High Street & beyond
Around Waipawa
From High Street and the clock tower to The Pines and the bridges. Get to know the places behind the stories.
Explore the town: Around WaipawaOur town. Our stories.
This is Waipawa.
Along High Street, beside the river, and through the stories of the people who call it home. Take a look around. There’s a little of Waipawa in every page.
The story behind the stories
A warm welcome to Waipawa.
My name is Jan Gosling. I wasn’t born and raised in Waipawa, but my family’s roots here reach back through several generations. It is a place where I have felt a real sense of belonging.
I created this website to share the places I find interesting, a little of their history, and photographs and memories from the people connected to them. You’ll find family-history enquiries alongside stories about the town — and, of course, an archive devoted to Pawa, the yellow duck I was asked to make in 1995.
Whether Waipawa is part of your own story or somewhere you are discovering for the first time, take a look around. I hope you enjoy exploring.
Adapted from Jan Gosling’s original welcome.
Read Jan’s original welcomeA little way around Waipawa
Places, people and a certain yellow duck.
The names that connect us
People & memories
Family histories, shared photographs and memories that connect us to Waipawa.
Find a family story: People & memories
A little local character
Pawa & the duck
A certain yellow duck, a river race and a very Waipawa story. Meet Pawa and explore the duck archive.
Meet Pawa: Pawa & the duck