Opua is a locality in the Bay of Islands, in the sub-tropical Northland Region of

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 ...

. It is notable as the first port for overseas yachts arriving in the country after crossing the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

. In the original 1870s plans for the town, it was named Newport. The town of

Paihia Paihia is the main tourist town in the Bay of Islands in the Northland Region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is 60 kilometres north of Whangārei, located close to the historic towns of Russell and Kerikeri. Missionary Henry William ...

is nearby, and the small settlement of

Te Haumi Te Haumi is a settlement south-east of Paihia and north-west of Opua in the Bay of Islands area of Northland Region, New Zealand. The Rangatira (Chief) Tohitapu Tohitapu also known as Tohi or Toi-Tapu (died 14 July 1833) was a rangatira (chief ...

is in between. The car ferry across the Bay of Islands, the main tourist access to Russell, runs between Opua and Okiato. The New Zealand

Ministry for Culture and Heritage The Ministry for Culture and Heritage (MCH; ) is the department of the New Zealand Government responsible for supporting the arts, culture, built heritage, sport and recreation, and broadcasting sectors in New Zealand and advising government on ...

gives a translation of "place of the flower" for ''Ōpua''. The Waimangaro area north-west of Opua is listed on the Ngāpuhi and Te Puni Kōkiri websites as a traditional meeting point of the Ngāpuhi

hapū In Māori and New Zealand English, a ' ("subtribe", or "clan") functions as "the basic political unit within Māori society". A Māori person can belong to or have links to many hapū. Historically, each hapū had its own chief and normally opera ...

of Te Uri Ongaonga.

Demographics

Opua, including

to the north, covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Opua had a population of 1,137 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 129 people (12.8%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 30 people (2.7%) 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 495 households, comprising 558 males and 579 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.96 males per female. The median age was 56.2 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 120 people (10.6%) aged under 15 years, 108 (9.5%) aged 15 to 29, 552 (48.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 354 (31.1%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 85.5% European/Pākehā, 17.4% Māori, 2.9% Pacific peoples, 3.7% Asian, and 2.4% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 31.1, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 56.5% had no religion, 32.7% were Christian, 0.5% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.3% were Hindu, 0.3% were Muslim, 0.8% were Buddhist and 1.8% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 213 (20.9%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 126 (12.4%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $27,300, compared with $31,800 nationally. 126 people (12.4%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 429 (42.2%) people were employed full-time, 159 (15.6%) were part-time, and 24 (2.4%) were unemployed.

Port of entry

Opua is New Zealand's northernmost port of entry for overseas vessels, and a Customs and Ministry for Primary Industries Place of First Arrival. It is a popular destination for cruising yachts owing to its sheltered, deep water anchorage, and numerous facilities for cruisers, including the 250-berth Opua Marina, Ashby's Boatyard and Opua Cruising Club.

Railway

The

Opua Branch The Opua Branch or Otiria-Opua Industrial Line, partially still operational as the Bay of Islands Vintage Railway, is a former section of the North Auckland Line in the Northland Region of New Zealand, between Otiria and the Bay of Islands towns ...

, a branch line

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

sometimes considered part of the North Auckland Line, formerly served the town. The first railway link, from Opua to Kawakawa, opened on 7 April 1884. When the North Auckland Line was completed in 1925, a thrice weekly passenger express train called the

Northland Express The ''Northland Express'', also known as the ''Opua Express'', was an express passenger train operated by the New Zealand Railways Department between 1925 and 1956. It ran from Auckland via Whangarei to Opua in the Bay of Islands. Operation On ...

operated directly to

Opua Opua is a locality in the Bay of Islands, in the sub-tropical Northland Region of New Zealand. It is notable as the first port for overseas yachts arriving in the country after crossing the Pacific Ocean. In the original 1870s plans for the ...

from

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 ...

. In November 1956, this was replaced by a

railcar A railcar (not to be confused with a railway car) is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coach (carriage, car), with a drive ...

service run by RM class 88 seaters, but this service terminated at the other northern terminus, Okaihau on the

Okaihau Branch The Okaihau Branch, sometimes known as the Kaikohe Branch and rarely the Rangiahua Branch, was a branch line railway that joined the North Auckland Line of the national rail network of New Zealand at Otiria. It was the most northerly line in ...

. Opua passengers thus had to use mixed trains that carried freight as well as passengers; these trains ceased on 18 June 1976 when the line became freight-only. As Opua's use as a commercial port declined, so did the freight traffic on the railway, and it was last used in 1985. The line was then leased to the Bay of Islands Vintage Railway, who have operated tourist services between Opua and Kawakawa, with a break when the

Land Transport Safety Authority Land Transport New Zealand was a Crown entity in New Zealand, tasked with promoting safe and functional transport by land, and includes responsibilities such as driver and vehicle licensing. It was created on 1 December 2004 by the Land Transpor ...

withdrew the line's operating licence. Part of the line in Opua is now on private land, and restoration by the vintage railway trust is proceeding.

Education

The local primary school, Opua School, is a coeducational full primary (years 1-8, with 5 classrooms) school with a roll of students as of The school was established in 1886. It has an open and easy-going policy of enrolling the children of overseas families mooring in the Bay for weeks or months at a time – making it a highly international school for a small community.

Notable people

* Myra Larcombe (1927–2022), swimming coach and police officer *

Harold Rushworth Harold Montague Rushworth (18 August 1880 – 25 April 1950) was a New Zealand politician of the Country Party. Early life Rushworth was born in Croydon, England and was educated at Rugby School and Jesus College, Oxford, graduating with a ...

(1880–1950), politician and farmer

References

External links

Opua Marina

Opua Cruising Club
{{Far North District Far North District Populated places in the Northland Region Bay of Islands