The A to Z Challenge: O is for Opotiki

The Bay of Plenty near Opotiki

Opotiki is my old home town, where I spent the first seventeen years of my life. It's small and little-known, even within New Zealand. It's also the real-life inspiration for the fictional town of Ruatane, a setting in my books.

I paid a return visit to my home town a few years ago. Memories and photographs from that visit: Ruatane in Real Life

A Faithful Hound

Among the accounts of human suffering I've come across while researching my current work-in-progress, I stumbled upon something rather different: this tale of a faithful dog.

From the Bay of Plenty Times, February 1917:

The story of the faithful devotion of a sheep dog comes from Whakatane. Two years ago the master of the animal left Whakatane for the front, leaving it to be cared for by friends. Every day since, the faithful beast has gone to meet the Opotiki coach in a vain search for his absent master. The daily journey of the dog is a source of great interest to the residents of the town and to visitors.

Unfortunately the master's name is not given, so I've been unable to search the records to find out whether or not he survived to return home. I'd like to think that he did, and to a rapturous welcome.

Ruatane in Real Life: My Old Home Town

The wide sweep of the Bay of Plenty stretched to the edge of Amy’s sight, and straight in front of her ocean met sky all along the horizon, broken only by White Island with its constant puff of smoke.

- Sentence of Marriage, Chapter 1

Many small bays and harbours are held within that wide sweep of the Bay of Plenty. I slipped in one more, and called it Ruatane.

Ruatane is my own invention, but it's inspired by the real-life small town of Opotiki. Earlier this month I paid a visit to my old home town.