![Waipara 27](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/Waipara_27.jpg)
Waipara is a small town in north
Canterbury, New Zealand
Canterbury ( mi, Waitaha) is a region of New Zealand, located in the central-eastern South Island. The region covers an area of , making it the largest region in the country by area. It is home to a population of
The region in its current f ...
, on the banks of the
Waipara River. Its name translates to "Muddy Water", ''wai'' meaning water and ''para'' meaning mud.
It is at the junction of
state highways 1 and
7, 60 kilometres north of
Christchurch
Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...
.
Hanmer Springs is 76 kilometres (55 minutes drive) north of Waipara. It is also situated on the
Main North Line railway.
Waipara lies at one of the points of the Alpine Pacific Triangle, which also includes the major tourist centers of
Hanmer Springs and
Kaikoura.
The
Weka Pass Railway has its base in Waipara, and runs on 12 kilometres of track between there and
Waikari over the former route of the
Waiau Branch, a
branch line railway that diverged from the Main North Line and ran to
Waiau. The Glenmark station is based in Waipara.
The Glenmark church has closed down. It was damaged during the 2010 Christchurch earthquakes. The Waipara Hotel burnt down in 2014. It was not insured at the time and has not been replaced.
The Waipara region has a reputation as a premium area for the production of
Pinot noir
Pinot Noir () is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words for ''pine'' and ''black.' ...
,
Riesling and
Chardonnay
Chardonnay (, , ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern French wine, France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from English wine, Englan ...
. Waipara is sheltered by the Teviot hills from the prevailing cool easterly winds and has the highest summer temperatures and the lowest rainfall of any of the
New Zealand wine regions. Because of this, Waipara has over 26 wineries and 80 vineyards within the valley, which collectively produce around 100,000 cases of award-winning wine in an average year. Many of the vineyards offer tastings at their cellar doors and some also have restaurants attached.
There are a number of day walks close in Waipara including Tiromoana Bush Walkway and the Mt Cass Walkway which is closed during lambing season. Waipara would have been once been covered in
totara
''Podocarpus totara'' (; from the Maori-language ; the spelling "totara" is also common in English) is a species of podocarp tree endemic to New Zealand. It grows throughout the North Island and northeastern South Island in lowland, montane and ...
,
lacebark Lacebark is a common name for several plants, lacebark trees and may refer to:
* lacebark or lace-bark, a textile made from ''Lagetta lagetto'' species
* lacebark, a common name for species in the genus ''Brachychiton''
* lacebark, a common name fo ...
,
kowhai,
lancewood and broadleaf forest. It is now predominantly vineyards. There have been a number of ongoing projects to increase the biodiversity of the area. Work is ongoing to plant native species in Waipara's shelter belts, stream boundaries, pond edges and vineyard borders. These have provided benefits in pollination, pest control and weed suppression. It has worked so well that the plantings have resulted in a drop in the use of pesticides in the vineyards. The Waipara Environmental Trapping Association (WETA) is aiming to trap rats and other introduced species with the aim of making Waipara a predator-free paradise for native birds.
Fossils
Waipara is also known for some of the fossils discovered there including the
Waipara penguin
Waipara is a small town in north Canterbury, New Zealand, on the banks of the Waipara River. Its name translates to "Muddy Water", ''wai'' meaning water and ''para'' meaning mud.
It is at the junction of state highways 1 and 7, 60 kilometr ...
which is the second oldest penguin fossil to be found, a 62 million year old seabird ''
Protodontopteryx ruthae'' and the Waipara turtle which is estimated to grow to 3 meters long and weigh around 600 kg, The first example of the extinct
Haast's Eagle was found on Glenmark Station near Waipara in 1871.
Demographics
Waipara is defined by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement and covers .
It is part of the wider
Omihi statistical area.
Waipara had a population of 312 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 45 people (16.9%) since the
2013 census, and an increase of 54 people (20.9%) 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 117 households. There were 165 males and 150 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.1 males per female, with 66 people (21.2%) aged under 15 years, 42 (13.5%) aged 15 to 29, 153 (49.0%) aged 30 to 64, and 57 (18.3%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 94.2% European/Pākehā, 7.7% Māori, and 2.9% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities).
Although some people objected to giving their religion, 69.2% had no religion and 20.2% were Christian.
Of those at least 15 years old, 15 (6.1%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 72 (29.3%) people had no formal qualifications. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 141 (57.3%) people were employed full-time, 39 (15.9%) were part-time, and 6 (2.4%) were unemployed.
Education
![Waipara School 27](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Waipara_School_27.jpg)
Waipara School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students,
with a roll of as of .
Waipara School was established in 1917.
Sports
Waipara and Omihi are the catchment area to the Glenmark Rugby Club. The Glenmark rugby club rooms burnt down in 2015. There have been ten All Blacks who have played for Glenmark over the years including
Todd Blackadder,
Robbie Deans
Robert Maxwell Deans (born 4 September 1959) is a New Zealand rugby union coach and former player, currently the head coach of Japanese club Panasonic Wild Knights. He was head coach of the Australian national team between 2008 and 2013. Deans had ...
,
Bruce Deans,
Craig Green, and
Andy Earl. Glenmark has had success in the North Canterbury Rugby Competition winning the title in 2016 by beating the Ashley Rugby Club.
The Waipara Classic cycle race starts and finishes in Waipara. It has varied in length between 61 km and 90 km over the years.
Notable residents
George Henry Moore was the owner of Glenmark Station just to the north of Waipara. At one stage there were 90,000 sheep and it was the most valuable farm in New Zealand.
References
{{Hurunui District
Wine regions of New Zealand
Populated places in Canterbury, New Zealand
Hurunui District