Whangapoua is a small settlement of mostly holiday houses located on 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 ...

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 ...

. It is situated 25 minutes drive east over the

Coromandel Range A true-colour image showing Auckland city (left), the Hauraki Gulf (centre) and the Coromandel Peninsula (right). The scene was acquired by NASA's Terra satellite, on October 23, 2002. The Coromandel Range is a mountain range running the length ...

from

Coromandel Coromandel may refer to: Places India *Coromandel Coast, India **Presidency of Coromandel and Bengal Settlements ** Dutch Coromandel *Coromandel, KGF, Karnataka, India New Zealand *Coromandel, New Zealand, a town on the Coromandel Peninsula *Coro ...

along the northeastern coastline encompassing popular white sand beaches

New Chums Beach New Chums Beach is a beach in the Wainuiototo Bay on the northeast coast of the Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand, near Whangapoua. The hills behind the white-sand beach are undeveloped and covered in native bush, adding to its unspoiled appeal. ...

Matarangi Matarangi is a beach settlement on the Coromandel Peninsula of New Zealand, with around 420 permanent residents in 2018 which increases to over 7000 holidaymakers during the summer period of late December to February. It was developed in the 19 ...

, Kuaotunu Beach and

Otama Beach Otama Beach is a beach on the northeast coast of the Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand, 20 km north of Whitianga. The north-facing 2 km long white-sand beach is backed by a large protected natural dune system, separating it from the ro ...

. Amenities in Whangapoua include a small wharf and boat ramp, and a general store that also supplies petrol and diesel. The nearby estuary provides further water access for boats. Whangapoua Beach is a safe 1.5&km long sandy swimming beach flanked in the north by the rocky foreshore towards Motuto Point and by Te Rehutae Point in the southeast. The northern end of Whangapoua Beach is the starting point of a partly unformed track to New Chums Beach - that beach is only accessible via this track at low tide or by boat. The nearest school is in Te Rerenga.

History

Whangapoua's

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 ...

history dates back to the 13th century. A reserve at Opera Point, east of Whangapoua, contains the remains of the Raukawa pa site. European settlers started arriving in the 1860s, drawn to the area chiefly for kauri milling and gold mining. Today, Whangapoua is spread along behind the beach and consists of about 120 permanent residents, but can swell to over 1000 with holiday residents during the most popular holiday period from late December to February.

Demographics

Whangapoua is described by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement. It covers . Whangapoua is part of the larger Mercury Bay North statistical area. Whangapoua had a population of 75 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 (78.6%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 21 people (38.9%) 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 33 households, comprising 42 males and 36 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.17 males per female. The median age was 61.0 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 12 people (16.0%) aged under 15 years, 6 (8.0%) aged 15 to 29, 21 (28.0%) aged 30 to 64, and 36 (48.0%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 84.0% 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 ...

, 16.0%

, and 8.0% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 60.0% had no religion and 32.0% 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 ...

. Of those at least 15 years old, 12 (19.0%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 12 (19.0%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $21,100, compared with $31,800 nationally. 3 people (4.8%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 15 (23.8%) people were employed full-time, 6 (9.5%) were part-time, and 3 (4.8%) were unemployed.

References

{{Thames-Coromandel District Thames-Coromandel District Populated places in Waikato