![View of Mirimar Peninsula from the peak of Mount Kaukau](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9f/View_of_Mirimar_Peninsula_from_the_peak_of_Mount_Kaukau.jpg)
The large Miramar Peninsula ( mi, Te Motu Kairangi) is on the southeastern side of the city of
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
, New Zealand, at the entrance to Wellington Harbour, in Wellington's eastern suburbs. According to Māori legend, it was formed when the
taniwha
In Māori mythology, taniwha () are large supernatural beings that live in deep pools in rivers, dark caves, or in the sea, especially in places with dangerous currents or deceptive breakers (giant waves).
They may be considered highly respected ...
Whaitaitai beached as he tried to escape the confines of the harbour. It contains the suburb of
Miramar.
Situation
From above, the
peninsula
A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...
resembles the shape of a shark. Northwards, it juts into
Wellington Harbour (formerly known as Port Nicholson, and in
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 ...
as
Te Whanganui-a-Tara
Te Whanganui-a-Tara is the Māori name for Wellington Harbour. The term is also used to refer to the city of Wellington which lies on the shores of the harbour. ''Te Whanganui-a-Tara'' translates as "the great harbour of Tara", named for Tara, a s ...
, the Great Harbour of Tara). To the south are
Cook Strait
Cook Strait ( mi, Te Moana-o-Raukawa) separates the North and South Islands of New Zealand. The strait connects the Tasman Sea on the northwest with the South Pacific Ocean on the southeast. It is wide at its narrowest point,McLintock, A H, ...
and the South Pacific Ocean. The suburbs of
Kilbirnie
Kilbirnie ( Gaelic: ''Cill Bhraonaigh'') is a small town of 7,280 (as of 2001) inhabitants situated in the Garnock Valley area of North Ayrshire, on the west coast of Scotland. It is around southwest of Glasgow and approximately from Paisle ...
,
Lyall Bay
Lyall Bay is a bay and suburb on the south side of the Rongotai isthmus in Wellington, New Zealand.
The bay is a popular surf beach, featuring a breakwater at the eastern end. It is home to two surf lifesaving clubs and has also been the site of ...
,
Hataitai
Hataitai is an inner-city suburb of Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, 3.5 kilometres southeast of the city centre. The suburb extends over the southeastern flank of Mount Victoria and down a valley between the Town Belt and a ridge alon ...
and
Newtown, and the inner city, lie to the west. To the east a narrow stretch of water connects Wellington Harbour with Cook Strait and the open sea; beyond this channel are the scrubby
Eastbourne
Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. Eastbourne is immediately east of Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in Great Britain and part of the la ...
hills, and the high and forested
Ōrongorongo Ranges. From the peninsula's high points, an observer can look north to the
Hutt Valley
The Hutt Valley (or 'The Hutt') is the large area of fairly flat land in the Hutt River valley in the Wellington region of New Zealand. Like the river that flows through it, it takes its name from Sir William Hutt, a director of the New Zeala ...
and the
Tararua Ranges
The Tararua Range, often referred to as the Tararua Ranges or Tararua, is one of several mountain ranges in the North Island of New Zealand.
The Tararua Range runs northeast–southwest for from near Palmerston North to the upper reaches of ...
, or southwest across Cook Strait, to the high peaks of the Inland and Seaward
Kaikoura Ranges, which are often snowbound in winter.
Physical description of the peninsula
The peninsula has an area of . The coastline is rocky, with many coves, steep cliffs, and small pinnacles and caves, but there are also sweeping and sandy beaches, notably at
Breaker Bay
Breaker Bay is a suburb on the south east coast of Wellington City in New Zealand, on the Miramar Peninsula. The suburb contains a 600 m wide bay of the same name.
Geography
Breaker Bay is a thin strip of land along the southeast coast ...
,
Worser Bay
Worser Bay in Wellington, New Zealand is along the beach from Seatoun and over the hill from Miramar on the Miramar Peninsula. It has a calm sandy beach with a road running along the base of the Seatoun Heights hill. Houses run all along the hi ...
