Castor Bay is a bay and suburb of the North Shore, located in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

which is in the

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. Located between

Milford Milford may refer to: Place names Canada * Milford (Annapolis), Nova Scotia * Milford (Halifax), Nova Scotia * Milford, Ontario England * Milford, Derbyshire * Milford, Devon, a place in Devon * Milford on Sea, Hampshire * Milford, Shro ...

and

Campbells Bay Campbells Bay is a suburb of the North Shore located in Auckland, New Zealand. The suburb is currently under the local governance of the Auckland Council and is in the Albany ward, one of the thirteen administrative divisions of the city of ...

, it is part of the

East Coast Bays East Coast Bays is a string of small suburbs that form the northernmost part of the North Shore, part of the contiguous Auckland metropolitan area in New Zealand. The suburbs line the north-east coast of the city along the shore of the Haurak ...

. To the east lies the islands of

Rangitoto Rangitoto Island is a volcanic island in the Hauraki Gulf near Auckland, New Zealand. The wide island is a symmetrical shield volcano cone, reaching a height of . Rangitoto is the youngest and largest of the approximately 50 volcanoes of the Au ...

and

Motutapu Motutapu Island (otherwise known as ''Motutapu'') is a island in the Hauraki Gulf to the northeast of the city of Auckland, New Zealand. The island is part of the Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park. Its full name, rarely used, is ''Te Motutapu a Taikeh ...

, which are easily visible from land. The suburb is in the North Shore ward, one of the thirteen administrative divisions of

Auckland Council Auckland Council ( mi, Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau) is the local government council for the Auckland Region in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority that has the responsibilities, duties and powers of a regional council and so is ...

. The bay itself is quite small and is well sheltered by an artificial breakwater that extends from the northern edge of the bay, running towards the south. A small bark and grass area with several large

pohutukawa ''Metrosideros excelsa'', commonly known as pōhutukawa ( mi, pōhutukawa), New Zealand Christmas tree, New Zealand Christmas bush, and iron tree, is a coastal evergreen tree in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, that produces a brilliant display o ...

trees offering shelter complements the beachfront and an extended coastline stretches out to the north towards Campbells Bay.

History

The northern headland of Castor Bay is the site of an old Maori pā, Rahopara, also known as Te Rahopara o Peretū. Archaeological studies of the pā indicate that it was used by many generations of

Tāmaki Māori Tāmaki Māori are Māori ''iwi'' and ''hapū'' (tribes and sub-tribes) who have a strong connection to Tāmaki Makaurau (the Auckland Region), and whose rohe was traditionally within the region. Among Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau (the M ...

peoples, who adapted the pā overtime. The name of the pā is associated with Peretū, an ancestor of the

Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki is a Māori tribe that is based in the area around Clevedon, part of the Auckland region (''Tāmaki'' in the Māori language). It is one of the twelve members of the Hauraki Collective of tribes. The founding ancestors o ...

people. Traditional histories recount

Te Patukirikiri Te Patukirikiri is a Māori iwi of the Hauraki area of New Zealand. Radio station Nga Iwi FM broadcasts for Te Patukirikiri, Marutūahu from the iwi of Ngāti Tamaterā, Ngāti Rongoū, Ngāti Whanaunga, Ngāti Maru and Ngāti Pāoa, and other ...

ancestor Kapetaua sacking the pā in the 17th century, as revenge for being marooned at Te Toka-o-Kapetaua ( Bean Rock). The archaeological site was almost destroyed in 1965, as the earthworks were planned to be excavated and used as fill for a marina. Plans for this were cancelled after lobbying by archaeologists and local residents. A coastal artillery battery was built during World War II, to protect the

Rangitoto Channel The Rangitoto Channel is one of several passes between the islands of the inner Hauraki Gulf, close to the mouth of the Waitematā Harbour to the east of Auckland in New Zealand. The channel is an important stretch of water as it is the only deep ...

. Two gun emplacements and the observation post used to survey the

Hauraki Gulf The Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana is a coastal feature of the North Island of New Zealand. It has an area of 4000 km2,John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

Park, which is accessible from Castor Bay by road (Beach Road) or by walkway (from the extended coastline to the north).

Demographics

Castor Bay covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Castor bay beach

Castor Bay had a population of 4,509 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 204 people (4.7%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 393 people (9.5%) 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 1,563 households, comprising 2,184 males and 2,322 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.94 males per female. The median age was 42.0 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 810 people (18.0%) aged under 15 years, 798 (17.7%) aged 15 to 29, 2,190 (48.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 708 (15.7%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 76.2% European/

Pākehā Pākehā (or Pakeha; ; ) is a Māori term for New Zealanders primarily of European descent. Pākehā is not a legal concept and has no definition under New Zealand law. The term can apply to fair-skinned persons, or to any non-Māori New Ze ...

, 3.9%

Māori 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 C ...

, 1.2% Pacific peoples, 21.5%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, and 2.9% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 39.5, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 54.2% had no religion, 35.7% were

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

, 0.5% were

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

, 1.1% were

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

, 1.3% were

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

and 2.1% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 1,449 (39.2%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 237 (6.4%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $46,600, compared with $31,800 nationally. 1,233 people (33.3%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,899 (51.3%) people were employed full-time, 567 (15.3%) were part-time, and 105 (2.8%) were unemployed.

Education

The local

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

is Campbells Bay Primary School located on Aberdeen Road, nearby the Pupuke Golf Course. It has a roll of as of The school opened in 1925.

Local government

In 1989, Castor Bay was a part of the

North Shore City North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...

. North Shore City was amalgamated into

in November 2010. Within the Auckland Council, Castor Bay is a part of the Devonport-Takapuna local government area governed by the

Devonport-Takapuna Local Board The Devonport-Takapuna Local Board covers from Castor Bay, and Sunnynook south to the end of the Devonport Peninsula; it is separated from the Kaipātiki board area by the Northern Motorway. This local board sits in the Auckland Council office ...

. It is a part of the North Shore ward, which elects two councillors to the Auckland Council.

Notable people

Sam Hunt Sam Lowry Hunt (born December 8, 1984) is an American singer and songwriter. Born in Cedartown, Georgia, Hunt played football in his high school and college years and once attempted to pursue a professional sports career before signing with MCA ...

, one of New Zealand's most well known poets, was born in Castor Bay.

Notes

External links

Campbells Bay School website

Photographs of Castor Bay
held in Auckland Libraries' heritage collections. {{Devonport-Takapuna Local Board Area Suburbs of Auckland North Shore, New Zealand Bays of the Auckland Region East Coast Bays