Athenree
| Athenree | ||
| Geographical location | ||
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| Coordinates | 37 ° 25 ′ S , 175 ° 56 ′ E | |
| Region ISO | NZ-BOP | |
| Country |
 New Zealand
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| region | Bay of Plenty | |
| District | Western Bay of Plenty District | |
| Ward | Waihi Beach Ward | |
| Residents | 672 (2013) | |
| height | 5 m | |
| Post Code | 3177 | |
| Telephone code | +64 (0) 9 | |
| Photography of the place | ||
 Athenree Homestead (built in 1878) |
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Athenree is a small residential and holiday resort on the coast of the Bay of Plenty on the North Island of New Zealand .
Origin of name
The British Crown Prosecutor and Member of the House of Commons John Stewart (around 1758-1825) was knighted as a baronet in 1803 in recognition of his involvement in the Act of Union 1800 . After one of his possessions, the place "Athenree" near Omagh in County Tyrone in Northern Ireland , his baronet title received the territorial dedication "of Athenree in the County of Tyrone" . His younger son ( Mervyn Stewart ) married Frances Vesey . Of the three sons from this marriage, the two younger emigrated to New Zealand. The youngest of these two, George Vesey Stewart (1831-1920), founded the place Katikati in 1875 , his brother Huge Stewart built a property further north around 1878, from which today's place developed and named it after the title or the origin of its " Athenree " family.
geography
Athenree is about 50 km northwest of Tauranga at the end of the small elongated bay called The Ford , which is assigned to Tauranga Harbor . In terms of traffic, the place is connected to the New Zealand State Highway 2 via an approx. 4 km long access road , which connects Athenree next to Tauranga with Waihi in the north-west, just under 20 km away .
history
Pre-European settlement
In the area around Athenree , records of eight Pā (village of the Māori ) were found during archaeological investigations over an area of 5 km² . Three of them could be estimated to be between 300 and 400 years old. There were also three clear pieces of evidence that the area was inhabited by Māori 500 years ago .
The first land survey took place in 1869 by Charles Blomfield . He created the basis for the later settlement by the Europeans .
Athenree Homestead
In 1878, Huge Stewart sailed to New Zealand with his wife Adela , his 9 year old son and his two parents to help carry out the only planned Irish settlement project in New Zealand. In 1875, his brother George Vesey Stewart had 4076 hectares of land from the New Zealand government granted to start the project in Katikati . They named the land chosen by Huge and his wife Adela for their settlement " Athenree " (see origin of name above).
Although Adela came from the high society of England , she was involved in fruit growing and horticulture . She sold her self-made fruit juices and jams at the market in the city of Waihi, which was growing as a result of the gold rush . She also organized picnics by the sea for local society. Athenree thus became a central place for social events up to the turn of the century. Due to illness, was the homestead Athenree sold in 1906, after returning to England died Hugh Stewart in 1909. His wife Adela wrote and published her memoirs with the book My Simple live in New Zealand ( My simple life in New Zealand ). After the book was published, she returned to New Zealand in 1910, where she died the day after she arrived. She was buried in the Katikati cemetery.
Athenree Homestead fell into disrepair after changing owners over the years. In 1991 the Western Bay of Plenty District bought the property, formed the Athenree Homestead Trust , renovated the house and made the building and garden open to the public as a museum.
Development of the place
- In 1890 Athenree got his own post office and Huge Stewart was appointed postmaster.
- In 1912 the place was connected to Waihi Beach by a road .
- In 1928 the railway line was built through the town and Athenree got its own train station.
- In 1932 the first electricity came to Athenree .
- 1934-1935 the Tauranga County Council became aware that Athenree belonged to his district and did more for the development of the place from then on.
- In 1949 just 20 houses were counted in Athenree , half of which were used as holiday homes.
- In the 1960s, additional land was designated for development.
- At the end of the 1960s Athenree had around 100 residents and described itself as the smallest county town in New Zealand. The Community Council was led by only 5 members.
- 2002 in the book by Hank Hanlen noted that Athenree free of unemployment is.
population
The 2013 census counted 672 inhabitants, 9.8% more than the 2006 census.
tourism
The very quiet place now has a modest tourism. The campsite, which is preferred by families with children, has two pools at 35 ° C and 39.5 ° C, which are fed by a local thermal spring . There are also day-trippers who visit the shallow bay of the place.
Another source of income has been fruit growing in the area for many years.
literature
- Athenree Homestead Trust (Ed.): Athenree Homestead . Katikati (English).
- Hank Hanlen : Bowentown, Ahtenree, and more Beach Pot Pourri . Self-published , Tauranga 2001 (English).
- Adela Stewart : My Simple Live in New Zealand . Wilson & Horton , Auckland 1957, ISBN 0-473-03909-5 (English, self-published in 1908 by Adela Stewart; Facsimile edition published by Wilson & Horton 1957.).
Web links
- About Us . Athenree Homestead Trust Inc.,accessed August 11, 2012.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b 2013 Census QuickStats about a place: Athenree . Statistics New Zealand , accessed May 19, 2017 .
- ↑ Hank Hanlen, Bowentown, Ahtenree, and more Beach Pot Pourri . Self-published, Tauranga, 2001, pp. 47–49.
- ↑ Hot Pool & Spa Getaways , Outlook NZ (North Is.), Auckland, New Zealand, 12-01 / 2009-2010.