Tōtara Park is a suburb of

Upper Hutt Upper Hutt () is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand and one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington#Wellington metropolitan area, Wellington metropolitan area. History Upper Hutt is in an area originally known as Orongo ...

, New Zealand, located 2 km northeast of the city centre. It is accessed via the Tōtara Park Bridge which crosses the Hutt River, connecting it to State Highway 2 and the main Upper Hutt urban area. It was popular in the 1970s and 1980s for families moving into the

area. Most of the streets in Tōtara Park are named after

states State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

s and

cities A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, with the main road running through the suburb being California Drive. Tōtara Park is built on alluvial gravel. The

Wellington Fault The Wellington Fault is an active seismic fault in the southern part of the North Island of New Zealand. It is a dextral (right-lateral) strike-slip fault with variable amounts of vertical movement causing uplift to the northwest, as expressed ...

runs through the suburb—one section of California Drive straddles the fault, and the road lanes are built on either side of the fault with a large central reservation between them. This was designed so houses would be offset at least 20 metres from the fault, hopefully limiting damage if the fault were to rupture. The

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 Co ...

names for this area are Te Hau-karetu and for the Hutt River itself; Heretaunga, and Awa Kaiangi. In December 2019, the approved official geographic name of the suburb was gazetted as "Tōtara Park".

Demographics

Totara Park statistical area covers . It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Totara Park had a population of 2,901 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 27 people (0.9%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 48 people (1.7%) since the 2006 census. There were 1,041 households, comprising 1,410 males and 1,488 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.95 males per female. The median age was 36.8 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 624 people (21.5%) aged under 15 years, 531 (18.3%) aged 15 to 29, 1,362 (46.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 387 (13.3%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 87.5% 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 ...

, 15.4%

, 4.3% Pasifika, 5.2% Asian, and 2.1% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 17.4, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 56.2% had no religion, 32.7% 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 ...

, 0.4% had

Māori religious beliefs 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 Co ...

, 0.6% 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 ...

, 0.1% 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 ...

, 0.4% 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 1.8% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 318 (14.0%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 441 (19.4%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $38,700, compared with $31,800 nationally. 390 people (17.1%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,269 (55.7%) people were employed full-time, 309 (13.6%) were part-time, and 87 (3.8%) were unemployed.

Points of interest

Tōtara Park was the name for the entire eastern side of the upper valley, due to the Tōtara trees that grew there. Was the western side to an ornate

suspension bridge A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck (bridge), deck is hung below suspension wire rope, cables on vertical suspenders. The first modern examples of this type of bridge were built in the early 1800s. Simple suspension bridg ...

opened in 1917. Maoribank Bridge, originally being able to carry automobiles and trucks, eventually was used for pedestrians only, and finally collapsing in a medium flood in the early 1990s. A new modern type suspension bridge was then built on the northern side towards Brown Owl. The river surrounding the original suspension bridge was a popular picnic and swimming spot for the entire region.

Cannon Point Walkway

The Cannon Point Walkway is a loop of in length, ascending along the western side of the valley to the Cannon Point trig at , and with a total elevation gain of . The walkway is mostly within the Akatarawa Regional Park. It was named for an old fallen tree resembling a cannon that was once there. Walking routes, cycle tracks and logging roads connect Cannon Point to Akatarawa, Moonshine and other areas to the west.

California Park

California Park is a large neighbourhood park including a playground, the Upper Hutt Municipal Brass Band club rooms and open space. The park provides a readily accessible place to see the crush zone of the

Transport

Metlink Metlink was the marketing body and umbrella brand for public train, tram and bus Transport in Melbourne, transport operators in Melbourne, Australia. On 2 April 2012, the operations of Metlink were transferred to the newly created public trans ...

bus route 111 connects Tōtara Park with central Upper Hutt and Upper Hutt Railway Station.

Education

Totara Park School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 6 students, with a roll of as of .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Totara Park Suburbs of Upper Hutt Populated places on Te Awa Kairangi / Hutt River