Remuera | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 36°52′50″S174°47′53″E / 36.880657°S 174.79815°E | |
Country | New Zealand |
City | Auckland |
Local authority | Auckland Council |
Electoral ward | Ōrākei ward |
Local board | Ōrākei Local Board |
Area | |
• Land | 825 ha (2,039 acres) |
Population (June 2024) [2] | |
• Total | 23,770 |
Train stations | Remuera Railway Station |
Parnell | (Hobson Bay) | Ōrākei |
Epsom, Newmarket | Remuera | Meadowbank, St. Johns |
Greenlane | Ellerslie | Mount Wellington |
Remuera is an affluent suburb in Auckland, New Zealand. It is located four kilometres southeast of the city centre. Remuera is characterised by many large houses, often Edwardian or mid 20th century. A prime example of a "leafy" suburb, Remuera is noted for its quiet tree-lined streets. The suburb has numerous green spaces, most obvious of which is Ōhinerau / Mount Hobson – a volcanic cone with views from the top overlooking Waitematā Harbour and Rangitoto.
The suburb extends from Hobson Bay and the Ōrākei Basin on the Waitematā Harbour to the north and east, to the main thoroughfare of State Highway 1 in the southwest. It is surrounded by the suburbs of Ōrākei, Meadowbank, Saint Johns, Mount Wellington, Ellerslie, Greenlane, Epsom, Newmarket and Parnell. Remuera has been home to many well-known New Zealanders, including the late Sir Edmund Hillary and the race car driver Bruce McLaren. [3]
The area was attractive to Tāmaki Māori as much of the Auckland isthmus was devoid of trees and covered only in native flax, bracken and scrub. Remuera was different, having patches of woodland which were the habitat of many birds suitable for trapping while the adjacent harbour and basins were good fishing areas. Remuera Road was firstly a walking track, connecting the eastern and northern sections of the Auckland isthmus. [4]
John Logan Campbell describes early 19th century Remuera in his book Poenamo:
Beautiful was Remuera's shore, sloping gently to Waitemata's sunlit waters in the days of which I write. The palm fern-tree was there with its crown of graceful bending fronds and black feathery-looking young shoots; and the karaka, with its brilliantly-polished green leaves and golden-yellow fruit, contrasting with the darker crimped and varnished leaf of the puriri, with its bright cherrylike berry. Evergreen shrubs grew on all sides, of every shade from palest to deepest green; lovely flowering creepers mounted high overhead, leaping from tree to tree and hanging in rich festoons; of beautiful ferns there was a profusion underfoot. The tui, with his grand rich note made the wood musical; the great fat stupid pigeon cooed down upon you almost within reach, nor took the trouble to fly away.
— John Logan Campbell
The suburb is named after a pā (fortification) named Remuwera, on Ōhinerau / Mount Hobson. [5] [6] [7] Remu-wera literally translates to "burnt edge of kilt", commemorating the occasion where a chieftainess of Hauraki was allegedly captured and consumed. [8] Although the most common definition in reference literature, the accuracy of this definition has been described as "highly doubtful". [9]
Around 1741, Te Wai-o-Hua iwi was driven away by the Ngāti Whātua and Te Taoū iwi. Later, these iwi merged with Te Roroa and Te Uri-o-Hau into Ngāti Whātua-o-Ōrākei, which is the main iwi on the Tāmaki isthmus. [10] In May 1844 one of the largest Māori feasts ever held in New Zealand took place in Remuera. It was organised by the Waikato iwi and about 4000 Māori and many Pākehā (Europeans) were present. The festivities lasted for a week and large amounts of food and drinks were served: 11,000 baskets of potatoes, 9,000 sharks, 100 pigs, and large amounts of tea, tobacco and sugar. Governor Robert FitzRoy visited the festivities on 11 May 1844 when a haka was performed by 1,600 Māori, armed with guns and tomahawks. [11]
When the European settlers wanted to buy the land on the Tāmaki isthmus from the Māori, they first declined. But in 1851, Henry Tacy Kemp, an interpreter to the Land Claims Commissioners, bought 700 acres for £5000. Subsequently, more plots of land were sold and put up for public auction. The land was suitable for pasture land and as the town of Auckland was some distance away people did not really start to build houses (as opposed to farmhouses) until the 1860s. [12] One of the early farmer-settlers who bought land at Remuera was Archibald Clark, who became Auckland's first mayor in 1851. [13] Remuera was known as the garden suburb. Remuera was popular with the bourgeoisie as it provided much larger sections than other parts of Auckland. Many grand homes were built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. By the 1960s smaller sections started being developed. [14]
