.
On … to … Forest View High School. We drove, rather than relive the 1km walk over three hills past farm land.
Just like the rest of town, FVHS is very very much how I remember it. The front gate leads to the auditorium.
Many intervals and lunch times (and weekends) spent jamming in the auditorium back rooms; previously surrounded by grass, now tiled (and with add-on buildings). It was like Tok had 2 drum kits: one at the presbyterian church and one at school.
It looks like a really nice, well-appointed school. I love how there are covered walkways and various levels throughout; lots of places to sit and overlook. It's thoroughly "modern". The architecture is how I remember it, but my teen memories are more bleak and muted.
The classrooms have been upgraded with heat pumps and sliders or bifold doors where the old huge heaters and small windows were – nice! But the shape and function remains – Fraser's physics class, Tanfield's chemistry class, metalwork, Mr Prasad's maths class.
The one-off prefab seventh form common room (we had it for a year before it was put to real use) is still there. We got up early one day early in the school year to see it delivered by truck, then broke in and "camped" on the last night of the school year.
Misc surprises – Raukawa Vibes, in the same spot, Radio Raukawa when we were there. A theatrical friend had a late night show and interviewed us once. Tok Intermediate is exactly the same (at least from the gate, looking at the manual block).
And the only lowrider I've ever seen in NZ, right outside the gates of Tok High / Tok Intermediate.
A GREAT afternoon exploring. My home town feels like a missed opportunity – the plan and infrastructure of a modern town is right here waiting for critical mass of industry / employment!