Whangarei District
Encyclopedia
The Whangarei District is located in Northland, New Zealand
. Whangarei
is the principal town and the district seat. Other towns include Hukerenui
, Hikurangi
, Titoki
, Ruakaka
and Waipu
. The district contains a large amount of rural land, including beaches such as Ngunguru
, game fishing mecca Tutukaka, a variety of beaches along Whangarei Harbour, as well as Matakohe or Limestone Island
in the Harbour, now subject to ecological restoration
. The main airport for the district is Whangarei Airport
.
The district extends as far south as Bream Bay
, north towards the Cape Brett Peninsula
, and west almost to Waipoua Forest
. It also includes the Hen and Chicken Islands
and the Poor Knights Islands
. The mayor of Whangarei District is Morris Cutforth who has held the position since 2010, after defeating incumbent Stan Semenoff in the local body elections.
The district population is
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...
. 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 the principal town and the district seat. Other towns include Hukerenui
Hukerenui
Hukerenui is a settlement in Northland, New Zealand. State Highway 1 passes through the area. Kawakawa is northwest, and Hikurangi is southeast.-History:...
, Hikurangi
Hikurangi
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...
, Titoki
Titoki
Tītoki , is a shiny-leaved tree native to New Zealand, where it occurs in coastal and lowland forests. The flowering is in spring and the seeds take up to a year to mature...
, Ruakaka
Ruakaka
Ruakaka is a small township in the north of New Zealand approximately 30 kilometres south of Whangarei in the Bream Bay area. Originally a small beachside community, Ruakaka has seen development due to its proximity to the expansion of the country's only oil refinery at Marsden Point during the 1980s...
and Waipu
Waipu
Waipu is a small town in Bream Bay, in the Northland Region of New Zealand, with a Scottish heritage. The population was 1,491 in the 2006 Census, an increase of 222 from 2001. A highlight of the town's calendar is the annual Highland Games held at New Year...
. The district contains a large amount of rural land, including beaches such as Ngunguru
Ngunguru
Ngunguru is a coastal settlement in Northland, New Zealand. Whangarei is 26 km to the south west. The Ngunguru River flows between the settlement and a long low sandspit into Ngunguru Bay, which stretches southwards...
, game fishing mecca Tutukaka, a variety of beaches along Whangarei Harbour, as well as Matakohe or Limestone Island
Motu Matakohe
Motu Matakohe, also known as Matakohe or Limestone Island, is a 37 ha island in the upper reaches of Whangarei Harbour, just off Onerahi, a seaside suburb of the city of Whangarei, Northland, New Zealand...
in the Harbour, now subject to ecological restoration
Island restoration
The ecological restoration of islands, or island restoration, is the application of the principles of ecological restoration to islands and island groups. Islands, due to their isolation, are home to many of the world's endemic species, as well as important breeding grounds for seabirds and some...
. The main airport for the district is Whangarei Airport
Whangarei Airport
Whangarei Aerodrome is a small airport 4NM to the south east of Whangarei city, in the suburb of Onerahi, on the east coast of Northland on the North Island, New Zealand.-History:...
.
The district extends as far south as Bream Bay
Bream Bay
Bream Bay is a locality and bay on the east coast of New Zealand. Captain James Cook named this area to the bay itself, but also the some surrounding locations, stretching north to Whangarei and southbound touching Mangawhai....
, north towards the Cape Brett Peninsula
Cape Brett Peninsula
Cape Brett Peninsula is a peninsula on the northern North Island coast in New Zealand. It is 15 kilometre-long, the head is Cape Brett.A lighthouse stands at the end of the peninsula, which rises to 360 metres at its northern end...
, and west almost to Waipoua Forest
Waipoua Forest
Waipoua Forest preserves some of the best examples of kauri forest remaining in New Zealand. It is notable for having two of the largest living kauri trees, Tane Mahuta and Te Matua Ngahere.The forest was declared a sanctuary in 1952....
. It also includes the Hen and Chicken Islands
Hen and Chicken Islands
The Hen and Chickens Islands lie to the east of the North Auckland Peninsula off the coast of northern New Zealand. They are located to the east of Bream Head and southeast of Whangarei....
and the Poor Knights Islands
Poor Knights Islands
The Poor Knights Islands are a group of islands off the east coast of the Northland Region of the North Island of New Zealand. They are located to the northeast of Whangarei, and lie offshore half way between Bream Head and Cape Brett. Uninhabited since the 1820s, they are a nature reserve and...
. The mayor of Whangarei District is Morris Cutforth who has held the position since 2010, after defeating incumbent Stan Semenoff in the local body elections.
The district population is