, Scorching Bay,
Moa Point
Moa Point is a small suburb in Wellington, New Zealand, situated on the south coast between Lyall Bay to the west and Tarakena Bay to the east. As of 2015 there were 21 households in the suburb.
Toponymy
The suburb got its name in 1926 when th ...
and Tarakena Bay. A high ridge running on an approximate north/south axis forms the spine of the peninsula, with high points Mount Crawford in the north and Beacon Hill in the south. The peninsula has a large area of low-lying land, the Miramar flats, and a smaller area of flat land at
Seatoun
Seatoun, an eastern suburb of Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand, lies on the east coast of the Miramar Peninsula, close to the entrance to Wellington Harbour (Port Nicholson), some seven kilometres southeast of the CBD. The suburb sit ...
, both of which are mainly covered in residential housing.
The peninsula is largely urbanized, with large suburbs of
Miramar,
Maupuia
Maupuia on the Miramar Peninsula is an eastern suburb of Wellington to the north-west of Miramar. Developed in the 1970s, it is in the Eastern Ward.
Maupuia had a usually resident population of 1,584 at the 2018 New Zealand census, similar t ...
,
Strathmore and
Seatoun
Seatoun, an eastern suburb of Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand, lies on the east coast of the Miramar Peninsula, close to the entrance to Wellington Harbour (Port Nicholson), some seven kilometres southeast of the CBD. The suburb sit ...
, and narrow strips of houses along the coast at Breaker Bay,
Karaka Bay
Karaka Bays is a suburb of Wellington, New Zealand. It lies on the northeast coast of the Miramar Peninsula, 6 km east-south-east of the city centre, and has an expansive view of Wellington Harbour. It takes its name from a New Zealand na ...
and Moa Point. The urban area is a mix of suburban housing, retail outlets, schools, light and service industries, recreation grounds (such as a golf course and sports fields), and Wellington Airport. There are also extensive areas of regenerating native bush, pine forest, and remnant farmland, as well as urban gardens. A narrow two-lane road circles the peninsula, providing a picturesque route around the many bays, coves and headlands.
At the entrance to Wellington Harbour, the rocks of
Barrett Reef
The cluster of rocks that is Barrett Reef (often known as ''Barrett's Reef'') is one of the most hazardous reefs in New Zealand.
It lies on the western side of the entrance of Wellington Harbour, on the approaches to the city of Wellington, at c ...
lie close to the shore of the peninsula. On 10 April 1968 , an inter-island ferry, foundered on Barrett Reef and later capsized near
Steeple Rock
Steeple Rock/Te Aroaro-o-Kupe is a large rock off Seatoun at the west of the entrance to Wellington Harbour, rising above sea level. The rock plays a role in warning ships off the coast. It is the location of a marine light and an unbeaconed tri ...
, a pinnacle just off Seatoun. 53 people were killed.
Weather
The peninsula is exposed to Wellington's prevailing northwest wind and the southerly wind. During southerly storms, big waves and swells batter the peninsula's rocky southern shore. The peninsula's topography, with its high ridges and small bays and coves, provides shelter from the wind in many places. On 15 August 2011, during a prolonged southerly storm, snow fell across the peninsula in the late morning, settling in light drifts on trees, streets and fields. Like other parts of Wellington, snowfall at sea level is a very rare occurrence.
Notable landmarks
Notable landmarks include:
;
Wellington International Airport
Wellington International Airport (formerly known as Rongotai Airport) is an international airport located in the suburb of Rongotai in Wellington. It lies 3 NM or 5.5 km south-east from the city centre. It is a hub for Air New Zealand an ...
: Its runway runs north-south along the western side, separating Miramar from
Rongotai
Rongotai is a suburb of Wellington, New Zealand, located southeast of the city centre. It is on the Rongotai isthmus, between the Miramar Peninsula and the suburbs of Kilbirnie and Lyall Bay. It is known mostly for being the location of the We ...
,
Lyall Bay
Lyall Bay is a bay and suburb on the south side of the Rongotai isthmus in Wellington, New Zealand.
