Waiuku

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Waiuku
Geographical location
Waiuku (New Zealand)
Waiuku
Coordinates 37 ° 15 ′  S , 174 ° 44 ′  E Coordinates: 37 ° 15 ′  S , 174 ° 44 ′  E
Region ISO NZ-AUK
Country New ZealandNew Zealand New Zealand
region Auckland
District Auckland Council
Ward Franklin Ward
Local foundation 1843
Residents 8th 199 (2013)
height 18 m
Post Code 2123
Telephone code +64 (0) 9
UN / LOCODE NZ WUK
Photography of the place
Waiukubro.jpg
Aerial view of Waiuku
Remarks
belonged to the former Franklin District until October 2010

Waiuku is a city in the metropolitan area of ​​today's Auckland Council on the North Island of New Zealand . The city belonged to the former Franklin District until the end of October 2010, which wassubordinated tothe newly formed Auckland Council on November 1, 2010 as Franklin Ward .

Origin of name

The name of the city comes from a legend about the two brothers Tamakae and Tamakou , who campaigned for the hand of a beautiful, high-ranking chief's wife. Tamakae was a farmer and provider and Tamakou was the speaker she first met. Since she could not decide for him, Tamakae should be introduced to her afterwards . Since he was working in the gardens and was dirty from work on the Kūmara plantation, he was previously with “ wai ” (water) and “ uku ” (a special kind of mud) on the stream that is now behind the museum of Waiuku flows into the Waiuku River , washed. Tamakae won her heart and married her. From then on the place was called " Waiuku ".

geography

The city is located around 15 km west-southwest of Pukekohe and around 44 km south of downtown Auckland , at the southern end of an inlet of Manukau Harbor , which is called the Waiuku River here . The Waikato River flows only 8 km south of its estuary into the Tasman Sea .

history

Waiuku as a settlement emerged around 1843 as a port on the important trade route between Auckland and the agricultural area of ​​the Waikato region . The settlement was also the point where the canoes ( waka ) of the locals were carried overland from Manukau Harbor to the Waikato River .

During the Waikato War (1863–1864), Waiuku became a border town with a guarded log cabin on the border and ended its role as a trading post, which had been responsible for the early development of the place until then. Waiuku later became an agricultural center under the administration of the Road Board and, in 1914, a city district. In 1955, the government made the city a borough and in 1988 subordinated it administratively to the Franklin District . An important development factor for the place was the state-sponsored construction of New Zealand's first steel mill in Glenbrook in the mid-1960s. The plant processes iron sand from the deposits on the Waikato Heads into steel. After many changes of ownership and name, the plant is now called New Zealand Steel again and is a subsidiary of BlueScope Steel from Australia . The steel mill is an important employer in the area.

population

In the 2013 census, the town had 8,199 inhabitants, 11.9% more than in the 2006 census.

economy

The city and its surroundings live from agriculture and some of the residents from work in the nearby steelworks. Machine and shipbuilding companies are among the other employers, as are individual sawmills.

Attractions

  • The local pub, The Kentish Hotel , is New Zealand's longest continuously licensed hotel. It was opened as an inn in 1851 by one of the first European settlers in Waiuku , Edward Constable . Its origin from Kent is reflected in the name of the hotel and its name in the street behind it, the Constable Road . The The Kentish with its richly decorated patios is a historic center of the city.
  • At the entrance to the Tamakae sanctuary there is a statue of Tamakae carved out of Kauri wood . The logs for this were found during earthworks during the construction of the steel mill and given to the local Iwi Ngati Te Ata .
  • In the reserve is a small "historic village" with several restored buildings, including Hartmann House , which dates back to 1886 and is now an artisan workshop, Pollock Cottage (1890), Waiuku Jail (1865) and The Creamery (1890's). The nearby Waiuku Museum has colonial exhibits, Māori items , old sailing boats, and historical photographs.
  • A historical path around the city reveals other historical points of interest, such as Wesley Methodist Church from 1883, which offers a good view of the city and the waterfront sanctuary.
  • The west coast is also worth a visit , with the black sand beach of Karioitahi and the Glenbrook Vintage Railway .

Personalities

Born in Waiuku :

  • FH Maynard (1893–1976), Vice Air Marshal
  • Elsie Locke (1912-2001), peace activist
  • Ross Ihaka (* 1954), statistician and associate professor at the University of Auckland, developed the programming language R
  • Zinzan Brooke (born 1965),national rugby player
  • David Aspin , wrestler and flag bearer for New Zealand at the Olympic Games in 1972 and 1976

Lived in Waiuku :

literature

  • Helga Neubauer: Waiuku . In: The New Zealand Book . 1st edition. NZ Visitor Publications , Nelson 2003, ISBN 1-877339-00-8 , pp. 295 f .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Sources of population figures for Waiuku West, East, South :
  2. ↑ a b Neubauer: Waiuku . In: The New Zealand Book . 2003, p. 296 .
  3. ↑ Topo250 maps . Land Information New Zealand , accessed October 26, 2017 .
  4. ^ Neubauer: Waiuku . In: The New Zealand Book . 2003, p. 295 .