Okains Bay | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 43°43′S173°02′E / 43.717°S 173.033°E | |
Country | New Zealand |
Region | Canterbury Region |
District | Christchurch City |
Ward | Banks Peninsula |
Community | Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū Banks Peninsula |
Electorates |
|
Government | |
• Territorial Authority | Christchurch City Council |
• Regional council | Environment Canterbury |
• Mayor of Christchurch | Phil Mauger |
• Banks Peninsula MP | Vanessa Weenink |
• Te Tai Tonga MP | Tākuta Ferris |
Okains Bay is a settlement, beach and bay on the Banks Peninsula in the South Island of New Zealand.
It is located approximately 10 kilometres (6 mi) from the main town on the Banks Peninsula, Akaroa. It is 86km (90 minutes drive) from Christchurch. The sandy beach is popular with tourists and has a river estuary emptying into the bay. The settlement itself contains the Okains Bay Maori and Colonial Museum. [1] There is a camp ground on the beach near the estuary. The beach is often deserted and there is a large cave to explore at one end. [2]
Okains Bay is known as Kawatea in Māori. It is important to the Ngāi Tahu because a rangatira or chief called Moki established his Pa or settlement here when Ngāi Tahu migrated to Canterbury. Okains Bay has been recognised as the first landing place of Ngāi Tahu on Banks Peninsula. [3] Carbon dating of artefacts suggest that Maori were present in Okains bay in the 1300s.[ citation needed ]
Okains Bay gained its European name from Captain Hamilton, who, when sailing past, was reading a book written by Okain (O'Kane), an Irish naturalist. [4] It was first settled by Europeans around 1850. By September 1850 the first sections of land were sold by the Canterbury Association to the first European settlers. Due to the lack of roads, transport was to and from Lyttelton (21 miles away) by a steamer, which stopped along the way at Little Akaloa. [5]
The main sawmill began operating in 1874. It is now a shearing shed. Timber was moved by a trolley line to the first wharf which was situated at the centre of the beach. The cheese factory opened in 1894 and closed in 1968.
Three different wharves were built at different times to accommodate boats berthing at Okains Bay. They were used for transporting livestock, meat, wool, timber, grass seed, dairy produce, store provisions and people. The first two wharves became inoperable due to the movement of the sand around them. The third wharf was closed and demolished in 1964 and the timber from it was used to repair road bridges in 1964. [6]
Okains Bay is part of the Banks Peninsula Eastern Bays statistical area.
Banks Peninsula Eastern Bays statistical area covers 368.03 km2 (142.10 sq mi). [7] It had an estimated population of 560 as of June 2023, [8] with a population density of 1.5 people per km2.
Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
---|---|---|
2006 | 606 | — |
2013 | 654 | +1.09% |
2018 | 615 | −1.22% |
Source: [9] |
Before the 2023 census, the statistical area was called Eastern Bays-Banks Peninsula, with a larger boundary including Purau, covering 368.25 km2 (142.18 sq mi). [7] Eastern Bays-Banks Peninsula had a population of 615 at the 2018 New Zealand census, a decrease of 39 people (−6.0%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 9 people (1.5%) since the 2006 census. There were 258 households, comprising 306 males and 309 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.99 males per female. The median age was 50.7 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 108 people (17.6%) aged under 15 years, 48 (7.8%) aged 15 to 29, 336 (54.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 123 (20.0%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 95.1% European/Pākehā, 12.2% Māori, 1.5% Pasifika, and 1.5% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
The percentage of people born overseas was 19.5, compared with 27.1% nationally.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 51.7% had no religion, 37.6% were Christian, 2.0% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.5% were Muslim, 0.5% were Buddhist and 1.5% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 141 (27.8%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 60 (11.8%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $31,300, compared with $31,800 nationally. 93 people (18.3%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 258 (50.9%) people were employed full-time, 117 (23.1%) were part-time, and 6 (1.2%) were unemployed. [9]
Originally a cheese factory, the museum was developed thanks to the enthusiasm and collection of Murray Thacker, a local resident who spent his childhood collecting Māori taonga from local beaches. The collection includes tiki, fishing equipment, tools, weapons, cloaks and is of national significance. [10]
The Tini Arapata marae was named by Aunty Jane Manahi for her mother, Tini Arapata Horau. [11]
The original Okains Bay school building. This was built in 1872 and used until 1938.
The store and post office were built in 1873.
The Library was built in 1865.
The church was completed in June 1863. The total cost was 554 pounds, nine shillings and eight pence. It was built by a Mr. Morey, a stonemason. The stone and timber were all sourced locally and the slate roof and the stained glass were obtained from England.
In 1884 the organ was purchased from St Barnabas Church in Fendalton. The church bell was donated by the vicar in 1912. IN 1955, 400 pounds was spent repointing the stone work and other repairs. The floor began to crumble in 1959 due to dry rot. A concrete floor was laid.
The church was in 2020 the second oldest standing stone church in the diocese of Christchurch. It was severely damaged by the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes.
Banks Peninsula is a peninsula of volcanic origin on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It has an area of approximately 1,200 square kilometres (450 sq mi) and encompasses two large harbours and many smaller bays and coves. The South Island's largest city, Christchurch, is immediately north of the peninsula.