The bay is a popular surf beach, featuring a breakwater at the eastern end. It is home to two surf lifesaving clubs and has also been the site of ...
and Kilbirnie. A tunnel for pedestrians and cyclists runs on a west/east axis beneath the runway, from Miro Street in Miramar to Coutts Street in Rongotai.
;
Massey Memorial
The Massey Memorial is the mausoleum of New Zealand Prime Minister William Massey, at Point Halswell on the Miramar Peninsula, Wellington, New Zealand.
History
Massey was Prime Minister from 1912 to 1925, when he died in office. After his death ...
: The marble mausoleum of Prime Minister
William Massey
William Ferguson Massey (26 March 1856 – 10 May 1925), commonly known as Bill Massey, was a politician who served as the 19th prime minister of New Zealand from May 1912 to May 1925. He was the founding leader of the Reform Party, New Zea ...
(1856 - 1925) sits on a headland at Point Halswell, at the northern tip of the peninsula. It can be accessed from Massey Road, along a short walking track.
; Atatürk Memorial: A plinth on a cliff overlooking Tarakena Bay and Cook Strait commemorates
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, or Mustafa Kemal Pasha until 1921, and Ghazi Mustafa Kemal from 1921 Surname Law (Turkey), until 1934 ( 1881 – 10 November 1938) was a Turkish Mareşal (Turkey), field marshal, Turkish National Movement, re ...
, founder of the Republic of Turkey, statesman and general, who led Turkish troops in action against New Zealand soldiers at
Gallipoli
The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles ...
in the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
; Rangitatau and Poito: Site of a Māori kainga (village) and
pa in bush above Tarakena Bay, near the Atatürk Memorial. In pre-European times, people of the
Ngai Tara
Ngai (also called Múrungu or Enkai) is the monolithic Supreme God in the spirituality of the Kikuyu (or Gikuyu) and the closely related Embu, Meru and Kamba groups of Kenya, and the Maasai of Kenya and Tanzania. Ngai is creator of the universe ...
and
Ngati Ira
''Ngati'' is a 1987 New Zealand feature film directed by Barry Barclay, written by Tama Poata and produced by John O'Shea.
Production
''Ngati'' is of historical and cultural significance in New Zealand as it is the first feature film written an ...
iwi
Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, an ...
lived here, using the site for fishing in Cook Strait. In 1819-20,
Nga Puhi and
Ngati Toa
''Ngati'' is a 1987 New Zealand feature film directed by Barry Barclay, written by Tama Poata and produced by John O'Shea.
Production
''Ngati'' is of historical and cultural significance in New Zealand as it is the first feature film written an ...
raiders attacked and sacked the pa, and killed, enslaved or drove off its inhabitants.
; Eastern Walkway: A walking track that traverses the main ridge from the Pass of Branda to Tarakena Bay. It runs for 2.5 km, passing mainly through regenerating native forest, and provides excellent views of Wellington city, the Miramar Peninsula, Wellington Harbour and Cook Strait.
; The Cutting:The Cutting was constructed through a low ridge on the peninsula's eastern side in the late 1890s, and widened in 1910. It provides a thoroughfare from Cobham Drive to Miramar Avenue and central Miramar.
; Wellington Blown Away sign:
![Wellington blown away sign](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Wellington_blown_away_sign.jpg)
A sign on a hill near the Miramar Cutting spells out 'Wellington' with the last few letters looking like they are blowing away in Wellington's famous winds. Originally Wellington Airport announced it would install a sign saying '
Wellywood
Wellywood is an informal name for the city of Wellington, New Zealand. The name—a conflation of Wellington and Hollywood—is a reference to the film production business established in the city by ''The Lord of the Rings'' film director Sir ...
', referencing the area's film industry, but this proposal was not popular so a competition was created by the airport and promoted by the Dominion Post newspaper. The winner of the design competition was 'Wellington Blown Away', designed by Matt Sellars and Raymond McKay of Saatchi and Saatchi. The sign was installed in 2012, and is intended to be seen from the air when landing from the north at Wellington Airport.
