Pāuatahanui (; ) is a village in New Zealand's
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 ...
. It is at the far eastern end of what was known as the
Pāuatahanui Inlet (since renamed to Te Awarua-o-Porirua Harbour), an arm of the
Porirua Harbour
Te Awarua-o-Porirua Harbour, commonly known as Porirua Harbour, is a natural inlet in the south-western coast of the North Island of New Zealand.
The harbour is within the main urban area of the Wellington Region, and is surrounded by the city of ...
, northeast 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 ...
. In local government terms, Pāuatahanui is part of the Northern Ward of
Porirua
Porirua, ( mi, Pari-ā-Rua) a city in the Wellington Region of the North Island of New Zealand, is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington metropolitan area. The name 'Porirua' is a corruption of 'Pari-rua', meaning "the tide swee ...
City.
History
Early settlement and history
After
Te Rangihaeata
Te Rangihaeata ( 1780s – 18 November 1855), was a Ngāti Toa chief, nephew of Te Rauparaha. He had a leading part in the Wairau Affray and the Hutt Valley Campaign.
Early life
A member of the Ngāti Toa, he was born at Kawhia around 1780. Hi ...
was beaten in the 1846
Hutt Valley Campaign the area became safer as a route from 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 ...
via
Belmont and
Judgeford
Judgeford is a suburb of Porirua, a city near Wellington, New Zealand. The main buildings are a dog boarding place called Judgeford Kennels and Cattery, Judgeford golf course, some light industrial and other businesses, and houses. The closest sch ...
and on to the north, via
Paekākāriki
Paekākāriki () is a town in the Kapiti Coast District in the south-western North Island, New Zealand, and one of the northernmost suburbs of Wellington. It lies north of Porirua and northeast of the Wellington CBD. The town's name comes from ...
to the
Manawatū and
Wanganui
Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whangan ...
. The road from Wellington reached Pāuatahanui in September 1848, and a reliable road to the north as far as Paekākāriki was completed by November 1849. Known nowadays as the "Paekākāriki Hill Road", it continued to be the main road north until the road bridge was built at
Paremata
Paremata is a suburb of Porirua, on the Tasman Sea coast to the north of Wellington, New Zealand.
History
Early history
The modern suburb, just south of Plimmerton, derives its name from the "Paremata Barracks", erected on the north shore of P ...
in 1939. Access from the Hutt Valley was also upgraded to a road in 1873, and the road that was to become State Highway 58 from
Haywards
Haywards is a small hillside suburb in the Hutt Valley near Wellington, New Zealand. It is notable for its large electrical substation, which is the main switching point for the Wellington region, and the home of the North Island converter sta ...
was established in the 1870s.
The first non-denominational Protestant chapel was built about 1856, and from 1861 Anglican services were held by a visiting clergyman once a fortnight. Congregations dwindled with an Anglican church built. It became tumbledown, and was demolished around 1910. Other churches were St Joseph's Catholic Church (1878) and St Alban's Anglican Church (1898).
The first hotel was constructed in 1847 by former whalers Edward Boulton and Thomas Wilson. Burned down in 1859, it was replaced by a fourteen-room Boultons Hotel. From 1865 other hotels were the Horokiwi Hotel, the Pauatahanui Hotel, the Empire Hotel and the Junction Hotel, largely to serve the Cobb and Co stagecoach traffic. In 1912 the area went "dry" and all the hotel bars closed. In the 1911 electoral redistribution the area was transferred from the electorate to the new electorate, and no longer had
William Field as an MP. The new electorate was "dry" as the precursor electorate had already voted "dry" in the .
A community hall was built in 1904. It was demolished in 1966 and replaced.
In World War II the
US Marines
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
had four camps in the Pāuatahanui area; at Judgeford, at the Porirua side of the foot of the Haywards Hill, at Motukaraka, and in the Moonshine Valley. The Judgedford camp accommodated 3,755 men, the Moonshine camp had a recreation hall and a vehicle servicing depot, and the Haywards camp had a large theatre for the troops. Apart from a few huts for officers, most of the marines were in bell tents.
Environmental preservation
![Pauatahanui Inlet-20070919](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/Pauatahanui_Inlet-20070919.jpg)
In the early 1970s the development of sections at
Whitby
Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England. Situated on the east coast of Yorkshire at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby has a maritime, mineral and tourist heritage. Its East Clif ...
on the south of the Pāuatahanui Inlet caused noticeable silting and raised community concerns. This ultimately led to a detailed 3-year environmental study in 1975–1977, which was published as a book in 1980. Subsequently the
Pāuatahanui Wildlife Reserve was created, in 1984, in order to preserve the only large
estuarine
An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...
wetland
A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...
left in the lower
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 ...
. The wetland reserve is run by the
Royal Forest and Bird Society with ongoing efforts to reduce
human impact on the environment
Human impact on the environment (or anthropogenic impact) refers to changes to biophysical environments and to ecosystems, biodiversity, and natural resources caused directly or indirectly by humans. Modifying the environment to fit the need ...
and to restore damaged areas. The reserve has several hides for viewing birdlife, boardwalks, and some barbecue / picnic areas for visitors.
