Hikurangi
Encyclopedia
Hikurangi is a settlement in Northland, New Zealand
. The city of Whangarei
is 17 km to the south, and Kawakawa
is 39 km northwest. The Glenbervie Forest is southeast of the settlement. State Highway 1
once passed through the town, but now bypasses it to the west. Mount Hikurangi is a volcanic dome rising 365 m to the west of the town. It is 1.2 million years old, and part of the Harbour Fault which also includes Parakiore near Kamo
, and Parihaka in Whangarei.
The population was 1,422 in the 2006 Census, unchanged from 2001. Hikurangi is a service town for the local dairy industry.
, and transport routes were established. The area became a timber milling centre with the establishment of a road to Whangarei in 1875, and the first of several sawmills soon after. Kauri
gum-digger
s were also active in the area.
The town grew around local coal mines, which opened in 1890. The North Auckland railway line from Whangarei reached Hikurangi in 1894. 4.2 million tons of coal were extracted. Flooding was a problem for the mines. During a nationwide coal-miners' strike in 1931, the Wilson Colliery Company closed their mine and deliberately flooded it. The miners formed a company and bought the mine, but it closed two years later because there were few orders for coal during the Great Depression
. Three brothers were killed by black damp at one mine in 1933. The last mine closed in 1971.
The Hikurangi Co-operative Dairy Company was formed in 1904. It established a dairy factory and operated a fleet of trucks to collect cream but also to deliver fertiliser and general goods to farmers. The factory was replaced by a new building in the 1950s. The company amalgamated with the Northland Co-operative Dairy Company in 1985, and the factory closed.
Six teenagers were killed in 1930 when a train hit a bus.
Hikurangi was administered by the Hikurangi District Roads Board until the formation of the Hikurangi Town Board in 1908. The Board became the Hikurangi Town Council in 1955. In 1989, they amalgamated with the Whangarei City Council and Whangarei County Council to form the Whangarei District Council.
Limestone has been quarried at Hikurangi since the early 20th century. The quarry still supplies limestone to the cement works at Portland
.
of 1 and a roll of 198. The first public school in Hikurangi opened in 1883 at View Road. It moved to a site at Valley Road during World War I
, and in 1973 was replaced by the current school.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. The city of Whangarei
Whangarei
Whangarei, pronounced , is the northernmost city in New Zealand and the regional capital of Northland Region. Although commonly classified as a city, it is officially part of the Whangarei District, administered by the Whangarei District Council a local body created in 1989 to administer both the...
is 17 km to the south, and Kawakawa
Kawakawa, New Zealand
Kawakawa is a small town in the Northland Region of northern New Zealand. It had a population of 1347 at the 2006 census, down from 1401 in 2001. Kawakawa developed as a service town when coal was found in the area in 1861, but there is no longer coal mining here...
is 39 km northwest. The Glenbervie Forest is southeast of the settlement. State Highway 1
State Highway 1 (New Zealand)
State Highway 1 is the longest and most significant road in the New Zealand roading network, running the length of both main islands. It appears on road maps as SH 1 and on road signs as a white number 1 on a red shield, but it has the official designations SH 1N in the North Island, SH 1S in the...
once passed through the town, but now bypasses it to the west. Mount Hikurangi is a volcanic dome rising 365 m to the west of the town. It is 1.2 million years old, and part of the Harbour Fault which also includes Parakiore near Kamo
Kamo, New Zealand
Kamo is a small township north of Whangarei, approximately five minutes drive from the Whangarei CBD. The name is a Māori word meaning "eyelash", but has also been said to mean "to bubble up", referring to hot springs in the area. Mount Parakiore is a volcanic dome rising 391 m to the northwest of...
, and Parihaka in Whangarei.
The population was 1,422 in the 2006 Census, unchanged from 2001. Hikurangi is a service town for the local dairy industry.
History
An area of 12000 acres (48.6 km²) of land at Hikurangi was purchased from local Maori by the District Commissioner of Lands in 1862. The land was considered desirable because it contained mature timber and high quality flaxNew Zealand flax
New Zealand flax describes common New Zealand perennial plants Phormium tenax and Phormium cookianum, known by the Māori names harakeke and wharariki respectively...
, and transport routes were established. The area became a timber milling centre with the establishment of a road to Whangarei in 1875, and the first of several sawmills soon after. Kauri
Agathis australis
Agathis australis, commonly known as the kauri, is a coniferous tree found north of 38°S in the northern districts of New Zealand's North Island. It is the largest but not tallest species of tree in New Zealand, standing up to 50 m tall in the emergent layer above the forest's main canopy. The...
gum-digger
Gum-digger
Kauri gum, a fossilized resin detracted from kauri trees, is used for chewing or tattooing, and often is made into jewellery. The gum comes from kauri trees found in Agathis australis forests. The trees once covered much of the New Zealand North Island, before Māori and European settlers caused...
s were also active in the area.
The town grew around local coal mines, which opened in 1890. The North Auckland railway line from Whangarei reached Hikurangi in 1894. 4.2 million tons of coal were extracted. Flooding was a problem for the mines. During a nationwide coal-miners' strike in 1931, the Wilson Colliery Company closed their mine and deliberately flooded it. The miners formed a company and bought the mine, but it closed two years later because there were few orders for coal during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. Three brothers were killed by black damp at one mine in 1933. The last mine closed in 1971.
The Hikurangi Co-operative Dairy Company was formed in 1904. It established a dairy factory and operated a fleet of trucks to collect cream but also to deliver fertiliser and general goods to farmers. The factory was replaced by a new building in the 1950s. The company amalgamated with the Northland Co-operative Dairy Company in 1985, and the factory closed.
Six teenagers were killed in 1930 when a train hit a bus.
Hikurangi was administered by the Hikurangi District Roads Board until the formation of the Hikurangi Town Board in 1908. The Board became the Hikurangi Town Council in 1955. In 1989, they amalgamated with the Whangarei City Council and Whangarei County Council to form the Whangarei District Council.
Limestone has been quarried at Hikurangi since the early 20th century. The quarry still supplies limestone to the cement works at Portland
Portland, Northland
Portland is a locality on the western side of Whangarei Harbour in Northland, New Zealand. Whangarei is about 10 km to the north. Tikorangi is a hill to the west with a summit 161 m above sea level....
.
Education
Hikurangi School is a coeducational full primary (years 1-8) school with a decile ratingSocio-Economic Decile
Decile, Socio-Economic Decile or Socio-Economic Decile Band is a widely used measure in education in New Zealand used to target funding and support to more needy schools....
of 1 and a roll of 198. The first public school in Hikurangi opened in 1883 at View Road. It moved to a site at Valley Road during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, and in 1973 was replaced by the current school.