Eureka, New Zealand

Eureka is a rural settlement in the Waikato District and Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located on State Highway 26, and is surrounded by dairy farmland on a flat plain.[2]

Eureka
Suburb
CountryNew Zealand
Local authorityWaikato District
Electoral wardWaikato (Parliamentary), Eureka (District Council)[1]
Population
 (2013 Census)
 • Total462
Puketaha Whitikahu Morrinsville
Fairview Downs
Eureka
 Kiwitahi
Newstead Matangi Te Miro

There are various explanations for the name. One story suggests William Steele rode out with a syndicate looking for a headquarters, and exclaimed "Eureka I have found it" when he reached the hilltop. Another story suggests "Eureka" is an abbreviation of the first names of the women in the syndicate.[2]

The settlement has a war memorial, listing local men who died in World War I and World War II.[3]

History

Eureka is on the former Piako Swamp, described in 1876 as deep.[4] Following the invasion of the Waikato, it was part of the area confiscated from Ngāti Hauā in 1864.[5][6] Captain William Steele, who brought militia-settlers from Sydney to Hamilton in 1864,[7] persuaded Thomas Russell and Frederick Whitaker to form a company to buy land and drain it. In 1874 the government sold the 86,502 acres (350.06 km2) Eureka Estate, extending from Te Hoe to Tauwhare, Tamahere, Gordonton and the 35 km (22 mi) confiscation line, to New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company Limited.[6] The sale required 25 mi (40 km) of road to be built over the swamp. Drains were dug up to 3.5 m (11 ft) wide and 3 m (9.8 ft) deep. The expense of drainage contributed to bankruptcy and the sale of small parcels in 1902. The population then increased, so that a school was built in May 1904, a dairy factory in 1905, a hall in 1914 (replaced in January 1969), a post office opened in 1915, a store in 1925 and a garage in 1928. However, by 1981 all the early buildings had gone.[6]

Demographics

The 2001-13 censuses counted a Eureka area of 122.19 km2 (47.18 sq mi). In 2018 Eureka lost the area on the Hamilton border to a new area, Hamilton Park, and was grouped in the Eureka Tauwhare area, which covers 135.55 km2 (52.34 sq mi).[8] These areas had the statistics in the table below, which show people are wealthier and slightly older than the 37.4 years of the national average. In 2013 Eureka village was covered by meshblocks 0955900 and 0955400, with a population totalling 462 in 165 houses.[9]

Population Median income
Year Eureka E/Tauwhare Median age Households Local National
2001 1,644 34 543 $26,500 $18,500
2006 1,836 1,539 34.8 645 $34,600 $24,100
2013 2,187 1,917 37.2 750 $38,400 $27,900[9]
2018 2,142 37.5 696 $44,500[10] $31,800

In 2018 the main ethnic groups of the area were 89.4% European, 9.5% Māori and 5.3% Asian.

Kiwi Rail DC 4444 near Eureka

Railway station

Eureka railway station was a flag station on the East Coast Main Trunk,[6] about 3 km (1.9 mi) north of the village.[5] It opened on 1 October 1884 and closed to passengers on 11 September 1967 and to goods on 27 April 1980.[11]

Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Ruakura
Line open, station closed		   East Coast Main Trunk
New Zealand Railways Department		   Motumaoho
Line open, station closed

References
  1. Eureka ward map
  2. "Eureka". nzhistory.govt.nz. Ministry for Culture and Heritage.
  3. "Eureka war memorial". nzhistory.govt.nz. Ministry for Culture and Heritage.
  4. "The Daily Southern Cross". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 23 June 1876. Retrieved 2020-04-09.
  5. "Confiscation map, 1869". teara.govt.nz. Retrieved 2020-04-09.
  6. "WDC District Plan Review – Built Heritage Assessment - Historic Overview – Eastern Sector" (PDF). Waikato District Council.
  7. "William Steele 1831-1898". Stuff. Retrieved 2020-04-09.
  8. "ArcGIS Web Application". statsnz.maps.arcgis.com. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
  9. "2013 Census map – QuickStats about a place". archive.stats.govt.nz. Retrieved 2018-08-25.
  10. "2018 Census place summaries". www.stats.govt.nz. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
  11. Scoble, Juliet (2010). "Names & Opening & Closing Dates of Railway Stations" (PDF). Rail Heritage Trust of New Zealand.

Coordinates: 37.742341°S 175.426335°E / -37.742341; 175.426335


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