Huapai is a locality north-west of

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

, New Zealand. State Highway 16 and the North Auckland Railway Line pass through it. Kumeū is adjacent to the east, Riverhead is to the north-east, and

Waimauku Waimauku is a small locality in the Auckland Region of New Zealand. It comes under the jurisdiction of Auckland Council, and is in the council's Rodney ward. Waimauku is approximately 4 kilometres west of Huapai on State Highway 16 at the ju ...

to the west.

History

The area was historically important to

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 ...

, as it formed a section of Te Tōangaroa, the portage linking the

Kaipara Harbour Kaipara Harbour is a large enclosed harbour estuary complex on the north western side of the North Island of New Zealand. The northern part of the harbour is administered by the Kaipara District and the southern part is administered by the Auckla ...

with the

Waitematā Harbour Waitematā Harbour is the main access by sea to Auckland, New Zealand. For this reason it is often referred to as Auckland Harbour, despite the fact that it is one of two harbours adjoining the city. The harbour forms the northern and easter ...

via the Kumeū River. The area is a part of the traditional

rohe The Māori people of New Zealand use the word ''rohe'' to describe the territory or boundaries of ''iwi'' (tribes), although some divide their rohe into several ''takiwā''. The areas shown on the map (right) are indicative only, and some iwi ...

of Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara and

Te Kawerau ā Maki Te Kawerau ā Maki, Te Kawerau a Maki, or Te Kawerau-a-Maki is a Māori ''iwi'' (tribe) of the Auckland Region of New Zealand. It had 251 registered adult members as of June 2017. Auckland Council gave it land for a marae at Te Henga (Bethells ...

, and was traditionally known as Tūrakiawatea. During early European settlement, the area was an important transport corridor between the Kaipara Harbour and Waitematā Harbour. In 1875, the Kumeu–Riverhead Section of railway was opened. In July 1881, the

North Auckland Line The North Auckland Line (designation NAL) is a major section of New Zealand's national rail network, and is made up of the following parts: the portion of track that runs northward from Westfield Junction to Newmarket Station; from there, w ...

linking Auckland to

Helensville Helensville is a town in the North Island of New Zealand. It is sited northwest of Auckland, close to the southern extremity of the Kaipara Harbour. State Highway 16 passes through the town, connecting it to Waimauku to the south, and Kaukap ...

opened, causing significant growth in the Kumeū area. Huapai grew as a community from 1915 onwards, when it was promoted as an area well suited for fruit growing. The name Huapai was coined during the 1910s, and means "good fruit" in Māori. The locality is part of the Kumeū wine growing district, with grapes first planted at Huapai by Nikola Nobilo in 1943.

Governance

Huapai is part of the Local Government Rodney Ward of Auckland Council and is part of the Kumeū Subdivision of the

Rodney Local Board Rodney Local Board is one of the 21 local boards of Auckland Council, and is administered by the ward councillor representing Rodney Ward. Located in the northern part of the Auckland region, it is named after the former Rodney District which e ...

. Huapai is in the Helensville Electorate however proposed Boundary changes in late 2019 could change this. The Local MP's electorate office is based in Huapai.

Huapai School

Huapai District School is a coeducational full primary school (years 1–8), with a decile rating of 9 and a roll of 436 in 2013.
/ref> Huapai School currently hosts 22 classrooms and has a roll of students as of The school has one large and one medium-sized field, with

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who primarily use their feet to propel the Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular field ca ...

and rugby goals respectively, and two playgrounds, with another soon-to-be built adventure playground worth over NZ$50,000. There is a sealed bike track covering the whole school, as well as a BMX track for students. The school also has a tennis / hockey court, swimming pool, flag court, dedicated music suite, professional audio system, and a soon-to-be built completely new administration block including a large library.

References

External links

Huapai District School
Rodney District Populated places in the Auckland Region West Auckland, New Zealand {{Auckland-geo-stub