In the early days of the Katikati settlement the Uretara Hotel (later The Talisman) was the social hub of the village. Settlers, bushmen and visitors whiled away the hours drinking, exchanging news, playing billiards and occasionally settling disputes outside with their fists.

One seasoned drinker, owner of a bush section near the township, used to ride home in his buggy fast asleep, leaving the horse to find its own way. Three locals wags followed him home one night, took the horse out of the shafts at the farm gate and led it inside. They then ran the shafts of the buggy through the gate and harnessed the horse up again. What the farmer’s reaction was when he woke in the chilly dawn was not recorded.