Both food and furniture were hard to come by during the Great Depression of the 1930s, so when a sturdy cheese crate came your way it made sense to put it to good use.

Puke Ariki has a number of items of makeshift furniture from this period when people were forced to think creatively to make their lives more comfortable.

These include a bookcase made from kerosene boxes, a stool made from boxes of motor spirit and even a cheese crate cradle for a baby.

This sturdy stool was crafted using a cheese crate from Tariki and is a no-nonsense example of how many Taranakians made the best of a tough situation.