Some of those who gathered on Kumi Rd, just outside Awanui, on Sunday for bubbles, lunch, speeches and the cutting of a ribbon were not born when residents began appealing to the Mangonui County Council to seal the road.
Many were not only born, however, but were actively involved in the campaign that began with the County Council in 1979 and ended with the Far North District Council in 2020.
Cr Mate Radich said he remembered the phone call he received from the late Ross Foy the day after he was elected to the council. He had demanded that the road, which he described as a disgrace, be sealed. A couple of weeks later he received similar call, using less colourful language, from Myra Berghan, who as of Sunday had lived on Kumi Rd for more than 60 of her 90 years.
Radich paid tribute to the efforts of local roading firm Fulton Hogan to maintain the unsealed road, only to see the first rain reduce it to its original state.
"It's been a battle, and sadly Ross isn't here to see it, but look at it now. It's a beauty. We got it done," he said.