The town of Tairua is on the east coast of the

Coromandel Peninsula The Coromandel Peninsula ( mi, Te Tara-O-Te-Ika-A-Māui) on the North Island of New Zealand extends north from the western end of the Bay of Plenty, forming a natural barrier protecting the Hauraki Gulf and the Firth of Thames in the we ...

in the

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 ...

of New Zealand. It lies at the mouth of the

Tairua River The Tairua River is located on the Coromandel Peninsula in the North Island of New Zealand. It flows north and then northeast for a total of from its source in the Coromandel Range to the west of Whangamatā, passing through the town of Hik ...

on its north bank and on the small Paku Peninsula. Tairua is a

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 which translates literally as ''tai'': tides, ''rua'': two.Wises New Zealand Guide, 7th Edition, 1979. p. 412. Directly opposite Tairua on the south bank of the river's estuary is the smaller settlement of

Pauanui The town of Pauanui (a Māori language name meaning "big pāua (abalone)") is on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula in the North Island of New Zealand. It lies at the mouth of the Tairua River on its south bank, directly opposite the la ...

. The two settlements are 30 kilometres east of

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

although the town has closer connections with the sea side resort town

Whangamatā The town of Whangamatā is on the southeast coast of the Coromandel Peninsula in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located 30 kilometres north of Waihi, to the north of the western extremity of the Bay of Plenty. In holiday times the popu ...

. Several islands lie off the mouth of the river, notably

Slipper Island Slipper Island (Māori: ''Whakahau'') is located to the east of the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand's North Island and southeast of the town of Pauanui. History Approximately 18,000 years ago during the Last Glacial Maximum when sea level ...

to the southeast and the

Aldermen Islands The Aldermen Islands are a small group of rocky islets to the southeast of Mercury Bay in the North Island of New Zealand. They are located off the coast of the Coromandel Peninsula, east of the mouth of the Tairua River. The islands were nam ...

20 kilometres to the east. Mount Paku is an extinct volcano that lies by Tairua Harbour. It was thought to have formed the Alderman Islands.

History and features

The earliest occupation of the area was once thought to have been by early Polynesian explorers based on the discovery of a pearl-shell (not native to New Zealand) lure shank found here and originally carbon-dated to the 11th century. Subsequent reassessment of the archaeological site has resulted in dates in the 14th century. Early European settlers to the area, in the late 19th century, were primarily drawn by timber stocks (predominantly kauri) and gold prospecting. From the late 1960s Tairua has become a holiday destination, with major activities including

game fishing Game fish, sport fish or quarry refer to popular fish pursued by recreational anglers, and can be freshwater or saltwater fish. Game fish can be eaten after being caught, or released after capture. Some game fish are also targeted commerciall ...

scuba diving Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for "Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chris ...

, and

surfing Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitabl ...

. Radio Tairua is an independent radio station on frequency 88.3FM, which has broadcast to the area since May 2007. The local Oturu Marae is located in Tairua. It is a tribal meeting ground for Ngāti Rautao and includes the

Ngatau Wiwi The town of Tairua is on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula in the North Island of New Zealand. It lies at the mouth of the Tairua River on its north bank and on the small Paku Peninsula. Tairua is a Māori name which translates litera ...

meeting house.

Demographics

Tairua covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Tairua had a population of 1,479 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 252 people (20.5%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 213 people (16.8%) 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 636 households, comprising 747 males and 732 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.02 males per female. The median age was 56.9 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 213 people (14.4%) aged under 15 years, 123 (8.3%) aged 15 to 29, 624 (42.2%) aged 30 to 64, and 516 (34.9%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 89.9% European/

Pākehā Pākehā (or Pakeha; ; ) is a Māori term for New Zealanders primarily of European descent. Pākehā is not a legal concept and has no definition under New Zealand law. The term can apply to fair-skinned persons, or to any non-Māori New Ze ...

, 11.6%

, 2.2% Pacific peoples, 4.7%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, and 2.0% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 22.3, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 52.7% had no religion, 33.7% were

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

, 0.8% had Māori religious beliefs, 1.0% were

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

, 0.2% were

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

, 1.0% were

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

and 2.0% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 225 (17.8%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 240 (19.0%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $25,400, compared with $31,800 nationally. 129 people (10.2%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 465 (36.7%) people were employed full-time, 195 (15.4%) were part-time, and 27 (2.1%) were unemployed.

Climate

Tairua features an extremely mild

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...

(Köppen: Cfb) with no month having an average temperature above 20 °C or below 10 °C. As a result of this, temperatures above 30 °C or below 0 °C are almost unheard of with the town being a popular holiday location because of its mild weather, beautiful beaches and rugged hills and mountains. These surrounding hills and mountains also cause the city to see significant rainfall throughout the year, especially in winter which can often lead to flooding and slips which isolate the community (almost annually) for a day or two at a time. This high rainfall also leads to lush temperate rainforest vegetation surrounding the city.

Education

Tairua School is a coeducational full primary (years 1-8) school with a roll of as of Central Kids Tairua Kindergarten provides early childhood education for tamariki aged 2–5 years.

Notes

External links

Radio Tairua 88.3FMTairua.net
{{Authority control Thames-Coromandel District Populated places in Waikato