; Shelly Bay buildings: From 1885 to 1995,
Shelly Bay
Shelly Bay is a bay on the Miramar Peninsula of Wellington, New Zealand.
The area was settled by a collection of peoples from multiple Māori people, Māori iwi in the 1820s and 1830s. It was later bought by the New Zealand Company, in a sale t ...
was a naval and air force base, and many barracks, workshops, stores, wharves and slipways were built. Concrete munitions magazines are in pine forest above the bay. The area is now owned by local iwi, through the Port Nicholson Trust.
;
Fort Ballance: Fort Ballance was the premier fort in the Wellington area for 26 years (1885-1911). Used by the military over a period of 60 years (1885-1945), the 1880s layout of Fort Ballance is largely unaltered and a good impression of the original nineteenth century fort remains. The fort is a permanent reminder of the technology used in the coastal defence network of the 1880s and it is an early example of the use of concrete as a building material.
; Mt Crawford Prison: Wellington Prison, commonly known as Mt Crawford Prison, was located at the top of Mt Crawford, a peak on the ridge of hills forming a spine at the north end of the Miramar peninsula. The prison was opened in 1927 to replace the Victorian-era Terrace Gaol and was fully occupied by 1929. The prison included a
gallows
A gallows (or scaffold) is a frame or elevated beam, typically wooden, from which objects can be suspended (i.e., hung) or "weighed". Gallows were thus widely used to suspend public weighing scales for large and heavy objects such as sacks ...
and four men were hanged there, all in the 1930s. The prison closed in 2012.
LINZ
Linz ( , ; cs, Linec) is the capital of Upper Austria and third-largest city in Austria. In the north of the country, it is on the Danube south of the Czech border. In 2018, the population was 204,846.
In 2009, it was a European Capital of ...
took over management of the site, which is owned by the Defence Force and the Department of Corrections, but as of 2021 nothing had been done with it and the building remained derelict and the site a dumping ground for rubbish.
In 2019 there was a proposal by Taranaki Whānui – the commercial arm of the Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust – to build 300 homes on the site.
However a group of Taranaki Whānui members known as Mau Whenua opposed the housing development, saying they believe the land is sacred. In 2021 preliminary geotechnical drilling investigation was done at the site.:
Transport links
Cobham Drive is the main road connecting Miramar with the rest of Wellington city. It runs around the north end of Wellington Airport, at
Evans Bay
Evans Bay is an Arctic waterway in Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. Located off northwestern Bathurst Island, the bay is on the east side of Erskine Inlet, across from Île Vanier.
Other bays in the area include Dampier Bay and Cameron Bay ...
. Buses run frequently between Miramar and the city, and the harbour ferry connects with places around Wellington Harbour: Queens Wharf,
Days Bay
Days Bay is a residential area in Lower Hutt in the Wellington Region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is walled on three sides by steep bush-clad slopes. Most of its level land is occupied by Williams Park and an independent boys' prima ...
,
Petone
Petone (Māori: ''Pito-one''), a large suburb of Lower Hutt, Wellington, stands at the southern end of the Hutt Valley, on the northern shore of Wellington Harbour. The Māori name means "end of the sand beach".
Europeans first settled in Pe ...
, and
Matiu/Somes Island. A cycle path runs from Miramar to the central city, starting at Burnham Wharf and continuing along Cobham Drive, Evans Bay Parade and Oriental Parade.
Civic associations
The peninsula has several sports clubs:
Miramar Rangers
Miramar Rangers AFC is an amateur New Zealand association football club in the Wellington suburb of Miramar. The club is one of the most successful in New Zealand having won the Chatham Cup four times and the National League title twice. Over t ...
, a semi-professional football club, founded in 1907;
Seatoun AFC
Seatoun AFC is a football club in New Zealand, based in the Wellington suburb of Seatoun. The club was founded in 1909 by Charlie Webb. One of the strongest clubs in the country during the 1950s, it won the national knockout Chatham Cup in 1957 ...
