![Tapawera museum](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/Tapawera_museum.jpg)
Tapawera is a small town in the
Tasman District
Tasman District () is a local government district in the northwest of the South Island of New Zealand. It borders the Canterbury Region, West Coast Region, Marlborough Region and Nelson City. It is administered by the Tasman District Council, ...
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 ...
's
South Island. It is located southwest of
Nelson
Nelson may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey
* ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers
* ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...
and southeast of
Motueka
Motueka is a town in the South Island of New Zealand, close to the mouth of the Motueka River on the western shore of Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere. It is the second largest in the Tasman Region, with a population of as of
The surrounding ...
. It is situated on the Motueka Valley Highway (formerly ) by the banks of the
Motueka River
The Motueka River is located in the north of the South Island of New Zealand and is a popular tourist destination for watersports and fishing. The Motueka flows from the mountains 40 km west of the city of Nelson in the southeast of the ca ...
.
History
Tapawera began its life when the
Nelson Section
The Nelson Section was an isolated government-owned railway line between Nelson and Glenhope in the Tasman district of New Zealand's South Island. While part of the New Zealand Government Railways, the section was never connected to the natio ...
railway edged down the Motueka Valley at the opening of the 20th century. Before the railway construction in the area the Ferry Inn at the ford crossing of the Motueka River was the only building in the vicinity.
The railway construction camp was situated there for several years and was named Maniaroa after a nearby farming property.
As the railway advanced down the valley growth came with it. A butchery and bakery were followed by a grocery store, and in 1902 the Upper Motueka Valley School was relocated to Maniaroa using a traction engine. The name Tapawera came with the opening of a Post Office in 1905 and the railway station in 1906.
Tapawera was soon acting as a centre for the surrounding area, supplanting Upper Motueka Valley as the largest settlement beyond Spooners. Upper Motueka Valley lost not only its pre-eminence but its name when it was renamed Mararewa after the station.
Economy
Generally agriculture has surrounded Tapawera but berry growing has been notable up the Tadmor Valley.
Hop growing has been a feature of the Rakau area towards Tadmor for about a century and has boomed in recent years nearer Tapawera itself so that there are hop farms along the Motueka Valley Highway between the township and Kohatu, from the township heading towards Motueka, and up the Tapawera-Baton Road.
Demographics
Tapawera
![Motueka River at Tapawera](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/Motueka_River_at_Tapawera.jpg)
Tapawera, comprising the SA1 statistical areas of 7022688, 7022689 and 7022690, covers .
It had a population of 330 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 18 people (5.8%) since the
2013 census, and an increase of 6 people (1.9%) 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 120 households. There were 171 males and 162 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.06 males per female, with 75 people (22.7%) aged under 15 years, 63 (19.1%) aged 15 to 29, 144 (43.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 60 (18.2%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 91.8% European/Pākehā, 17.3% Māori, 0.9% Pacific peoples, 1.8% Asian, and 1.8% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities).
Although some people objected to giving their religion, 70.0% had no religion, 21.8% were Christian, 0.9% were Hindu and 1.8% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 24 (9.4%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 60 (23.5%) people had no formal qualifications. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 135 (52.9%) people were employed full-time, 33 (12.9%) were part-time, and 12 (4.7%) were unemployed.
Golden Downs statistical area
The larger Golden Downs SA2 statistical area covers .
It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km
2.
![Tapawera 27](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/Tapawera_27.jpg)
Golden Downs had a population of 1,827 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 117 people (6.8%) since the
2013 census, and an increase of 87 people (5.0%) 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 678 households. There were 960 males and 867 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.11 males per female. The median age was 44.5 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 342 people (18.7%) aged under 15 years, 285 (15.6%) aged 15 to 29, 924 (50.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 279 (15.3%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 93.9% European/Pākehā, 11.0% Māori, 0.8% Pacific peoples, 1.3% Asian, and 1.5% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities).
The proportion of people born overseas was 14.4%, compared with 27.1% nationally.
Although some people objected to giving their religion, 64.7% had no religion, 24.1% were Christian, 0.2% were Hindu, 0.3% were Buddhist and 1.5% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 180 (12.1%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 333 (22.4%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $28,400, compared with $31,800 nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 804 (54.1%) people were employed full-time, 261 (17.6%) were part-time, and 27 (1.8%) were unemployed.
