Hikurangi Community Library celebrates 25 years in old post office

Natalie Redwood, Friendship House secretary Linda Vanstone and Whangārei Mayor Sheryl Mai cut the cake while Friendship House chairman Neil Crowther watches on. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Hikurangi Community Library has added another notch to the belt of the historical building it occupies, clocking up 25 years of serving the community.

A group of about 20 people including past and present volunteers, Whangārei Mayor Sheryl Mai and councillor Greg Martin gathered to mark the milestone.

Long-time committee member and former Friendship House chairwoman Betty Fyfe spoke about the library's early days.

The building, which is listed as a heritage building, was the former Hikurangi Post Office which closed in 1992. Friendship House bought the building and started converting it into a library - an official opening was held on November 13, 1993.

"A lot of the books that we've got, that belong to us, we got from the Zonta book sale over the years," Fyfe said.

She said the volunteers who had run the library were "just paramount" and have contributed so much.

Those were thoughts echoed by current chairman Neil Crowther: "Without them we wouldn't have this library at all."

Hikurangi Community Library celebrated 25 years in the old Post Office. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Fyfe said Friendship House started around the mid-80s and was based in what is now the Hikurangi Museum but used to be the Hikurangi Town Council office. Then it moved into the old courthouse which is now also part of the museum but used to be along the road.

She said there were small libraries with "a couple of hundred books" in both spots before the library moved into its permanent home in 1993.

"It's certainly well established now."

Friendship House secretary Linda Vanstone, who has been a volunteer from the beginning, said the library now has more than 8000 books.

The Whangārei Library bus comes out once a month and swaps just over 100 books with the Hikurangi Community Library.

"We get a lot of donated books given to us as well."

Vanstone said people in the community had commented that they wouldn't know what to do if it wasn't for the library.

The library still operates its catalogue by hand, rather than digitally.

Unsurprisingly, the cake for the occasion was book themed. Vanstone, with help from Mai and 10-year old Natalie Redwood, cut the cake.