Tākaka

Tākaka is a small town situated at the southeastern end of Golden Bay, at the northern end of New Zealand's South Island, located on the lower reaches of the Tākaka River. It lies at the start of the winding road that follows the river valley before climbing over Tākaka Hill, linking Golden Bay with the more populated coast of Tasman Bay to the southeast. The town is served by Takaka Aerodrome.

For other uses, see Takaka (disambiguation).

Tākaka
town
Commercial Street (New Zealand State Highway 60), the main street of Tākaka
Tākaka
Coordinates: 40°51′15″S 172°48′25″E
Country	New Zealand
Region	Tasman
Territorial authority	Tasman
Population  (June 2019)[1]
• Total	1,330
Time zone	UTC+12 (New Zealand Standard Time)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+13 (New Zealand Daylight Time)
Postcode	7110

Onetahua Kōkiri Marae is located in Tākaka. It includes Te Ao Marama wharenui (meeting house) and it is a marae (meeting ground) for Ngāti Rārua, Ngāti Tama ki Te Tau Ihu and Te Atiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui.[2][3]

History

From 1853 to 1876, Tākaka was administrated as part of the Nelson Province.

In June 2005, much of the town was temporarily evacuated after fire swept through Tākaka's biggest industrial complex, a dairy factory. There were fears that volatile chemicals stored at the plant might explode, leading to the release of poisonous gases, which later proved to be unfounded.

In July 2020, the name of the town was officially gazetted as Tākaka by the New Zealand Geographic Board.[4]

Geography

The area around Tākaka Hill has a cave system, including New Zealand's deepest vertical shaft, Harwood's Hole.

Tākaka and Golden Bay are known for rock climbing, particularly around the area of Paynes Ford. This area is situated about 20 minutes walk from Tākaka and has over 200 bolted climbs. The most famous climb is 1080 and the letter G because of its unique "no-hands-rest" at the top and its views of Golden Bay.

The town is also known for Te Waikoropupu Springs (colloquially known as Pupu Springs).

The antipode of Tākaka is the town of Coriscada, Portugal.

Economy

Farming, sawmilling, limestone quarrying and tourism are major local industries. The area around Tākaka is mineral-rich, with gold, iron ore, copper, silver and asbestos all found locally, although not all in commercially viable amounts. There is also a small Fonterra dairy factory located in the township of Tākaka.

Education

Golden Bay High School is a co-educational state intermediate and high school for Year 7 to 13 students,[5][6] with a roll of 346 as of March 2020.[7]

There are two primary schools for Year 1 to 6 students: Takaka Primary School,[8][9] with a roll of 151,[10] and Central Takaka School[11] with a roll of 33.[12]

There is also a primary school in nearby Motupipi.[13]

References

1. "Subnational Population Estimates: At 30 June 2019". Statistics New Zealand. 22 October 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
2. "Te Kāhui Māngai directory". tkm.govt.nz. Te Puni Kōkiri.
3. "Māori Maps". maorimaps.com. Te Potiki National Trust.
4. "Notice of approved official geographic names" (PDF). New Zealand Gazette. 16 July 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
5. "Golden Bay High School Official School Website". gbh.school.nz.
6. "Golden Bay High School Ministry of Education School Profile". educationcounts.govt.nz. Ministry of Education.
7. "Golden Bay High School Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.
8. "Takaka Primary School Official School Website". takakaprimary.school.nz.
9. "Takaka Primary School Ministry of Education School Profile". educationcounts.govt.nz. Ministry of Education.
10. "Takaka Primary School Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.
11. "Ministry of Education School Profile". educationcounts.govt.nz. Ministry of Education.
12. "Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.
13. "Motupipi Primary School Ministry of Education School Profile". educationcounts.govt.nz. Ministry of Education.