Amenities
![Tapawera hops](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/Tapawera_hops.jpg)
Tapawera's facilities include a school, a
Four Square
Four square is a team sport played among two teams with two players each on a square court divided into four quadrants: A, B, C, and D (usually numbers 3, 4, 2, and 1, respectively, depending on the court.) The square that a player gets to bef ...
supermarket, a hotel (bar and restaurant), a cafe, a campground, a petrol station, a fitness centre and a vehicle workshop.
Attractions
Tapawera is a gateway to the
Kahurangi National Park
Kahurangi National Park in the northwest of the South Island of New Zealand is the second largest of the thirteen national parks of New Zealand. It was gazetted in 1996 and covers , ranging to near Golden Bay in the north. Much of what was t ...
. There are several shorter tracks accessible from Tapawera but the main attraction in this corner of the park is the
Wangapeka Track
The Wangapeka Track is a tramping track in the north-west of the South Island of New Zealand. It is one of the main tramping tracks in the Kahurangi National Park, a protected area managed by the Department of Conservation. The route travers ...
which crosses to the West Coast south of
Karamea
Karamea is a town on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is the northernmost settlement of any real size on the West Coast, and is located northeast by road from Westport. Apart from a narrow coastal strip, the town of Kara ...
. Access to the track is via the Tadmor-Bushend Road and on to the Wangapeka valley. At the junction of the Wangapeka and Dart rivers there is a concrete ford (which needs care) over the Dart River. After seven kilometres there is the Siberia Flat campsite and the Wangapeka Track starts 1 km further on, at the Rolling River carpark.
Shedwood Bush Conservation Area: This area of native bush along the eastern edge of the village offers walks and a scenic lookout.
The Hidden Sculpture Garden is 5 km from town towards Kohatu.
Cycle Tourism
Tapawera is part of two increasingly popular cycle trails.
Tapawera sits astrid
Tasman’s Great Taste Trail. The trail starts in Nelson and takes cyclists to Richmond, Brightwater, Wakefield, and through the 1.4km-long Spooners Tunnel to Kohatu. The trail from Kohatu to Tapawera is off-road except for one short section on road. From Tapawera cyclists can now journey on a picturesque route up Tapawera-Baton Road, which further up the valley follows the Wangapeka River. The gravel road then takes cyclists over a saddle to the Baton River. A swingbridge over the Baton was opened in April 2022. After crossing the river the trail follows the Baton Valley Road to the Baton Bridge at Woodstock. There is work still to be done on the next section but cyclists follow the Motueka West Bank Road to Riwaka.
The gravel road sections on this part of the trail call for caution, especially further up the Tapawera-Baton Road, as they can be busier than some people expect including with heavy vehicles. Dust is also an issue.
The township is also the starting point of the Tapawera to Murchiso
Heartland Ridewhich travels up the Tadmor Valley to Glenhope and then on to Murchison via Lake Rotoroa.
Tapawera is also on the route for th
which is now held annually. This event travels the length of the country and in Tasman follows the Great Taste Trail to Tapawera and then the route of the Tapawera to Murchison Heartland ride.
Education
![School information boards at Tapawera](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/School_information_boards_at_Tapawera.jpg)
Tapawera Area School is a co-educational state area school for Year 1 to 13 students.
The school was established in 1942 as the 'Consolidated School' which was formed through the closure and combining of a number of small primary schools across the region. The local schools that closed in 1942 when the new school first opened were Golden Downs, Kiwi, Korere, Matariki, Motupiko, Stanley Brook, Tadmor, Tapawera, Tui, and Woodstock. Schools closed earlier were Mararewa (1902), Sherry River (1940), and Wangapeka (1938).
The history of education in the Tapawera area is marked with a series of informative panels and carvings running alongside the school's tennis courts.
Later the school became a District High School and then finally an Area School.
It has a roll of as of .
St Peter's Church
St Peter's Community Church was consecrated in 1958.
Government
Local: Tapawera is in the
Lakes-Murchison Ward
Lakes-Murchison Ward is a ward of Tasman District in the north of the South Island
The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous ...
of th
Tasman District Council The current mayor is Tim King and the ward councillor is Stuart Bryant.
Another channel to the district council is through the Tapawera and Districts Community Council, one of a number of community organisations throughout Tasman which support and advocate for residents in their local communities and make submissions to the TDC. The community council has representatives from across the Tapawera area.
National: Tapawera falls under the
West Coast-Tasman electorate which was held in th
2020 General Electionby Labour MP Damien O'Connor.
References
External links
- a history focusing on the old accommodation house established at the future site of the Tapawera township
{{Tasman District
Populated places in the Tasman District