Its maker was dairy industry founder Chew Chong, who used to sell butter in pats and blobs of no conventional size in his general stores. These irregular shapes were made from a blend of different butters collected from farms and called milled butter.
Chong saw the problem that one faulty lot of butter would contaminate the rest, so he decided to make his own from scratch.
The result was the forever recognisable pound of fresh butter and New Zealand's first commercial butter factory, which opened in Eltham in December 1887.
Chong was a stickler for cleanliness and order, so his factory included a cooling system for the storage of cream.
Sealing deal
Eltham was also the first town in New Zealand to get a tarred macadam street in 1906.
The man behind this was Charles Anderson Wilkinson, who was on the Eltham Borough Council at the time.
Tarred and Weathered: In 1906 Eltham's Bridge Street (above) and High Street became the first tarred macadam (tar-sealed) roads in New Zealand. This picture was taken in 1916.
During a trip to the United States in 1902, Wilkinson was so impressed by the road surfacing methods he convinced his fellow councillors to seal a deal for Bridge Street.
A sign standing on the corner of High and Bridge streets tells the background of that early feat.
In suspense
The Pease Building stands as another sturdy example of Eltham ingenuity.
"It was the first building of its type built out of Europe," says Don Drabble. "It's basically a building built on stilts."
Not skinny wooden ones, but huge legs of solid concrete, provided by mercantile giant C.A. Wilkinson.
Hanging in There: The Pease Building on the corner of Stanners and Bridge streets is suspended on huge concrete "stilts".
Don says the whole multi-storey structure was made of reinforced concrete, with a suspended ground floor. "When they made Stanners Street, they constructed retaining walls, built the building and back-filled the whole thing with clay."
But back in 1909, Eltham's building inspectors were worried whether the Duffil and Rough-designed building would be safe. "There was so much controversy about this building that the architect had to send the plans to Auckland for approval. They came back with a big tick."
The building, which stands firm on the corner of Stanners and Bridge streets, has new owners and is facing a revamp.
Clubbing together
New Zealand's Veterinary Club group system has its origins in Eltham.
In 1937, Lincoln College veterinary surgeon Alan Leslie was brought to the town to work for a group formed by five local dairy companies. The vet group's first base was the laboratory of the NZ Rennet Company, then the Eltham Dairy Company and is now in the town's old courthouse. Leslie left the group in 1947 to become chief executive officer for the then newly formed Veterinary Services Councils. There are still vet group businesses all over New Zealand.
Getting the chop
In 1901, Eltham held the first ever World Axemen's Carnival.
Cutting Edge: The first World Axemen's Carnival was held in Eltham.
Muscled men from all over New Zealand, Australia and further a field flocked to the Taranaki town on Boxing Day each year. In 1911, Charles Wilkinson organised Wanganui photographer Charles F. Newham to make a 1000-foot (300-metre) movie of the carnival. This was shown at the Wilkinson Picture Hall two weeks later in January 1912.
Mutual needs
One of New Zealand's most well-known insurance companies has its roots in Eltham.
On 9 April 1904, a meeting was held in the town's Athenaeum Hall to find a way to get lower insurance rates for farming folk.
The idea of forming the Taranaki Farmers' Mutual Fire Insurance Association was floated and embraced by farmers, and Lord Ranfurly signed a warrant to operate on 13 July that year.
On 1 April 1978 the association merged with the Primary Industries Insurance Company of Palmerston North and the South Island Farmers' Mutual Insurance Association. It now operates Farmers' Mutual Insurance Group, and has offices nationwide.
Beating of blades
Taranaki's famous helicopter pilot Alan Beck has also made his mark for Eltham.
The flying man went to Eltham in 1966 to operate a ground weed-spraying unit and two years later he began his own business. But Beck had his eyes on the sky not the earth, so hired a helicopter for four years.
Eyes to the Sky: Helicopter Alan Beck made inroads up high. Image: Provided by the Daily News
This was an interim measure until a licence was granted, enabling the firm to get its own chopper. In May 1977, Beck Helicopters bought a Bell Jet Ranger, the first to be used for agricultural work in New Zealand. Beck is still flying.
Powder fears
Searching for one last first, Don Drabble and Karen Christian uncover a dubious claim to fame.
"We were the first in New Zealand to have an anthrax scare after September 11," Karen says.
That happened on 16 November 2001, when a suspicious powder puffed from a mailbag in the Eltham Post Shop.
Dubious Honour: The anthrax scare at Eltham's Post Shop put the town on the map. Image: Provided by The Daily News
Worker Paula Grant was sorting the mail when unidentified powder drifted through the air. She was taken away for decontamination at the nearby fire station, while her son Jai (aged 6) continued on a school trip to New Plymouth and was later taken to Taranaki Base Hospital.
A few days later, tests confirmed the substance was not anthrax, but had come from the internal lining of the mailbag.
Senior Sergeant Frank Grant, whose wife and son were at the centre of the scare, had always felt certain the powder would not have been the deadly disease.
"I do not think Bin Laden would be concerned about Eltham," he said at the time.
He was right – but the anthrax alert certainly put the wee town on the world map for a few days.
