Opua

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Opua
Geographical location
Opua (New Zealand)
Opua
Coordinates 35 ° 19 ′  S , 174 ° 7 ′  E Coordinates: 35 ° 19 ′  S , 174 ° 7 ′  E
Region ISO NZ-NTL
Country New ZealandNew Zealand New Zealand
region Northland
District Far North District
Ward Bay of Islands - Whangaroa Ward
Local foundation 1881
Residents 546 (2013)
height 80 m
Post Code 0200
Telephone code +64 (0) 9
UN / LOCODE NZ OPX
Photography of the place
Opua-Okiato ferry.jpg
Car ferry between Opua and Okiato

Opua is a place in the Far North District of the Northland regionon the North Island of New Zealand .

Origin of name

The name of the place means something like “place of the flower” in the Māori language . In the original town planning of 1881, however, the place was called " Newport ". When the place was renamed is not known.

geography

The place is located around 8 km northeast of Kawakawa and around 18 km southeast of Kerikeri on the Veronica Channel , which has access to the Bay of Islands . Opua extends from the banks of the channel up into the adjacent hills up to 80  m above sea level. The place has a considerable marina for the size of the place, which is the first possible port of call in New Zealand for ocean yachts after crossing the Pacific Ocean .

history

The Opua Branch is an original branch line of the North Auckland Line . It was built as far as Kawakawa and inaugurated on April 7, 1884. When the North Auckland Line was completed by Kawakawa in 1925, a passenger train, the Northland Express , ran three times a week from Auckland directly to Opua . In November 1956, the train was a railcar of NZR RM class replaced with 88 seats and ended in Okaihau on the Okaihau Branch . On June 18, 1976, this passenger service was also discontinued and the route was only used for freight traffic. As the importance of Opua s as a trading port dwindled, the volume of freight in rail traffic also declined, so that freight traffic on the route was discontinued in 1985. The route between Opua and Kawakawa was later leased to the Bay of Islands Vintage Railway , which still operates tourist trains on the route to this day. A final section, which would make train traffic possible again as far as Opua , is the restoration of a long bridge, which is still waiting to be implemented in the project.

population

In the 2013 census, the town had 546 inhabitants, 10.8% less than in the 2006 census.

Infrastructure

Road traffic

The New Zealand State Highway 11 runs through Opua and connects the place with Kawakawa in the south-southwest and Paihia in the north as well as via the connection to the New Zealand State Highway 1 with Kerikeri in the northwest.

Shipping

There are connections to all nearby ports on the east coast via the marina. There is also a ferry connection to Okiato on the other side of the Veronica Channel . Russel, located to the north, can also be reached via this ferry connection and the subsequent road across the peninsula .

Education

With the Opua School, the settlement has a primary school with grades 1 to 8. In 2015, 109 students attended the school. The school was founded in 1886. It has adapted to accepting children from the yachts lying in the harbor for a few weeks or months and therefore has a very international character for such a small community.

literature

  • Helga Neubauer: Opua . In: The New Zealand Book . 1st edition. NZ Visitor Publications , Nelson 2003, ISBN 1-877339-00-8 , pp. 142 f .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Population of Opua East and West :
  2. ^ Neubauer: Opua . In: The New Zealand Book . 2003, p. 142 .
  3. ↑ Paihia - Opua - Crossroads of the North . NZ Community Development Trust , archived from the original on September 30, 2007 ; accessed on September 2, 2014 (English, original website no longer available).
  4. ↑ a b c Topo250 maps . Land Information New Zealand , accessed September 12, 2017 .
  5. ↑ Our History . Bay of Islands Vintage Railway Trust , accessed September 12, 2017 .
  6. ^ Opua School . Education Review Office , accessed September 12, 2017 .
  7. ^ Parents Zone . Opua School , 2006, archived from the original on October 9, 2007 ; accessed on September 2, 2014 (English, original website no longer available).