Demographics
Pāuatahanui statistical area covers .
It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km
2.
Pāuatahanui had a population of 966 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 42 people (4.5%) since the
2013 census, and an increase of 192 people (24.8%) 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 312 households. There were 492 males and 471 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.04 males per female. The median age was 44.3 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 195 people (20.2%) aged under 15 years, 162 (16.8%) aged 15 to 29, 507 (52.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 102 (10.6%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 95.3% European/Pākehā, 7.1% Māori, 2.2% Pacific peoples, 0.9% Asian, and 2.5% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities).
The proportion of people born overseas was 21.4%, compared with 27.1% nationally.
Although some people objected to giving their religion, 56.8% had no religion, 34.8% were Christian, 0.3% were Buddhist and 0.9% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 234 (30.4%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 72 (9.3%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $52,400, compared with $31,800 nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 480 (62.3%) people were employed full-time, 120 (15.6%) were part-time, and 21 (2.7%) were unemployed.
Education
Pauatahanui School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students,
with a roll of as of .
It was established in 1855, originally in an undenominational chapel on the site of Rangihaeata's pā, and later in the military barracks vacated by the troops, making it one of the oldest schools in New Zealand.
The nearest secondary schools to Pāuatahanui are
Aotea College
Aotea College is a state co-educational secondary school located in Porirua, New Zealand. Founded in 1978, the school serves students for Year 9 to 13 (ages 12 to 18) across the northern suburbs of Porirua.
Demographics
At the September 2013 Ed ...
in
Aotea and
Porirua College in
Cannons Creek, both roughly 8.5 km away.
Road links
State Highway 58 skims the southern fringe of the village and
State Highway 1
The following highways are numbered 1.
For roads numbered A1, see list of A1 roads.
For roads numbered B1, see list of B1 roads.
For roads numbered M1, see List of M1 roads.
For roads numbered N1, see list of N1 roads.
For roads numbere ...
(as the
Transmission Gully Motorway
The Transmission Gully Motorway () is a , four-lane motorway north of Wellington, New Zealand; it is part of the State Highway 1 route. Construction began on 8 September 2014 and completion was originally scheduled for April 2020, but contractua ...
) lies just to the east of it; the two roads intersect at a
diamond interchange
A diamond interchange is a common type of road junction, used where a controlled-access highway crosses a minor road.
Design
The freeway itself is grade-separated from the minor road, one crossing the other over a bridge. Approaching the ...
to the south of Pāuatahanui. SH 1 links Pāuatahanui to
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 ...
in the south and the
Kapiti Coast District
The Kapiti Coast District is a local government district of the Wellington Region in the lower North Island of New Zealand, 50 km north of Wellington City. The district is named after Kapiti Island, a prominent island offshore.
The popu ...
(and beyond to the rest of the North Island) to the north, while SH 58 to the east leads to
Judgeford
Judgeford is a suburb of Porirua, a city near Wellington, New Zealand. The main buildings are a dog boarding place called Judgeford Kennels and Cattery, Judgeford golf course, some light industrial and other businesses, and houses. The closest sch ...
and
SH 2 in 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 to the west skirts the southern edge of the Pāuatahanui Inlet to meet
SH 59 at
Paremata
Paremata is a suburb of Porirua, on the Tasman Sea coast to the north of Wellington, New Zealand.
History
Early history
The modern suburb, just south of Plimmerton, derives its name from the "Paremata Barracks", erected on the north shore of P ...
.
Other significant road links include Paekākāriki Hill Road which leaves SH 58 at a roundabout just to the west of the Transmission Gully interchange, provides the main road through the village itself, and continues to the
Horokiri Valley and
Paekākāriki
Paekākāriki () is a town in the Kapiti Coast District in the south-western North Island, New Zealand, and one of the northernmost suburbs of Wellington. It lies north of Porirua and northeast of the Wellington CBD. The town's name comes from ...
(but is a slower route to Paekākāriki than the Transmission Gully Motorway, despite being the shortest route). Grays Road branches off from Paekākāriki Hill Road a short distance to the north of the village, and follows the northern edge of the Pāuatahanui Inlet to meet SH 59 at
Plimmerton
The suburb of Plimmerton lies in the northwest part of the city of Porirua in New Zealand, adjacent to some of the city's more congenial beaches. State Highway 59 and the North Island Main Trunk railway line pass just east of the main shopping an ...
.
Notable buildings
![St albans pauatahanui](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/St_albans_pauatahanui.jpg)
Pāuatahanui has a group of regionally significant 19th century buildings. They include
St Alban's Church, St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church,
Thomas Hollis Stace Cottage, Barrys Place Historical Cottage and the
Taylor-Stace Cottage.
Built in 1847, Taylor-Stace Cottage is the Wellington region's oldest surviving house, and is currently used as a beauty salon.
The former community hall (erected in 1967) was leased to a local company in 2003 and converted into the Light House Cinema, the only cinema in Porirua's northeastern area.
References
*
External links
I touch mapThe Pauatahanui Community Portal2001 census data for PauatahanuiGuardians of Pauatahanui Inlet's official website
{{Porirua
Populated places in the Wellington Region
Suburbs of Porirua