Te Puru is a locality on the western side of the Coromandel Peninsula of New Zealand. State Highway 25 runs through it. Tapu lies about 7 km to the north, and Thames is about 12 km to the south. The Te Puru Stream and about 18 tributaries drain a steep hilly 23 km² area of the Coromandel Range, almost entirely covered by native forest. It runs through the settlement and into the Firth of Thames to the west. Flooding has been a problem. Te Puru track runs between Te Puru and Tapu-Coroglen road, intersecting with Waiomu Valley and Crosbies Main Range tramping tracks on the way.

Demographics

Te Puru is described by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement. It covers . Te Puru is part of the larger Thames Coast statistical area. Entry to Te Puru Track

Te Puru had a population of 537 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 33 people (6.5%) since the 2013 census, and a decrease of 3 people (−0.6%) 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 228 households, comprising 267 males and 270 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.99 males per female, with 66 people (12.3%) aged under 15 years, 45 (8.4%) aged 15 to 29, 222 (41.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 201 (37.4%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 89.9% European/ Pākehā, 20.1%

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 ...

, 1.7% Pacific peoples, 2.8%

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 2.8% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 56.4% had no religion, 30.7% 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 ...

, 1.1% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.6% 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 ...

, 0.6% were Buddhist and 3.4% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 60 (12.7%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 141 (29.9%) people had no formal qualifications. 33 people (7.0%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 135 (28.7%) people were employed full-time, 78 (16.6%) were part-time, and 24 (5.1%) were unemployed.

Thames Coast statistical area

Thames Coast statistical area, which also includes Tapu,

Waiomu Waiomu is a settlement on the west coast of the Coromandel Peninsula of New Zealand, between Tapu to the north and Te Puru to the south. runs through it. Waiomu Kauri Grove Walk is a hiking trail to a stand of New Zealand kauri trees in ...

Thornton Bay Thornton Bay is a settlement on the west coast of the Coromandel Peninsula of New Zealand, between Te Puru to the north and Whakatete Bay to the south. runs through it. Ngarimu Bay immediately to the south is considered to be part of the s ...

and

Ngarimu Bay Thornton Bay is a settlement on the west coast of the Coromandel Peninsula of New Zealand, between Te Puru to the north and Whakatete Bay to the south. runs through it. Ngarimu Bay immediately to the south is considered to be part of the s ...

, covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Thames Coast had a population of 1,704 at the

, an increase of 171 people (11.2%) since the 2013 census, and a decrease of 6 people (−0.4%) since the

. There were 717 households, comprising 846 males and 858 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.99 males per female. The median age was 58.1 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 198 people (11.6%) aged under 15 years, 162 (9.5%) aged 15 to 29, 735 (43.1%) aged 30 to 64, and 606 (35.6%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 89.6% European/ Pākehā, 19.0%

, 1.8% Pacific peoples, 1.8%

, and 2.1% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 14.4, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 53.0% had no religion, 34.0% were

, 0.7% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.2% were

, 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 ...

, 0.7% were Buddhist and 2.3% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 234 (15.5%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 372 (24.7%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $22,900, compared with $31,800 nationally. 141 people (9.4%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 471 (31.3%) people were employed full-time, 258 (17.1%) were part-time, and 60 (4.0%) were unemployed.

Education

Te Puru School Te Puru is a locality on the western side of the Coromandel Peninsula of New Zealand. State Highway 25 runs through it. Tapu lies about 7 km to the north, and Thames is about 12 km to the south. The Te Puru Stream and about 18 tribut ...

is a coeducational full primary (years 1-8) school with a roll of students as of

History

Te Puru suffered severe flooding in 2002, when a low-pressure system led to extensive flooding on the Coromandel Peninsula and the south-west Waikato region.NIWA - June 2002 Upper North Island Weather Bomb
Te Puru and Waiomu were included in the ‘high impact’ area of the storm.
Private and public property was damaged during the flood.

References

External links

Te Puru School website
{{Thames-Coromandel District Thames-Coromandel District Populated places in Waikato Populated places around the Firth of Thames