, an amateur football club founded in 1909; and Oriental Rongotai Football Club ('Ories'), an amateur rugby club formed in 1888. The Eastern Suburbs Cricket Club, in nearby Kilbirnie, covers junior and senior cricketers on the peninsula.
Film industry
Film director
Peter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known as the director, writer and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy ( ...
has based his film production empire in Miramar, with studios, sound stages, and pre- and post-production facilities.
Weta Workshop, involved in many movies directed by Jackson, such as ''
The Lord of the Rings
''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's boo ...
'' film trilogy, ''
King Kong
King Kong is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. He has been dubbed The Eighth Wonder of the World, a phrase commonly used within the franchise. His first appearance was in the novelizat ...
'', and ''
The Hobbit
''The Hobbit, or There and Back Again'' is a children's fantasy novel by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published in 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the '' ...
'', is also in Miramar.
History
The
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 ...
name for the area when it was still an island was Te Motu Kairangi (meaning "esteemed" or "precious" island). The island was separated from the main island (
Te Ika a Māui) by a sea channel called Te Awa-a-Taia (the channel of Taia); this was where
Kilbirnie
Kilbirnie ( Gaelic: ''Cill Bhraonaigh'') is a small town of 7,280 (as of 2001) inhabitants situated in the Garnock Valley area of North Ayrshire, on the west coast of Scotland. It is around southwest of Glasgow and approximately from Paisle ...
is now. The peninsula area later became known as Hataitai or Whataitai.
Kupe and Centuries of Tangata Whenua
The island of Te Motu Kairangi was first settled as long ago as 950 AD when
Kupe
Kupe ( ~1180-1320) was a legendary Polynesian explorer, navigator and great rangatira of Hawaiki, who is said to have been the first human to discover New Zealand. Whether Kupe existed historically is likely but difficult to confirm. He is ge ...
the explorer arrived. Kupe first landed near
Seatoun
Seatoun, an eastern suburb of Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand, lies on the east coast of the Miramar Peninsula, close to the entrance to Wellington Harbour (Port Nicholson), some seven kilometres southeast of the CBD. The suburb sit ...
, and a large rock near the shore still bears the name
Te Ure-o-Kupe (Kupe’s penis) or Te Aroaro-o-Kupe (Kupe’s presence). The area was home in turn to Ngai Tara,
Rangitane,
Ngati Kahungungu,
Ngai Tahu
Ngai (also called Múrungu or Enkai) is the monolithic Supreme God in the spirituality of the Kikuyu (or Gikuyu) and the closely related Embu, Meru and Kamba groups of Kenya, and the Maasai of Kenya and Tanzania. Ngai is creator of the universe ...
,
Mua Upoko,
Ngāti Ira
Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, an ...
, and
Te Ati Awa.
Other iwi who may have dwelt here include Waitaha, Ngati Mamoe, Ngati Kuia, Ngati Kuru, and Ngati Mutunga.
Ngai Tara were the first to settle on the island, and built the first pā, named "Whetu Kairangi" (bountiful stars) on the hill overlooking
Worser Bay
Worser Bay in Wellington, New Zealand is along the beach from Seatoun and over the hill from Miramar on the Miramar Peninsula. It has a calm sandy beach with a road running along the base of the Seatoun Heights hill. Houses run all along the hi ...
. The name of Wellington Harbour "
Whanganui-a-Tara" (harbour of Tara) was also named for Tara.
Ngai Tahu lived in the peninsula on their long multi-generation migration southwards. They occupied pa already built as well as building their own.
Around 1460 AD an earthquake named "
Haowhenua" (earth swallower) raised the land, eliminating the shallow channel and joining the island to the mainland. This created a flat plain and freshwater lake in the centre of the peninsula. The lake was first called "Te Rotokura" (red lagoon) and later "Para". When Pākehā settled they named this lagoon "Burnham Water".
