Tinopai is a settlement on the Komiti Bay, part of the Hukatere Peninsula in the northern Kaipara Harbour

Kaipara Harbour

Kaipara Harbour is a large enclosed harbour estuary complex on the north western side of the North Island of New Zealand. The northern part of the harbour is administered by the Kaipara District and the southern part is administered by the Rodney District...

 in Northland, New Zealand

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 Otamatea River

Otamatea River (Northland)

The Otamatea River is a river of the Northland Region. A short, wide river, It flows southwest and could be considered an arm of the northern Kaipara Harbour. The Otamatea is formed by the confluence of the Wairau and Kaiwaka rivers and the North Auckland Line crosses at this point. Almost wide at...

 flows from the north east past Tinopai and into the harbour. Matakohe

Matakohe

Matakohe is a settlement in Northland, New Zealand. The Matakohe River is a short river which runs from the north into the Arapaoa River, which is part of the Kaipara Harbour. State Highway 12 passes through Matakohe. Ruawai is 16 km to the west, and Paparoa is 6 km north east...

 is 23 km (14 mi) to the north.

It is now a quiet backwater. The population is approximately 400, but expands to 1000 during the summer holiday season.

The Hukatere Scenic Reserve is on the road to Matakohe

Matakohe

Matakohe is a settlement in Northland, New Zealand. The Matakohe River is a short river which runs from the north into the Arapaoa River, which is part of the Kaipara Harbour. State Highway 12 passes through Matakohe. Ruawai is 16 km to the west, and Paparoa is 6 km north east...

 and contains a bush walk with mature 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...

 trees, to the north of Tinopai.

History

The original settlement was called Te Komiti, which was a regular stopping point for Māori travellers on the Kaipara. A large raupo church, capable of holding several hundred people, was built here in 1852. The Komiti Fruitlands Development Association bought 3255 acres (13.2 km²) in 1915 to grow fruit, particularly apples, and built a wharf in 1917 from which to ship them. They renamed the area "Tinopai Fruitlands" in 1918. Apple growing finished in the mid 1930s due to 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...

 and poor management.

Education

Tinopai School is a coeducational full primary (years 1-8) school with a decile rating

Socio-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 27. The school opened on 13 September 1916.