Holland

Holland

Cornelius Kouwenhoven and Anthonius Oldeman were two of the early Dutch set-tlers in Te Puke, arriving in 1952. They both had to work under compulsory con-tract for 2 years. Cornelius came by the boat Sibajak and worked at the dairy-factory in Waharoa. He married Rosalie Philips from Paengaroa and worked for Ray Farn Motors in Te Puke.

Anthonius Oldeman, after his military-service in Indonesia, had the choice to emi-grate either to Australia or to New Zealand. He chose New Zealand and married and worked on Jack Gulliver’s farm. They have lived in Te Puke ever since.

360 Dutch military personnel from Indonesia came to New Zealand at the same time.The Dutch panel:

ORANGE TREE: Popular symbol of “Huis van Oranje Nassau” The Dutch Royal family

.BIKE: Most popular mode of transport. There are 13 million bikes in Holland.

ABEL TASMAN’S SHIP” “de Zeehaen”, discovered N.Z. in 1642

TULIPS: Nine billion tulip bulbs are produced in The Netherlands annually and are a leading tourist and export commodity.

WINDMILL: Approximately a quarter of The Netherlands is below sea-level and windmills were used to pump the water out of the low lying areas surrounded by dykes.

ZEELAND SHIELD: This shield belongs to the province Zeeland and depicts mans battle against the sea and how they fought against the water. “Luctor et Emer-go” which means: “I struggled and emerged”. This also reflects the feelings of the Dutch settlers.

THE DYK: Being below sea-level, dykes are built to protect the country from high sea – and river levels.

CLOG: Traditional Dutch footwear.

ICESKATE: Early method to travel over the ice.

Also for pleasure and sport at a later date. During severe winters (-10C-18C) a 200 km ice skating race is orga-nized in the “Fryslan” province. It is a gruelling marathon and many contestants do not reach the finish line. The Dutch Crown Prince Willem Alexander also success-fully participated in this race when he was 19 years old.

Designed by: Gerbrig Muntendam and Heide Beers

Artist: Gerbrig Muntendam-Voolstra

Contributed by: Gerbrig Muntendam-Voolstra