With the water channel in the east gone following the earthquake more fortifications and defensive pa were needed. Many
pā (a village, sometimes also a fortress) and
kainga (homes/dwellings) existed over many centuries with many changes, and include the following
* Kakariki-hutia Pa (built by Ngāti Ira) overlooking modern day Awa Road
* Kau-whakaara-waru on the east side of Point Halswell
* Mahanga (Te Mahanga Pa) near Kau Bay and above Mahanga Bay
* Manu-kai-kura,
a kainga in the small bay north of Shelly Bay
* Mataki-kai-poinga
on the western hill below Mount Crawford was originally built by Ngāti Kaitangata (a hapu of
Ngati Ira
''Ngati'' is a 1987 New Zealand feature film directed by Barry Barclay, written by Tama Poata and produced by John O'Shea.
Production
''Ngati'' is of historical and cultural significance in New Zealand as it is the first feature film written an ...
) under their chief Tuahitiri and later occupied by Ngai Tahu under their chief TioTio
* Maupuia Pa, a stockaded village built by Ngāti Hinepare, a hapu of
Ngāti Kahungnunu on the narrow part of Rongotai Ridge near the Wellington sign/Miramar cutting today
* Oruaiti Pa (the place of the small pit) built by Te Rerewa of Rangitane on the ridge at point Dorset
* Paewhenua, a kainga at Eve Bay west of Breaker Bay
* Poito Pa, a fortified village of Ngāti Ira near the Poti stream at Tarakena Bay (attacked and burned along with Rangitatau Pa in 1819-1820)
* Puhirangi Pa on the hill about the stream flowing into Scorching Bay on the ridge above Karaka Bay
* Rangitatau Pa was built by Ngai Tara. It was located above Seatoun and may have stretched as far as Pilot Hill and over to Lyall Bay. The principal whare of the pa was called "Raukawa" and a fishing rock offshore was called "Te Kai-whatawhata". Rangitatau was the largest pa on the peninsula and was inhabited over many centuries. It was often described as a "citadel" and was used by people living in nearby Poito village as a refuge during attacks. Both Poito and Rangitatau were destroyed by raiders in 1819-1820
* Tapu-te-Rangi pa is recorded on the map by McLeod and on plans by Crawford as being in Kilbirnie but this may be a mistake, as Tapu-te-Ranga is a name for the motu in island bay
* Te Whetu-kairangi, a kainga of Ngai Tara and
Muaupoko was above Worser Bay
* Paekawakawa Kainga is mentioned on McLeod's map but is believed by later historians to be mistaken for a place of the same name in Island Bay.
Pakeha Arrival
Captain Cook anchored off the coast near Miramar on his first visit to Aotearoa, and mapped much of the coastline but didn't record the harbour entrance. On his second voyage to Aotearoa he noted the entrance to Whanganui-a-Tara, and attempted unsuccessfully to enter the harbour. His diary entry reads:
November 2, 1773. We discovered on the east side of Cape Teerawhitte a new inlet I had never observed before. Being tired with beating against the N.W. winds, I resolved to put into this place, if I found it practicable, or to anchor in the bay which lies before it ……… At one o'clock we reached the entrance of the inlet, just as the tide of ebb was making out; the wind likewise against us, we anchored in twelve fathoms water, the bottom a fine sand. The easternmost of the Black Rocks, which lie on the larboard side of the entrance of the inlet, bore N. by E. one mile distant; Cape Teerawhitte, or the west point of the bay, west, distant about two leagues; and the east point of the bay N. by E. four or five miles.
Soon after we had anchored, several of the natives came off in their canoes; two from one shore, and one from the other. It required but little address to get three or four of them on board. These people were extravagantly fond of nails above every other thing. To one man I gave two cocks and two hens, which he received with so much indifference as gave me little hopes he would take proper care of them.
We had not been at anchor here above two hours, before the wind veered to N.E., with which we weighed, but the anchor was hardly at the bows before it shifted to south. With this we could but just lead out of the bay.
Musket wars and the Fall of Rangitatau
The citadel of Rangitatu was sacked and destroyed in late 1819-1820. The attack was led by Tuwhare the Toa.
