Sitting south of the Central Plateau in the North Island lies The Gumboot Capital of the World.
Taihape, a town steeped in history and heritage. Resting on the country's main State Highway, thousands of cars pass through the town every day.
Logan Tutty visits to find out how the town is faring in 2021.
Taihape's population spiked in the late 1960s, with around 3500 people calling Taihape home. That steadily declined over the next decade, as jobs in the railway industry faded away.
Now sitting at around 1700, Taihape is the quintessential rural town, with farming and agriculture serving as its backbone.
Tweedales Honey, Hautapu Pine and Hautapu Rural represent some of the other industrial businesses employing a number of locals.
Rangitīkei district councillor and general manager of Mokai Patea Services Tracey Hiroa said they've had ups and downs like any town.
"We've had times when it's been bustling, and there have been times when we have had a lot of shops closed. There are a few closed at the moment, but that is this moment in time. In a year's time, it will change. Everything is fluid.
"After living there for 56 years, my whole life, it certainly isn't a ghost town."
After helping organise a raft of events for Taihape in 2018, councillor Gill Duncan put her name in the hat to become a voice and representative for the town.
"Working with all those groups, I could see what a fantastic little town this is, but also big gaps. There was a real feeling of being at the top of the Rangitīkei and being neglected. That is still a really strong sentiment in the town."
Duncan would like to see money invested into the cleaning up of the streets, repairing pot holes on roads and give the town a general facelift.
"It would make everyone feel better. It feels dreary. We need some money spent on it, and part of it is lifting the self-esteem and morale of people."
Property prices in Taihape have been on an upward trajectory for the last few years, with it accelerating in 2020.
"Over the last 12 months, it's gone from 118 median days to sell, down to 32. At the same time, the amount of properties on the market has lessened," said John Hewitt from Property Brokers.
"With more developments in Marton and Ohakea, there will be a bit of a flow-on effect."
While prices continue to increase year to year, it was still one of the most affordable towns in the Rangitīkei District.
Hewitt said they were a bit hamstrung with their location, as they were a bit too far away to be a commuter town for cities like Whanganui or Palmerston North.
Unlike their district neighbours Marton, there was very little development in terms of housing in Taihape, with a couple of motels serving as emergency accommodation.
Hiroa said a lack of available land was one of the main reasons developments hadn't gone ahead.
Rangitīkei mayor Andy Watson said he would love to see more residential and industrial development in the area, but agreed that being as isolated as it is hadn't helped.
"A lot of it is to do with the logistics of rails and state highway networks, not just north and south, but east and west."
An exciting project for families that is set to go ahead is a new state-of-the-art playground at the northern end of Memorial Park.
The council has committed $50,000 to the Taihape Playground Group, who plan to follow in the footsteps of neighbouring town Marton's Development Group, which built their playground for $1.3m in four years.
A contentious topic in the town is the Taihape Amenities Building, which will be built on an existing netball court at the southern end of Memorial Park.
It has been given the green light by the council, with the developed design complete.
Construction on the multi-million dollar facility is set to begin at the end of 2021 or early 2022.
Watson said the facility would be multi-purpose, serving a range of sporting codes from netball, tennis, rugby and more.
"We are going ahead with that building. Some people think it's the best idea out, and some people don't, that's life," Hiroa said.
Meanwhile, the future of two other historic mainstays of Taihape, the grandstand at Memorial Park and the Taihape Town Hall, remain up in the air.
Watson said the council had put the future of the grandstand in its long-term plan, setting aside $1 million towards strengthening, maintenance and compliance of the stand.
Watson said there would be public consultation with locals about the Taihape Town Hall, with a range of options on the table. The earthquake strengthening costs for the building are substantial.
"The community has told us they want something on that site. We can either strengthen the entire building, knock the building over and replace it or strengthen part of it and rebuild behind.
"I suspect it will be combination of strengthening the front end and rebuilding within it, but that is a community consultation process."
Rallying behind its historic relics isn't anything new for Taihape, highlighted by the saving of the town's cinema Majestic Theatre.
The theatre had many ups and downs since opening in 1917, closing more than once over that time due to dwindling numbers.
In 1997, the Majestic hit an all-time low. A demolition order was given and the building was fully gutted and stripped in preparation.
In stepped local hero Pam Collier, who alongside husband Malcolm, gathered over 600 signatures, leading a small army of locals on their way to saving the theatre.
"She came back to Taihape and saw that it was going to be demolished, and she said no, that's not going to happen," chairperson of the Majestic Management Group Gail Larsen said.
"This is my pride and joy. I just love this place."
In August 1998, the Majestic Theatre became officially protected with a category two listing from the Historic Places Trust. The theatre could not and would not be demolished.
Since saving the theatre, it has become a hub for community fundraisers, school holiday programs and weekend showings of the latest blockbusters.
"I absolutely love it. You can't beat the big screen, you just can't beat it. Everything in this building has got a story."
While Taihape's roots are entwined in agriculture and industry, the main street is slowly being filled with bespoke boutique stores, eateries and coffee stops.
Owner of recycle-friendly boutique store Homely and Co Kat Stoney moved to Taihape two and a half years ago. Stoney's partner was born and bred in Taihape and the family decided they wanted a change of pace, buying a collective farm with their children.
"We just wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle of Napier city. We thought we would use our skills and do something different."
She said it was a bit of an eye-opener moving to Taihape in the beginning.
"There are still little rural towns out there."
The objective for Stoney and her family was to sell plants and produce grown from their family farm in her shop.
"That's the goal. Seedlings, plant, vegetables. It's taking a while to set things up but we will get there."
Kloe Wong opened Kākāriki Green Organics just over 18 months ago. Born and raised in Taihape, Wong returned to the town after finishing her business degree at the University of Waikato.
Specialising in whole and raw foods with real fruit ice-cream and fresh produce, Wong saw a gap for in the town she knew she could fill.
"When we moved back, there was nothing available here. We found there were other like-minded families in the community which we were able to connect with."
She said the community was very tight-knit and Taihape was a great environment for raising children.
"There are lots of after-school activities available. Our kids do soccer, rugby, piano, taekwondo. There are lots of options for young families."