Riverton, officially Riverton / Aparima, is a small New Zealand town 30 kilometres (19 mi) west of Invercargill, on the south-eastern shorelines of the Jacobs River Estuary. The estuary is formed by the Aparima and Pourakino rivers, leading through a narrow outflow channel into Foveaux Strait. Accessible via State Highway 99 on the Southern Scenic Route, the main part of the town is on flat land and the northern end of Oreti Beach. South Riverton is built on the hills between the eastern shore of the estuary and Taramea Bay.
Akaroa is a small town on Banks Peninsula in the Canterbury Region of the South Island of New Zealand, situated within a harbour of the same name. The name Akaroa is Kāi Tahu Māori for "Long Harbour", which would be spelled Whangaroa in standard Māori. The area was also named Port Louis-Philippe by French settlers after the reigning French king Louis Philippe I.
Ashburton is a large town in the Canterbury Region, on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. The town is the seat of the Ashburton District. It is 85 kilometres (53 mi) south west of Christchurch and is sometimes regarded as a satellite town of Christchurch.
Bluff, previously known as Campbelltown and often referred to as "The Bluff", is a town and seaport in the Southland region, on the southern coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is the southernmost town in mainland New Zealand and, despite Slope Point and Stewart Island being further south, Bluff is colloquially used to refer to the southern extremity of the country. According to the 2018 census, the resident population was 1,797, a decrease of 6 since 2013.
Ngāi Tahu, or Kāi Tahu, is the principal Māori iwi (tribe) of the South Island. Its takiwā is the largest in New Zealand, and extends from the White Bluffs / Te Parinui o Whiti, Mount Mahanga and Kahurangi Point in the north to Stewart Island / Rakiura in the south. The takiwā comprises 18 rūnanga corresponding to traditional settlements. According to the 2018 census an estimated 74,082 people affiliated with the Kāi Tahu iwi.
Hokitika is a town in the West Coast region of New Zealand's South Island, 40 kilometres (25 mi) south of Greymouth, and close to the mouth of the Hokitika River. It is the seat and largest town in the Westland District. The town's estimated population is 3,120 as of June 2023.
Otakou is a settlement within the boundaries of the city of Dunedin, New Zealand. It is located 25 kilometres from the city centre at the eastern end of Otago Peninsula, close to the entrance of Otago Harbour. Though a small fishing village, Otakou is important in the history of Otago for several reasons. The settlement is the modern centre and traditional home of the Ōtākou rūnanga (assembly) of Ngāi Tahu. In 1946 Otakou Fisheries was founded in the township; this was later to become a major part of the Otago fishing industry.
Matakana Island is located in the western Bay of Plenty in New Zealand's North Island. A long, flat barrier island, it is 20 kilometres (12 mi) in length but rarely more than 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) wide. The island has been continuously populated for centuries by Māori tribes that are mostly associated with Ngāi Te Rangi.
Māhia Peninsula is located on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island, in the Hawke's Bay region, between the towns of Wairoa and Gisborne.
Waihi Beach is a coastal town at the western end of the Bay of Plenty in New Zealand's North Island. It lies 10 kilometres to the east of the town of Waihi, at the foot of the Coromandel Peninsula. The main beach is 10 kilometres long. The town had a permanent population of 2,780 as of June 2023.
Purau is a small town in Canterbury, New Zealand, facing Lyttelton Harbour.
Port Levy is a long, sheltered bay and settlement on Banks Peninsula in Canterbury, New Zealand. The current population is under 100, but in the mid-19th century it was the largest Māori settlement in Canterbury with a population of about 400 people. It is named after Solomon Levey, an Australian merchant and ship owner who sent a number of trading vessels to the Banks Peninsula area during the 1820s.
Frasertown is a small settlement in the northern Hawke's Bay Region of New Zealand's eastern North Island.
The Karikari Peninsula on the east coast of the far north of Northland, New Zealand, is between Rangaunu Harbour to the west, and Doubtless Bay to the southeast. It is a right-angled land mass of two relatively distinct parts. The rocky northern part, which has an east–west orientation and is approximately 17 km long, was originally an island but is now connected to the mainland by a low sandy tombolo approximately 11 km long, which has a north–south orientation. The spiritually significant Puwheke sits high above the north-facing beaches.
Akaroa Harbour is part of Banks Peninsula in the Canterbury region of New Zealand. The harbour enters from the southern coast of the peninsula, heading in a predominantly northerly direction. It is one of two major inlets in Banks Peninsula, on the coast of Canterbury, New Zealand; the other is Lyttelton Harbour on the northern coast.
Te Rāpaki-o-Te Rakiwhakaputa, commonly known as Rāpaki or Rapaki, is a small settlement within the Lyttelton Harbour basin.
Tuahiwi is a small New Zealand settlement located between Woodend and Rangiora. It is 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) north of Kaiapoi.
Charles Eldon Fayne Robinson is a New Zealand Māori artist specialising in carving. Robinson has contributed to the carving of buildings on many marae in New Zealand as well as exhibiting his art in galleries and museums.
Okains Bay Museum is a museum in Banks Peninsula, New Zealand.