Whau Valley

Whau Valley
Basic information
Local authority Whangarei
Population 2,364 (2013)
Surrounds
North Kamo
Northeast Tikipunga
East Otangarei
Southeast Mairtown
South Kensington
Northwest Three Mile Bush

Whau Valley is a suburb of Whangarei, in Northland Region, New Zealand. State Highway 1 runs through it.[1] The valley was named for the whau trees which grew there in the 1850s.[2]

The population was 2,364 in the 2013 Census, a decrease of 381 from 2006.[3]

At the end of the 4 km long Whau Valley Road is the principal water reservoir for Whangarei City, created by the Whau Valley Earth Dam. The reservoir is stocked with rainbow and brown trout.[4][5]

History

Some of the early settlers in what was then called Whauwhau Valley were William Hawken and his family, who arrived in 1859, and John MacDonald and his family, in 1860. The MacDonald family was part of the group of people from Nova Scotia who settled in the Whangarei area.[6]

Coal was discovered in the Whauwhau Valley in the 1860s. Henry Walton and William Grahame took a 99 lease on the land and developed a mine. A wooden tramway was built from the mine to the Hātea River so coal wagons could be pulled by horses to be loaded onto ships. The railway line between Kamo and Whangarei, opened in 1882, replaced the tramway. Output of the mine was 45,359 long tons (46,087 t) by 1885.[7]

Education

Whau Valley School is a contributing primary (years 1-6) school with a decile rating of 2 and a roll of 212.[8]

St Francis Xavier School is a Catholic contributing primary (years 1-6) school with a decile rating of 6 and a roll of 438.[9]

Whangarei Adventist Christian School is a full primary (years 1-8) school with a decile rating of 4 and a roll of 26.[10]

All these schools are coeducational. St Francis Xavier and Whangarei Adventist schools are state integrated.

Notes

  1. ↑ Roger Smith, GeographX (2005). The Geographic Atlas of New Zealand. Robbie Burton. pp. map 24. ISBN 1-877333-20-4.
  2. ↑ Pickmere, Nancy Preece (1986). Whangarei: The Founding Years. p. 70.
  3. ↑ Quickstats about Whau Valley
  4. ↑ Parkes, W. F. (1992). Guide to Whangarei City and District. p. 54. ISBN 0-473-01639-7.
  5. ↑ "Northland Fishing". Fish & Game New Zealand. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
  6. ↑ Pickmere, 69-70
  7. ↑ Pickmere, pp 56, 144
  8. ↑ "Te Kete Ipurangi - Whau Valley School". Ministry of Education.
  9. ↑ "Te Kete Ipurangi - St Francis Xavier School, Whangarei". Ministry of Education.
  10. ↑ "Te Kete Ipurangi - Whangarei Adventist Christian School". Ministry of Education.

Coordinates: 35°41′55″S 174°18′46″E / 35.69861°S 174.31278°E / -35.69861; 174.31278

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