| Northland
Region
The Northland Region (Ma-ori: Te Tai-tokerau, also Te
Hiku-o-te-Ika, 'the Tail of the Fish (of Maui)'), one
of the 16 regions of New Zealand, is, as the name suggests,
the northernmost of New Zealand's administrative regions.
The main centre is the city of Whangarei.
The region has a sub-tropical climate with warm humid
summers and mild wet winters. Typical summer maxima range
from 21 °C to 28 °C (70 °F to 79 °F).
In winter, maxima are between 14 °C and 19 °C
(57 °F and 66 °F). Ground frosts are rare due
to proximity with the moderating Pacific and Tasman waters
around the region; however frosts do occur around Dargaville
in the lowlands. The hottest months are January and February.
Typical annual rainfall for the region is 1500–2000
mm. Winds are predominantly from the southwest. Occasionally,
the region experiences stormy conditions from former cyclones
which generally become much weaker once they leave tropical
latitudes.
Northland is New Zealand's least urbanised region, with
only some 50% of the population of 154,700 living in urban
areas. Of these areas, Whangarei is the largest, with
a population of 51,100 (June 2008 estimates).[1] Eight
other centres have populations of over 1000: Russell,
Kaitaia, Dargaville, Kaikohe, Paihia, Kerikeri, Taipa-Mangonui,
and Kawakawa. The population is largely concentrated along
the region's east coast. During the five year period up
to 2006, Northland recorded a population growth of 6.0
percent, slightly below the national average. Northland
includes one of the fastest growing towns in New Zealand,
Mangawhai which is expanding rapidly due to residential
and subsequent commercial development.
Over the last 10
years Northland's population has defied national (and
worldwide) trends by becoming increasingly rural. Approximately
one third of the region's population are Maori, the majority
of the remainder being of European lineage. Compared to
the rest of the country Pacific Islanders are under-represented
in Northland. Although most of the region's European population
are of British stock (as is true with the rest of the
country), certain other ethnicities have left their mark
on the Northland racial mix. Of these the most influential
have probably been the Dalmatian community from the Dargaville
area north, with a particularly strong heritage around
Kaitaia.
The region's economy
is based on agriculture (notably beef cattle), fishing,
forestry, and horticulture. Citrus fruit makes up the majority
of the latter industry, with lemons, oranges, and tamarillos
all being produced. Avocados are also widely grown, as well
as kumara (especially in Ruawai part of the Kaipara district).
Olives are also being grown on the Aupouri Peninsula.
Extensive forests
are a feature of the Northland landscape. For this reason
wood and paper manufacturing industries also make a large
contribution to the region's economy.
Northland is a favourite
tourist destination, especially to the Bay of Islands
and the historic town of Kerikeri. Diving and fishing
are also popular visitor activities, especially around
the Bay of Islands and the Poor Knights island chain.
Northland is home
to New Zealand's only oil refinery, at Marsden Point,
close to Whangarei. New Zealand's natural fuel resources
in Taranaki account for a little under half of the refinery's
intake, with the rest coming predominantly from the Middle
East. The nearby Marsden A thermal power station originally
utilised heavy oil from the refinery for electricity production,
but no longer does so.
Kaeo
The township of
Kaeo lies some 22 km northwest of Kerikeri in Northland,
New Zealand. The town takes its name from the unique shellfish
found in the nearby Whangaroa Harbour. The 2006 New Zealand
census reported a population of 495, unchanged from 2001.
Kaeo has a Primary School with around 90 students and
a College (High School).
Kawakawa
Kawakawa is a small town in the Northland Region of
northern New Zealand. It had a population of 1350 at the
2006 census, down from 1401 in 2001. Kawakawa developed
as a service town when coal was found in the area in 1861,
but there is no longer coal mining here. The economy is
based around farming. The town is known as "Train
town", because the Bay of Islands Vintage Railway
runs down the middle of its main street on the way to
Opua (service is currently suspended). The
town is also famous for its public toilets, designed by
Austrian architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser, who was
a resident of the town from 1975 until his death in 2000.
Another attraction is the nearby Kawiti glowworm Caves
at Waiomio.
Mangamuka
Mangamuka is a district in Northland, New Zealand,
at the junction of the Mangamuka and Opurehu Rivers. State
Highway 1 runs through the area, and the settlement of
Mangamuka Bridge lies at the point where the highway crosses
the Mangamuku River. The river runs into the upper Hokianga
Harbour. Just to the north west, the highway runs through
Mangamuka Gorge in the Maungataniwha Range. Umawera lies
to the south east. Nga- Puhi chief Hongi Hika was shot
in the lungs during a minor engagement on the shores of
the Mangamuka River in January 1829. The wound eventually
killed him. The
first European surveyor on the Mangamuka River was von
Sturmer. The first settlement was at Tutekehua in 1874,
downstream from what later became Mangamuka Bridge. The
settlers cleared the land, planted orchards, and grew
grain. A fruit canning and jam making factory was established,
although it no longer exists.The Mangamuka Forest survived
the logging era with many giant kauri trees intact. In
1952 the Omahuta Kauri Sanctuary was set up to provide
public access to the trees, with boardwalks built to both
protect the tree roots and keep visitor's feet dry. The
walk takes 30-45 minutes.
Bay of Islands
The Bay of Islands is an area in the Northland region
of the North Island of New Zealand. Located 60 km north-west
of Whangarei, it is close to the northern tip of the country.
It is one of
the most popular fishing, sailing and tourist destinations
in the country, and has been renowned internationally
for its big-game fishing since American author Zane Grey
publicised it in the 1930s.The bay itself is an irregular
16 km-wide inlet in the north-eastern coast of the island.
A natural harbour, it has several arms which extend into
the land, notably Waikare Inlet in the south and Kerikeri
and Te Puna (Mangonui) inlets in the north-west. The small
town of Russell is located at the end of a short peninsula
that extends into the bay from the southeast. Several
islands lie to the north of this peninsula, notably Urupukapuka
Island to the east and Moturoa Island to the north. The
Purerua Peninsula extends to the west of the bay, north
of Te Puna Inlet, and Cape Brett Peninsula extends 10
km into the Pacific Ocean at the eastern end of the bay.
Horeke
Horeke is a settlement in the upper reaches of the Hokianga
harbour in Northland, New Zealand. Kohukohu is just across
the harbour. The town was initially called Deptford after
the Royal Navy shipyard in England. It was one of the
first places settled by Europeans in New Zealand, with
ship-building established in the late 1820s. David Ramsay
and Gordon Davies Browne came from Sydney to set up a
trading post and shipbuilding settlement about 1826] Three
ships were built - a 40-ton schooner called Enterprise,
a 140-ton brigantine called New Zealander, and the 394
(or 392)-ton barque Sir George Murray - but the firm went
bankrupt in 1830. The Wesleyan missionary John Hobbs opened
a mission at Mangungu, about a mile from the shipyard,
in 1828.
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