Small town NZ

Small town NZ often seems to have characteristics like some of the Small town US places I've visited over the years.
This is Murchiston in the Nelson Lakes Area.
In 1905 an aggrieved local farmer wrapped dynamite  round himself and blew himself literally to smithereens outside the courthouse, badly injuring two police officers.
In 1914 a fire destroyed much of the town.
And on 17 June 1929 a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the northern South Island near Murchison. The shaking triggered dozens of huge slips on the steep mountain slopes, which were waterlogged from winter rain. Landslides blocked many rivers, killing four people in the Mātakitaki valley and five in the Maruia valley. Roads were so badly damaged that vehicles could not reach Murchison for several months.
Fortunately the visit today was uneventful.