I'm currently going back over the family history information I have collected over the years, checking for accuracy and completeness, starting from my parents and grandparents.
Recently I discovered that when my maternal grandfather James Joseph Lalor was called up for military service in WW1, his address was given as Kahikatea and he was described as a sawmiller. (His brother John Francis Lalor was living at Kumara Junction, and his brother Robert was living near Taihape.)
Pete Muir was the person who gave the most detailed answers. He told me that: "Gladstone was also known as Lagoontown in its earliest days. The post office was always known as Kahikatea." and he added: "In Phil Ross May's book "West Coast Gold Rushes" & Rona Adshead & Jillian Johnson's Book "Valley of Little Towns" (history of the Marsden Valley) there are maps showing Gladstone as Lagoon Town. This was the name given in the early gold rush days. It was then more commonly known as Kahikatea from about 1900 until the 1950's then officially known as Gladstone. The name of the Post Office remained as Kahikatea until it's closing in the 80's." This map is part of one on the West Coast New Zealand History Recollect site, and is named (Pete had suggested looking up the map in this book.) It shows the location with its earliest name, Lagoon Town.
My grandfather's electoral address at the time was South Beach, where he was living with his parents. On the electoral roll at this stage he was sometimes listed with 'jun' after his name, as his father was also called James. Kahikatea/Gladstone is in fact not far from South Beach, and it would be interesting to know if James stayed overnight during the working week, or if he returned home each night.
We retain a family connection with the Kahikatea/ Gladstone area, as my Aunty May and Uncle Jack Lalor (brother and sister) are both buried in the Memorial Park Cemetery in Gladstone.


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