Takapuna

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Suburb:	Takapuna
City:	North Shore
Island:	North Island
Surrounded by - to the north - to the north-east - to the south-east - to the south - to the south-west - to the west - to the north-west	Lake Pupuke Hauraki Gulf, Milford (2.5 km) Hauraki (2.0 km) Bayswater (3.5 km) Northcote Central (2.2 km) Hillcrest (1.9 km) Forrest Hill (2.7 km)

Takapuna or "Takapuna Beach" as the local business association would like it to be known as, is located in the northern North Island of New Zealand. It is the seat of the North Shore city council, one of the four city councils which administer the bulk of the Auckland conurbation. Downtown Auckland is seven kilometres to the south, on the other side of the Waitemata Harbour.

1 Geography
2 History
3 Culture
4 Trivia
5 External links

[edit] Geography

Takapuna is located on the isthmus of a peninsula which extends south into the northern waters of the Waitemata at the harbour's eastern end. As such, the suburb has a coastline on Shoal Bay, an arm of the Waitemata to the southeast, as well as having a coast on the Hauraki Gulf to the northwest. The northern end of the suburb is dominated by the large volcanic crater of Lake Pupuke. Some points in Takapuna are less than 500 metres from all three of these bodies of water.

To the southeast of Takapuna lies the six-kilometre-long peninsula which contains the suburbs of Belmont and Devonport. To the west lie the suburbs of Westlake and Northcote. The suburb of Milford lies to the north, on the far shore of Lake Pupuke.

[edit] History

The earliest subdivisions of farmland for suburban development were the "Hurstmere" estate in 1886 and the "Pupuke" Estate in 1889.

The Lake Hotel at Takapuna was built on the shores of Lake Pupuke in 1887 to the design of R.J. Roberts. It was an elegant two storied structure with many verandahs and an octagonal turret. Although its owner, Edwin Harrow, envisaged it as a family hotel and marine pension, it also possessed a licence to sell liquor. Following the destruction of the Lake Hotel by fire in the early years of the 20th century this licence was transferred to a boarding house in nearby Takapuna Beach, the Mon Desir. This establishment was one of Auckland's most popular and notorious places of resort during the 20th century until it was recently redeveloped as apartments.

A local history archive is maintained by the New Zealand Collection of Takapuna Public Library. It includes an index of the local newspapers, archives, photographs, oral histories, and historical material relating to Takapuna. [1]

[edit] Culture

Takapuna is the nightlife hub of the North Shore, having more than 60 bars, restaurants, and cafes. The most recent addition to the cultural life of Takapuna is the "Bruce Mason Centre" a performing arts complex named in memory of a local writer. Bruce Mason's most famous play "The End of the Golden Weather" is set in Takapuna.