Te Atatu

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Te Atatu (Maori for "the dawn") is the name of two suburbs in Waitakere, one of the four cities that make up the Auckland urban area in northern New Zealand: Te Atatu Peninsula and Te Atatu South. They are located next to each other some 10 kilometres to the west of the Auckland city centre.

Formerly known as Te Atatu North, the suburb of Te Atatu Peninsula lies, as the name suggests, on a small peninsula. It is located at the western extremity of the Waitemata Harbour, and is formed by the Henderson Creek, an estuarial arm of the harbour, which extends southwest from the Harbour itself. The peninsula thus formed is four kilometres in length and two kilometres in width, and is joined to the main part of the North Island at its southern end.

Te Atatu South is sited at the point where the peninsula meets the rest of the island.

These two suburbs were relatively rural areas until the 1950s when the first stages of the Northwestern motorway (State Highway 16) were opened along the coast of the Waitemata. This encouraged suburban settlements to the west of Auckland, and Te Atatu grew rapidly as a result.

The two suburbs are bisected by State Highway 16, along the side of which runs a bicycle track connecting Henderson to Point Chevalier. The actual "Te Atatu Interchange" Coordinates: 36°51.45′S, 174°39.13′E is subject to a proposed upgrade. If the upgrade is approved the interchange will become Waitakere City's gateway "concept". "The concept proposes four large solarpowered light towers representing the built, cultural and natural elements that make Waitakere unique and a number of carved poles rising above a canopy of pohutukawa trees." [1]

The Te Atatu electorate, which covers both suburbs, is served in New Zealand Parliament by Chris Carter, New Zealand's first openly gay Cabinet Minister.