My Home Town – Hokitika - eBooks.

My Home Town – Hokitika
A Fifth Generation Coaster Reflects

By Rosalie May Reynolds-Sugrue

This heartfelt memoir vividly captures the social fabric, family heritage, and resilient spirit of life in Hokitika through the eyes of a fifth generation West Coaster.

NB: We recommend that you download and view this A4 PDF eBook on a desktop computer, laptop or large tablet/iPad (10+”), rather than your phone or a small tablet.

This book will help you:

• Understand the personal impact of New Zealand’s social and cultural evolution from the 1940s onward
• Discover the rich history of Hokitika and its pioneering families
• Gain insights into life before, during, and after World War Two in small-town New Zealand
• Reflect on the value of family legacy and intergenerational storytelling
• Appreciate the unique voice of a woman shaped by post-war values and Christian faith
• Explore how faith, love, and identity intersect in personal history
• Be inspired to preserve your own family stories for future generations

Features

• Richly detailed memoir spanning early childhood to adulthood
• Extensive family history interwoven with West Coast heritage
• Dozens of vintage and personal colour and black & white photographs from the author’s collection
• Reflections on gender roles, faith, war, and cultural change
• Honest, deeply personal narrative with social commentary
• Includes family trees, original letters, and vivid anecdotes

You are buying a 311pp, A4, colour PDF format eBook.
ISBN 9781067125219
Philip Garside Publishing Ltd (2026)

When you complete your purchase, you will get a link to download your PDF. Please download your PDF immediately as the link will expire in 7 days.

Note that there is no print edition of this book, just the PDF eBook.

Description

A love letter to a place and a generation, this deeply personal memoir from Rosalie May Reynolds-Sugrue is a rich tapestry of life in Hokitika, a remote coastal town on New Zealand’s South Island.

As a fifth generation “Coaster,” Reynolds-Sugrue reflects on her family’s legacy, beginning with European settlers who braved the goldfields and forged a future along the rugged West Coast.

With warmth and wisdom, she brings to life a bygone era where faith, frugality, and community shaped every aspect of daily life.

From anecdotes of childhood escapades and long-gone schools to wartime family separations and the social norms of the mid-20th century, this memoir offers more than just memories – it serves as a valuable record of regional history.

Alongside poignant personal stories, the book includes rare photographs, family trees, and detailed recollections that transport readers into the heart of Hokitika society.

Written with future generations in mind, it’s both a keepsake for descendants and a cultural treasure for anyone curious about West Coast life.

Whether you’re a fellow New Zealander or a reader drawn to local histories and heartfelt memoirs, this book offers an intimate look into the life of a woman shaped by time, place, and purpose.

Are you, your relatives or friends in this book?

Click here to download the People Index PDF

About the Author

Rosalie May Reynolds-Sugrue is a fifth generation West Coaster, teacher, writer, and social historian. As the daughter of Winston Reynolds, former Mayor of Hokitika, and Elva Reynolds (née Stoop), QSM recipient and West Coast Woman of the Year, Rosalie carries forward a deep legacy of civic and community service. Her passion for preserving social history shines through in this moving memoir that blends the personal with the historical.

Contents

Prologue – 5

1 – An Octogenarian Reflects – 5

2 – My Father’s Background – 11

3 – My Mother’s Background – 13

4 – Hokitika Birth – 17

5 – My Christening – 22

6 – Uncles and Aunts – 27

7 – Westland Hospital – 33

8 – Back with the Family  – 36

 9 – Reynolds Farm, Waitaha – 40

10 – When We Were Very Young – 46

11 – 241 Hampden Street – 51

12 – Livingstone Street – 56

13 – A School Girl – 59

14 – Neighbourhood Life – 66

15 – Young Child Memories – 69

16 – Hokitika Town – 74

17 – Middle Childhood – 78

18 – The Secret Six Society – 83

19 – Our Parents – 86

20 – Family Life – 91

21 – Form One – 97

22 – Diane Stapleton – 100

23 – Form Two – 102

24 – Birthday Parties – 107

25 – Random Jottings – 112

26 – Relations and Relationships – 117

27 – Our Stoop Cousins – 122

28 – Jocelyn Moore – 128

29 – Our Two Churches  – 131

30 – Christmas and Holidays – 136

31 – High School – 143

32 – Bible Class – 150

33 – Random Thoughts – 156

34 – Form Five, 1957 – 160

35 – Methodist Easter Camps – 166

36 – Other Church Camps – 171

37 – 4th Westland Boys’ Brigade Company – 177

38 – Allan Davidson – 183

39 – Uniformed Youth Groups – 187

40 – My First Date – 194

41 – Form Six, 1958 – 198

42 – Huia Villa Seaview Hospital – 203

43 – Tui and other Seaview Villas – 207

44 – Girlfriend Memories – 213

45 – Roger, Harry and Co – 220

46 – Youth Conferences – 226

47 – Girlfriends, Boyfriends and Flatting – 231

48 – Girlfriends and Boyfriends continued – 235

49 – Ambition Achieved – 239

50 – Seaview Continued – 246

51 – Jack Built – 250

52 – Hokitika District High School and District Schools – 260

53 – Hokitika Primary School and Others – 264

54 – Richard Waugh – 268

55 – Reynolds Siblings Specials – 273

56 – Further to the Reynolds Siblings – 277

57 – Further Reflections – 280

Epitaph – 292

End Notes – 298

People Index – 308