East Tākaka is a settlement in the

Tasman District Tasman District () is a local government district in the northwest of the South Island of New Zealand. It borders the Canterbury Region, West Coast Region, Marlborough Region and Nelson City. It is administered by the Tasman District Council, ...

of New Zealand. It is located in

Golden Bay Golden Bay may refer to: * Golden Bay / Mohua, a bay at the northern end of New Zealand's South Island * Golden Bay (Malta), a bay and beach on the coastline of Malta * Golden Bay High School Golden Bay High School is a secondary school A s ...

, south of

Tākaka Tākaka is a small town situated at the southeastern end of Golden Bay, at the northern end of New Zealand's South Island, located on the lower reaches of the Tākaka River. State Highway 60 runs through Takaka and follows the river valley ...

. Located in the Tākaka valley, East Tākaka sits on the eastern side of the

Tākaka River The Tākaka River lies in the northwest of New Zealand's South Island. It runs north for 70 kilometres, entering Golden Bay near the town of Tākaka. It was reported on 17 January 2007 that the Tākaka River is one of a growing number of Sout ...

. The area developed from the 1860s, with an Anglican church built in 1868, the East Takaka School being established in 1874, and a post office—called Takaka East—opening in 1877. Sawmilling was an important industry in the early days, with large areas of native forest in the Tākaka valley being exploited. The sawn timber was taken to the coast and shipped throughout New Zealand, facilitated between 1882 and 1905 by the steam-powered Takaka Tramway that ran from East Tākaka to the wharf at Waitapu, at the mouth of the Tākaka River. Other activities in the area included sheep farming and hop growing. East Takaka School closed in 1968, and the old building, given historic place category 2 status by

Heritage New Zealand Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga (initially the National Historic Places Trust and then, from 1963 to 2014, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust) ( mi, Pouhere Taonga) is a Crown entity with a membership of around 20,000 people that advocate ...

in 1990, is now used as the local community hall. East Takaka Church, described as "a fine example of the small Gothic Revival churches built in timber throughout New Zealand in the second half of he nineteenthcentury", was listed as a category 1 historic place by Heritage New Zealand in 1990.

References

{{Tasman District Populated places in the Tasman District