HistoryKatea is 7kms north-west of Owaka in a valley which extends from State Highway 98 to Purekireki along the Owaka Valley Road. The area was settled in the 1890s relatively later than Owaka due to dense bush. Several sawmills cleared the valley between 1895 and 1910. Small farms supplied the Awatea Cheese Factory from 1908 to 1919, and the Fairfield Cheese Factory from 1910 to 1966. Post offices in the valley included Katea (1895-1927) and Hunts Road (1906-1927). Kaeta School opened in 1894 and closed in 1939. Today the area is largely sheep farms. The settlement is marked by a war memorial which was replaced by the Clutha District Council in 2012 due to being in a state of disrepair.