The first people killed at the pa were working in nearby kumara fields. They included: Te Urahi and Puahu of Ngati Rangi, Te Wawapo of Ngati Ira, Takatua of Ngati Rakai, and a number of others, including Pauata, Kopani, Te Rongarua, Puakato, Hungahunga, Koroua and Huatoki, all men. Women slain were Huirua, Te Arahe, Pukurua, Te Koki, Te Rehu, Tangiaru, Hineuhi and Tihitihi. In all some 50 died.
Henry Maynard Christie recorded in 1899 that the burned totara palisades were still in the ground.
The land of Miramar was held by Te Āti Awa 20 years later when the
Treaty of Waitangi
The Treaty of Waitangi ( mi, Te Tiriti o Waitangi) is a document of central importance to the history, to the political constitution of the state, and to the national mythos of New Zealand. It has played a major role in the treatment of the M ...
was signed in 1840.
Farming
James Coutts Crawford
James Coutts Crawford (20 July 1760 – 10 May 1828) was an officer in the Royal Navy who served during the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.
Crawford first went to sea aboard merchant vessel ...
arrived in Wellington in 1839 and purchased five land orders from
The New Zealand Company. for 1,300 guineas, which included five acres of town land and 5,000 acres of country land, thus he acquired the Miramar peninsula which was then known as "Watt's Peninsula". Crawford established his cattle farm at the north end of the lake and named it "Glendavar". Crawford wrote in 1840 that the hills were "chiefly clothed with the common fern mixed with flax" and:
the flat may be said to have been chiefly occupied by water spread over about 200 acres of central area, and the water from it extended up the large swamps both to the north and south, lying, in general, nearly flush with the surface of the swamps.
Henry Maynard Christie documented two farms on the peninsula by 1847 which he called "Glandavar" and "Tetcott". Glandavar was in the north end close under the hills. Tetcott was owned by Francis Molesworth and was in the south east corner of the plain. Christie also mentions that Māori brought eels from Heretaunga (
Hutt River) and kept them in the lake as a store.
The Rotokua/Burnham Waters lake was drained by James Coutts Crawford in via a drainage tunnel built in 1847 (and widened in 1859) which was apparently New Zealand's first tunnel. This tunnel through Rongotai ridge is still there north of the 'Wellington' sign on Shelly Bay Road.
James Coutts Crawford named his house "Miramar" which is Spanish for "sea view". When the farmland was purchased by the City Council in 1901 to be sold for housing, the land was named as "Miramar Estate" which lead to the suburb retaining the name "Miramar".
New Zealand's first permanent racecourse was created in 1847 in Miramar: The Wellington Independent published the announcement of the new race course on 2 October 1847 as: "The undersigned, having made arrangement with the proprietor of the land situated between Burnham Water, and Lyall's Bay, for the formation of a Race Course".
In the 1880s the "Russian Scare" was gripping the nation, with people fearing an invasion by Russia. New Zealand embarked on building
fortifications
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
to defend itself from attack by sea. In an era when naval power was based mainly on battleships, Miramar Peninsula's strategic position made it ideal for coastal guns to prevent enemy warships from entering Wellington Harbour. Large coastal artillery fortifications were built at
Fort Ballance in 1885, and at
Fort Dorset from 1908
Miramar Borough
In the first years of the 20th century Miramar was still within "Hutt County" (which encompassed the whole Wellington region south of the
Waikanae river
Waikanae River is located on the Kapiti Coast in the North Island of New Zealand.
The river drains the western flanks of the Tararua Ranges around Reikorangi and the Akatarawa Valley, then passes to the south of the town of Waikanae to the nor ...
