The township of Waihola lies between

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

and

Milton, New Zealand Milton, formerly known as Tokomairiro or Tokomairaro, is a town of over 2,000 people, located on State Highway 1, 50 kilometres to the south of Dunedin in Otago, New Zealand. It lies on the floodplain of the Tokomairaro River, one branch of whic ...

Otago Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government reg ...

, in New Zealand's

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

. It lies close to the southeast shore of the shallow tidal

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

which shares its name. The town is located on

State Highway 1 The following highways are numbered 1. For roads numbered A1, see list of A1 roads. For roads numbered B1, see list of B1 roads. For roads numbered M1, see List of M1 roads. For roads numbered N1, see list of N1 roads. For roads numbere ...

, and the South Island Main Trunk rail line runs through it, though trains no longer stop. The township is within the boundaries of Clutha District.

Etymology

The name ''Waihola'' is accepted to be analogous with the word ''wai-hora'', meaning "spreading waters". The place name for the location of Waihola is assigned as an official place name by the New Zealand Geographic Board. The place name also creates some interest as the

Māori alphabet Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

doesn't normally contain the letter ' L'. This is most likely an example of an earlier Southern Māori dialect.

Demographics

Waihola is described by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement. It covers , and is part of the much larger Bruce statistical area. Waihola had a population of 399 at the

2018 New Zealand census Eighteen or 18 may refer to: * 18 (number), the natural number following 17 and preceding 19 * one of the years 18 BC, AD 18, 1918, 2018 Film, television and entertainment * ''18'' (film), a 1993 Taiwanese experimental film based on the sho ...

, an increase of 45 people (12.7%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 123 people (44.6%) since the

2006 census 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...

. There were 168 households. There were 204 males and 198 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.03 males per female, with 75 people (18.8%) aged under 15 years, 36 (9.0%) aged 15 to 29, 195 (48.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 90 (22.6%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 94.0% European/Pākehā, 10.5% Māori, 1.5% Asian, and 1.5% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities). Although some people objected to giving their religion, 60.2% had no religion, 31.6% were Christian and 3.0% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 48 (14.8%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 93 (28.7%) people had no formal qualifications. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 153 (47.2%) people were employed full-time, 45 (13.9%) were part-time, and 12 (3.7%) were unemployed.

Bruce

The Bruce statistical area also includes Taieri Mouth, and surrounds but does not include

Milton Milton may refer to: Names * Milton (surname), a surname (and list of people with that surname) ** John Milton (1608–1674), English poet * Milton (given name) ** Milton Friedman (1912–2006), Nobel laureate in Economics, author of '' Free t ...

. It covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Bruce had a population of 2,250 at the

, an increase of 207 people (10.1%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 678 people (43.1%) since the

. There were 780 households. There were 1,317 males and 939 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.4 males per female. The median age was 43.0 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 399 people (17.7%) aged under 15 years, 330 (14.7%) aged 15 to 29, 1,182 (52.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 342 (15.2%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 90.3% European/Pākehā, 13.3% Māori, 1.2% Pacific peoples, 1.7% Asian, and 2.0% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities). The proportion of people born overseas was 10.9%, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people objected to giving their religion, 57.5% had no religion, 30.7% were Christian, 0.3% were Hindu, 0.3% were Muslim, 0.7% were Buddhist and 3.2% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 225 (12.2%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 426 (23.0%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $28,600, compared with $31,800 nationally. 210 people (11.3%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 882 (47.6%) people were employed full-time, 300 (16.2%) were part-time, and 66 (3.6%) were unemployed.

Tourism

Waihola is a popular destination for day-trips from Dunedin, 35 kilometres to the north, and the lake is a venue for many water sports, including waterskiing, rowing, and yachting. The 2175-hectare Waihola Waipori wetland system is one of the largest and most significant remaining lowland wetland systems in New Zealand. It is a diverse and highly productive ecosystem, supporting threatened species such as the giant kokopu and the South Island Fernbird. The wetland is of great significance to Kai Tahu and is used for recreational hunting and fishing. The

Sinclair Wetlands The Sinclair Wetlands (''Te Nohoaka o Tukiauau'') are an internationally renowned wetlands located to the south west of Dunedin, New Zealand, at the southern edge of the Taieri Plains. They are on the western side of Lake Waipori and approximatel ...

are also located at Waihola.

Education

Waihola District School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of as of . The school started in 1859.

Gallery

File:Waihola main road looking north.jpg, Main road of Waihola looking north File:Waihola main road looking south.jpg, Houses and a petrol station in Waihola File:Waihola houses.jpg, Houses in Waihola

References

External links

Information about Waihola at CluthaCountry.co.nz
{{Clutha District Populated places in Otago Clutha District Populated lakeshore places in New Zealand