Karaka Bays is a suburb of

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. It lies on the northeast coast of the Miramar Peninsula, 6 km east-south-east of the city centre, and has an expansive view of

Wellington Harbour Wellington Harbour ( ), officially called Wellington Harbour / Port Nicholson, is a large natural harbour on the southern tip of New Zealand's North Island. The harbour entrance is from Cook Strait. Central Wellington is located on parts of ...

. It takes its name from a New Zealand native tree, the karaka (or the New Zealand laurel). The suburb consists of residential properties close to the shores of two bays, Scorching Bay in the north and Karaka Bay in the south. Nearby suburbs are Miramar and Maupuia. Prominent features of Karaka Bays include the Scorching Bay Domain and a recreational park at the northern end of the suburb. The

Cook Strait ferry Cook Strait () is a strait that separates the North and South Islands of New Zealand. The strait connects the Tasman Sea on the northwest with the South Pacific Ocean on the southeast. It is wide at its narrowest point,McLintock, A. H., ed. (1 ...

passes the coast of Karaka Bay on its way between Picton and

. The area was historically connected with

whaling Whaling is the hunting of whales for their products such as meat and blubber, which can be turned into a type of oil that was important in the Industrial Revolution. Whaling was practiced as an organized industry as early as 875 AD. By the 16t ...

- Coombe Rocks, a series of rocky islets off the coast, were used as a watching-place for

cetacean Cetacea (; , ) is an infraorder of aquatic mammals belonging to the order Artiodactyla that includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. Key characteristics are their fully aquatic lifestyle, streamlined body shape, often large size and exclusively c ...

s.''Wise's New Zealand guide'' (1969) Dunedin: H. Wise & Co. p. 115 In recent years marine mammals have returned to the area, with

seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, also called "true seal" ** Fur seal ** Eared seal * Seal ( ...

s commonly sighted along the coast and

orca The orca (''Orcinus orca''), or killer whale, is a toothed whale and the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family. The only extant species in the genus '' Orcinus'', it is recognizable by its black-and-white-patterned body. A cosmopol ...

occasionally visible offshore.

Demographics

Karaka Bay-Worser Bay statistical area, which includes Worser Bay, covers . It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Karaka Bay-Worser Bay had a population of 1,503 at the

2018 New Zealand census The 2018 New Zealand census, which took place on Tuesday 6 March 2018, was the thirty-fourth national census in New Zealand. The population of New Zealand was counted as 4,699,755 – an increase of 457,707 (10.79%) over the 2013 census. Resu ...

, an increase of 60 people (4.2%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 84 people (5.9%) since the 2006 census. There were 594 households, comprising 747 males and 756 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.99 males per female. The median age was 44.8 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 273 people (18.2%) aged under 15 years, 207 (13.8%) aged 15 to 29, 777 (51.7%) aged 30 to 64, and 243 (16.2%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 91.0% European/

Pākehā ''Pākehā'' (or ''Pakeha''; ; ) is a Māori language, Māori-language word used in English, particularly in New Zealand. It generally means a non-Polynesians, Polynesian New Zealanders, New Zealander or more specifically a European New Zeala ...

, 6.0% Māori, 2.0% Pasifika, 7.2% Asian, and 2.6% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 31.3, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 59.7% had no religion, 30.3% were

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

, 1.2% were

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

, 0.2% were

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

, 1.2% were

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

and 2.0% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 645 (52.4%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 78 (6.3%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $60,300, compared with $31,800 nationally. 537 people (43.7%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 669 (54.4%) people were employed full-time, 183 (14.9%) were part-time, and 45 (3.7%) were unemployed.

References

{{Suburbs of Wellington City Suburbs of Wellington City Populated places around the Wellington Harbour