Opotiki
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Opotiki Māori: Ō-Pōtiki-Mai-Tawhiti |
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| Geographical location | ||
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| Coordinates | 38 ° 0 ′ S , 177 ° 17 ′ E | |
| Region ISO | NZ-BOP | |
| Country |
 New Zealand
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| region | Bay of Plenty | |
| District | Opotiki District | |
| Ward | Opotiki Ward | |
| Administrative headquarters | Headquarters of the administration for the Opotiki District | |
| Residents | 3 879 (2013) | |
| height | 2 m | |
| Post Code | 3122 | |
| Telephone code | +64 (0) 7 | |
| UN / LOCODE | NZ BPK | |
| Photography of the place | ||
 Main street carved wooden post depicting the historical development of Opotiki |
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Opotiki (written in Māori Ōpōtiki ) is a city in the eastern part of the Bay of Plenty region on the North Island of New Zealand . It is the administrative seat of the district named after it and at the same time the only economic center of the Opotiki District .
Origin of name
Pākowhai was the original name of a Māori settlement on the site of today's city of Opotiki . The name Ōpōtiki is an abbreviation of Ō-Pōtiki-Mai-Tawhiti ( The two favorite animals from afar ). Legend has it that Tarawa , who came with the large fleet from Hawaiki , released two fish he had brought with him in the source of Waiotahi Beach and named the place after it. Near this point, about four kilometers west of Opotiki , there are two wooden sculptures by Iwi Whakatōhea that honor this place and tell the history of the place with the sculptures.
geography
The city lies between the estuaries of the Otara River and the Waioeka River , which jointly flow into the Pacific Ocean on this part of the Bay of Plenty and surround the city from the west, north and east. The nearest major town is about 50 km west of Opotiki located Whakatane . To the east of the city, which was built in the alluvial land of the two rivers, the Opotiki Flats , lies the Eastland region , which is still little developed for tourism , a largely forested mountain landscape with a very long coast that extends down to Gisborne in the southeast. To the south of the city at the end of the plain lie the forests of the Urutawa Conservation Area .
history
Settlement by Māori
Around 1300 Polynesians came from Hawaiki with a large fleet . The canoes of the Mataatua , Tainui and Nukutere tribes settled in the eastern part of the Bay of Plenty . From them the Iwi Te Whakatōhea was formed , which settled in the estuary of the Otara River and Waioeka River and still exists today.
Settlement by Europeans
The first Europeans to come near Opotiki were missionaries from Tauranga , who disembarked in Ohiwa in 1828 . However, after seeing the bloodbath of a military conflict between two Māori tribes that had recently ended , they quickly left.
The first Pākehā (white) to land in Opotiki was missionary John A. Wilson of the Church Missionary Society eleven years later in December 1839 . In May 1840, the seven chiefs of the region signed the Waitangi Treaty.
The religious Hauhau movement, formed in 1862 , also gained influence in the area around Opotiki and supported the political Kīngitanga movement, the aim of which was a separate Māori kingdom. When the Anglican missionary Carl Sylvius Völkner was suspected of being a spy in 1865 because of his reports on the religious movement and was killed, the government sent a punitive expedition to Opotiki and confiscated the land after the soldiers had landed on September 9, 1865. It was subsequently awarded to settlers who turned the surrounding land into farmland.
In 1876 the Whakatāne County Council (District Council) was formed, which roughly covered the current districts of Whakatāne District and Opotiki . The county’s administration was based in Opotiki . In 1882 Opotiki had around 800 inhabitants and was given the status of a town district and its own administration. In 1900 the county was divided into Whakatāne County and Opotiki County .
In 1973 the city administration of Opotiki was merged with the Opotiki County Council , which was renamed the Opotiki District Council as part of the territorial reform of 1989 .
Edwardian era
The economic boom of the city of Opotiki up into the 20th century can still be seen today in the buildings of the Edwardian era . Some old hotels are now restored witnesses of the hustle and bustle of that time. The De Luxe Theater , the Rostgard's Building , or the Court House are among the 26 buildings, 15 of which are listed with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust .
population
In the 2013 census, Opotiki had 3879 inhabitants, a 7.1% decrease in population compared to the 2006 census.
economy
Hopes for an economic upswing for the city lie in the planned port expansion and in a planned 3800 hectare mussel farm six kilometers from the coast and the associated processing industry. These projects are expected to create around 900 jobs that would generate NZ $ 27 million in household income (for the entire district) and purchasing power in the city. This would bring the district an estimated NZ $ 34 million in revenue. The contract to expand the port is due to be signed in 2017. [outdated]
Eastern Seafarms Limited , a company founded with the participation of the local Iwi Whakatōhea (54%), the company Sealord (26%) and NZ Sea Farms (20%), started its mussel farm off the coast in September 2010 with the installation of the first mussel banks began. A Chinese company has also shown interest in collaborating in aquafarming .
traffic
Opotiki is connected to Whakatāne via New Zealand State Highway 2 coming from the west . The road runs right through the city and then continues 150 km south and southeast via Wairata through the mountains on the shortest route to Gisborne . The State Highway 35 , the Opotiki also with Gisborne connects, but 331 km runs along the east coast and connects the sparsely populated region Eastland with the regional administration and care centers Opotiki and Gisborne . The nearest airport is Whakatāne Airport, 55 km to the west .
Attractions
About eight kilometers south of the center of Opotiki is the 4.5 ha large Hukutaia Domain , a park in the different addition to the estimated 1,500 trees and plants, a 2,000 year old Puriri ( Vitex lucens stands). The Māori used to bury the bones of their dead in the cavity at the foot of the tree . The park was founded in 1926 by Norman Potts , an amateur botanist who traveled around New Zealand collecting native plants and planting them in the park.
See also
literature
- Opotiki & District 10,000 Club Inc (Ed.): Opotiki , East Cape & beyond via the Pacific Coast Highway . Opotiki 2009 (English).
Web links
- Homepage . Opotiki District Council,accessed May 31, 2017.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b 2013 Census QuickStats about a place: Opotiki . Statistics New Zealand , accessed May 31, 2017 .
- ↑ a b Historic Opotiki. New Zealand Historic Places Trust, Wellington 2007. (Info sheet)
- ↑ HT Whatahoro : Kupe . University of Hawai'i , archived from the original on March 26, 2010 ; accessed on September 2, 2014 (English, original website no longer available).
- ^ Historical Information , Whakatāne District Council , Whakatāne December 2007.
- ^ New Zealand Historic Places Trust: Opotiki , accessed February 4, 2010.
- ^ Opotiki Harbor Development . Opotiki District Council , archived from the original on September 14, 2010 ; accessed on June 20, 2014 (English, original website no longer available).
- ^ Opotiki Harbor Development - Economic and Social Benefits . Opotiki District Council , archived from the original on March 6, 2010 ; accessed on June 16, 2016 (English, original website no longer available).
- ↑ Media Release May 2016 . Opotiki District Council , archived from the original on June 16, 2016 ; accessed on May 5, 2019 (English, original website no longer available).
- ↑ Michael Dickison : Seafood firm in China shells out for Kiwi mussels . New Zealand Herald , August 16, 2010, accessed June 16, 2016 .
- ^ Ōpōtiki Harbor Development - Update . (PDF 1.3 MB) Opotiki District Council , November 2010, archived from the original on July 24, 2011 ; accessed on June 16, 2016 (English, original website no longer available).
- ↑ Hukutaia Domain . Opotiki District Council , archived from the original on March 31, 2014 ; accessed on January 20, 2016 (English, original website no longer available).