A woman has launched a new photo exhibition to show off the best parts of Huntly, and she hopes Kiwis will be able to see the town in a new light.
Hyeyoung Jang has been taking pictures all over town for five years, and with the community's help she created a 'Dear Huntly' exhibit, capturing the essence of what she calls a "slice of paradise".
"Huntly looked small and unattractive for the first time compared to the city I stayed in [South] Korea, but the more I looked closely, the more beautiful it was," she told Newshub.
Jang studied media and filmmaking in South Korea, so her hobby was naturally using her camera everywhere.
"I took my old film camera for a walk and recorded it."
She said after arriving in 2018, the more places she explored, the more she fell in love, snapping the scenery and people she met.
"If you record it as a picture, good memories will remain longer. There was a time when teenagers I met in Huntly went through bad things about Asia, but I got welcomed more than that and many people became my friends."
Huntly, also known as Rāhui Pōkeka in te reo Māori, has a population of about 10,000.
Jang told Newshub community-minded people "are Huntly's treasure".
"I'm in a baby group with my two-year-old baby and I met many great mums there."
Her husband even joined the local football club and plays every week.
But there are plenty of other socialising opportunities too.
"The people I met at the church opened a baby shower for me and instead took care of my baby, so I could prepare my photo exhibition."
The "tight-knit community" helped Jang to learn about rural Aotearoa culture too.
"We go next door to see chickens, and we go to the farm to see sheep and cows."
She said locals often greet her and ask questions when out and about with her two-year-old.
"They always smile at my baby and me. Warm-hearted people who know how to care about others are Huntly's biggest attraction."
Her favourite photo is of Ana and her pet sheep - and also one of a bridge facing west from Huntly Main Street.
One woman told Jang she thought the bridge "looked ugly", but after seeing the photo exhibition she "thought it was beautiful for the first time".
Rāhui Pōkeka/Huntly used to be the largest coal-mining town in Aotearoa until the mine pits closed down and were converted into artificial lakes.
"Scuba Diving classes are held, and the community can go swimming and enjoy beautiful walks around the lake with changing scenery every season."
There is lots to do - sports clubs, events, markets, fashion shows, and even parades, while huge trees and historic buildings line the streets.
"Because it's a small place, you can get closer to the people around the town."
In 2019, Rāhui Pōkeka/Huntly won the prize of Aotearoa's "shittest town" after a public vote on Facebook page 'Shit Towns of New Zealand'.
Some locals disagreed, with one saying: "I find that quite degrading actually, because I could tell you some real good positive things about Huntly."
Another called it "an ugly little town", but underneath "it's beautiful and just needs a clean".
'Dear Huntly' will be displayed at Waikato District Libraries - Huntly on Main Street in Rāhui Pōkeka/Huntly until next Friday.
