Napier Hill

Napier Hill (Māori: Mataruahou) is a limestone outcrop and suburb rising above the lowland districts of the city of Napier on New Zealand's North Island.[1]

Port of Napier as seen from Bluff Hill.

The north-east end, Bluff Hill, has a steep cliff face overlooking the Port of Napier. It features Napier Girls' High School, the historic former Napier Prison and a scenic walk.[2]

The western end, Hospital Hill, was the site of the former Napier Hospital, whose services were transferred to Hawke's Bay Hospital in Hastings in 1999.[3] The building was demolished in 2015 after years of sitting derelict and is scheduled to be replaced by an apartment block.[4]

European settlement on the hill began in 1855.[5] Most homes on the hill were built in the 1920s.[6]

Prior to the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake, the hill was almost surrounded with water, with just two shingle spits running north and south, and was known as Scinde Island. The earthquake raised the Napier area and the sea receded from around the island and the spits.[1] Scinde Island was named after the province of Sindh, then in India and now in Pakistan.[7][5] The Napier soccer club Scindians derived their name from Scinde Island.

Education

Bluff Hill and Hospital Hill have three schools:

• Napier Central School is co-educational Year 1-6 state primary school,[8][9] with a roll of 283 as of March 2020.[10][11]
• Napier Girls' High School is single-sex state high school,[12][13] with a roll of 1043 as of March 2020.[10][14]
• Sacred Heart College is single-sex girls' private high school,[15][16] with a roll of 260 as of March 2020.[10][17]

Residents also use two nearby schools:

• Napier Intermediate, a co-educational state intermediate school,[18] with a roll of 392, provides intermediate education.[19]
• Napier Boys' High School, a single-sex state school,[20][21] with a roll of 1160.[22]

References

1. "Round the Hill Walk". Napier City Council. Archived from the original on 3 July 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2012.
2. "Bluff Hill". napier.govt.nz. Napier City Council.
3. "Hawkes Bay Hospital". www.cityofnapier.co.nz. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
4. Moroney, Roger (29 July 2015). "Hospital demolition on schedule". New Zealand Herald. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
5. Fowler, Michael. "The day part of Bluff Hill broke off". Hawke's Bay Today. New Zealand Media and Entertainment.
6. "Napier Hill, Napier City". OneRoof.co.nz. New Zealand Media and Entertainment.
7. "Early history of Napier". Napier City Council. Archived from the original on 8 February 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
8. "Napier Central School Official School Website". napiercentral.school.nz.
9. "Napier Central School Ministry of Education School Profile". educationcounts.govt.nz. Ministry of Education.
10. "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
11. "Napier Central School Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.
12. "Napier Girls' High School Official School Website". nghs.school.nz.
13. "Napier Girls' High School Ministry of Education School Profile". educationcounts.govt.nz. Ministry of Education.
14. "Napier Girls' High School Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.
15. "Sacred Heart College Official School Website". sacredheartnapier.school.nz.
16. "Sacred Heart College Ministry of Education School Profile". educationcounts.govt.nz. Ministry of Education.
17. "Sacred Heart College Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.
18. "Napier Intermediate Ministry of Education School Profile". educationcounts.govt.nz. Ministry of Education.
19. "Napier Intermediate Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.
20. "Napier Boys' High School Official School Website". nbhs.school.nz.
21. "Ministry of Education School Profile". educationcounts.govt.nz. Ministry of Education.
22. "Napier Boys' High School Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.