Kakahi
There remains no public transport available in Kakahi. Residents of Kakahi considered that owning a car was almost imperative if you lived in the area. Otherwise, residents did help each other out and cooperate to ensure that people got where they needed to go. The general feeling was that everyone was either connected, or at least knew about everyone who lived in the village.
"Whānau! Can I have ride to town? Chur! I’ll give you some gas money. Whānau support. I think well, I don’t know. All the people I know that don’t have a vehicle; they do get a ride from someone."
"On Facebook, people can put on the local Facebook page what they need. If anybody needed a lift or something from town. There's a lot of people we sort of... monitor. People who live by themselves."
In terms of roading, concerns were held over the amount of dust generated by the roads, and also at the state of signage near the main road.
"The signage on the main road. It’s embarrassing! The ones right at the top of the road, they’re all… ugh, and faded. It’s just so embarrassing."
Views about the quality and reliability of internet quality and cell phone coverage in the village and surrounding area were mixed.
"It depends on where you live. Depends where you live."
'It’s good."
'We’re on copper and we can run the TV off the Wi-Fi.'
"I don't have it. I don't want it. I use my phone if I need it. Data on my phone. Younger people need it more. That's why they don't like coming out to see Nan!"
"Living rurally, the internet gives a social outlet, educational. It gives, ah, connections between each other. I think there should be a movement toward rural internet being accessible and free to those that live remotely in places like this. There are people that do not have internet because of affordability. Absolutely, absolutely. The cost."
"Even having free Wi-Fi somewhere like this (the hall) would be good so if they didn’t have it there was a place that they could come and use it."
"I’m on copper wire. I don’t have mobile phone coverage at the house so I have to maintain a landline. I’m not a high internet user. But I do, you know, it’s much more difficult. I’ll have to go satellite or Starlink or something to get good coverage. I’m not at that stage yet, but they’re withdrawing more and more of the copper. I used to be with Vodafone and they stopped the service and so I had to move to Farmside. It drops out quite a lot, but I’m not a business so it doesn’t impact me, I’m not working."