, excluding Wellington City). The rates levied by the county in 1902 rose from ¼d per £1 of the property's value up to a new rate of 1d per £1 of value. Very little had been spent in Miramar by the country for the previous decade, and locals expressed their anger at the increased rates, resulting in a reduction back to ¾d per £1. A local resident (Mr C.J. Crawford) contested this in the Supreme Court winning a ruling that "the rate charged must be in accordance with service rendered in each Riding". The anger continued when the Hutt County Council threatened to appeal to the Privy Council. A petition was collected among Miramar residents and presented to the Governor and on 10 November 1904 the Seatoun Road Board District was constituted as a Borough, and proclaimed in the
New Zealand Gazette
The ''New Zealand Gazette'' ( mi, Te Kāhiti o Aotearoa), commonly referred to as ''Gazette'', is the official newspaper of record (Government gazette) of the New Zealand Government. Published since 1840, it is the longest-running publication i ...
. Mr C.J. Crawford was subsequently elected the first Mayor of Miramar Borough Council. Miramar was not yet linked to Wellington city by road. There were three ferries from Miramar, Karaka Bay and Seatoun wharves. Some early accounts mention a land approach by "rough bullock track" over Constable Street hill over the sand isthmus. Miramar plain was entirely surrounded by hills at this time. Miramar Borough amalgamated with Wellington City on 31 January 1921.
1900s
Miramar Gas Works open in 1907(closed 1972)
Shelly bay
Shelly Bay is a bay on the Miramar Peninsula of Wellington, New Zealand.
The area was settled by a collection of peoples from multiple Māori people, Māori iwi in the 1820s and 1830s. It was later bought by the New Zealand Company, in a sale t ...
Naval base opened in 1907 and expanded in World War Two when ownership was transferred from the navy to the newly formed Air force, and expanded to include wharves for Sea Planes.
1910s
Wonderland amusement park opened in Miramar in 1907. It included a Japanese Tea-House, distorting mirrors, a
helter-skelter and an artificial lake. The park ran into financial troubles in 1910 and was sold to new owners, then shut permanently in 1912. A Brick factory operated on the eastern hills from 1919 to 1968. All that remains now is a brick wall lining Ira street. The streets of Miramar plain were lined with red bricks as curbing. Some still remains in south Miramar streets.
1920s
Miramar Borough amalgamated with Wellington City on 31 January 1921.
Rongotai aerodrome opened in 1929. This was in approximately the same location as Burger King Miramar is today.
1930s
New Zealand's first state house was built at
7 fife lane Miramar. Prime Minister
Michael Joseph Savage
Michael Joseph Savage (23 March 1872 – 27 March 1940) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 23rd prime minister of New Zealand, heading the First Labour Government from 1935 until his death in 1940.
Savage was born in the Colony ...
and several Cabinet ministers helped to carry in the furniture of Wellington bus conductor David McGregor and his wife Mary on 18 September 1937.
1940s
In the 1940s and the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
the peninsula was still an important component of an evolving coastal defence system, designed to protect the capital, harbour and hinterland from naval attack. . A look out post was built at Palmer Head in 1938. In the Second World War, the advent of naval air power made these coastal fortifications largely redundant, because an enemy could carry out aerial attacks, using planes launched from aircraft carriers well beyond the range of even the largest shore-based guns.
1950s
The hill to the west of the Miramar plain was flattened in the 1950s and used to reclaim land from the sea to form the new airport runway. The residential street of Rongotai Tce ran along the hill ridge and was completely removed and all houses demolished. Over the years since the airport was built the suburb names have drifted location. The houses in south west Miramar from the gasometer to the golf course were in Rongotai but the name has now drifted south west towards Rongotai College. Likewise a shore point named "Moa point" was subsumed into the southern end of the runway resulting in the name now only being used by to describe remaining houses to the east.
Wellington Airport
Wellington International Airport (formerly known as Rongotai Airport) is an international airport located in the suburb of Rongotai in Wellington. It lies 3 NM or 5.5 km south-east from the city centre. It is a hub for Air New Zealand an ...
in its current location was opened on 24 October 1959, replacing Rongotai Aerodrome.
References
{{coord, -41.320, 174.823, region:NZ_type:landmark_scale:100000, display=title
Wellington City
Peninsulas of New Zealand
Landforms of the Wellington Region
Wellington Harbour