Smaller suburban houses began appearing in the area nearest Newmarket and began to spread along Remuera Road. The first shops opened in 1890 at the intersection with Victoria Avenue. Railway stations at Newmarket and Market Road encouraged residents to commute to town. Likewise one of the most important routes for the electric tram system created in 1902 was to the Remuera shops, with an extension to the bottom of Victoria Avenue. One of the first businesses was L.J. Keys' grocery store on the Clonbern Road corner, which currently houses a café. [13]
Remuera Road initially began as an unsealed cart track leading from Newmarket to Tāmaki. By the 1860s, the Remuera Road Board was formed to help administer the area surrounding the road, by organising roads, drainage, water and power, and the Remuera District School was established in 1873. [13] In the early 1900s the Auckland electric tramway service began servicing Remuera Road, which led to the district doubling in population between 1901 and 1911 to over 5,000 residents. [15] By the 1910s, ratepayers in the area opposed the Remuera area being administered separately to Auckland. The Remuera Ratepayers Association organised a petition in 1912, which included 791 ratepayers (over 50%) signing to join with the adjacent Auckland City, against the Remuera Road Board's wishes. A commission of inquiry was appointed, which recommended amalgamation. Again the Road Board declined and it was only after the Department of Internal Affairs intervened that the Road Board gave in. The union was ratified in February 1915 and the 2,520 acres of Remuera became part of Auckland. J. Dempsey said that Auckland had received "the brightest jewel in her crown today", although a subsequent report by the city engineer pointed out that Remuera had not been surveyed, it had 60 miles of primitive roading, and lacked proper stormwater drainage, sewerage and other services.
The 1920s and 1930s saw increased development of Remuera, with commercial precincts such as the Avenue Buildings, Coles Building, Hellaby Building and the Skeltons Building allowing the area to act as a commercial hub. [15] The first mile of Remuera Road was concreted in 1921, and the existing tram line was doubled in 1924, followed by an extension of the service to Meadowbank. Auckland City Council embarked on a series of improvements for the new area. One of its first acts was to provide a free public library for the area in 1915, later replaced by the current building in 1926. In 1919 however local residents were incensed by the council's building of public toilets at the Remuera shops that they demanded be torn down.
In 1927 the Remuera rugby league club reformed after initially forming in 1914 when former All Black and Kiwi, George A. Gillett coached the club. [16] [17] A year later in 1928, the Tudor Theatre cinema and dance hall opened, becoming a central part of Remuera social life for decades. The theatre closed in 1973, and after demolition the location became the Tudor Mall in 1980. [13] In 1930, the electric tramway was extended from Remuera to Meadowbank. [18]
In more recent history, the infamous Bassett Road machine gun murders took place in Remuera on 7 December 1963. Two men were shot with a .45 calibre Reising submachine gun at 115 Bassett Road and word quickly spread about a "Chicago-style" gang murder. Two suspects were sentenced to life imprisonment. [19]
Remuera covers 8.25 km2 (3.19 sq mi) [1] and had an estimated population of 23,770 as of June 2024, [2] with a population density of 2,881 people per km2.
Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
---|---|---|
2006 | 22,668 | — |
2013 | 23,253 | +0.36% |
2018 | 23,586 | +0.28% |
Source: [20] |
Remuera had a population of 23,586 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 333 people (1.4%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 918 people (4.0%) since the 2006 census. There were 8,028 households, comprising 11,298 males and 12,291 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.92 males per female, with 4,179 people (17.7%) aged under 15 years, 5,100 (21.6%) aged 15 to 29, 10,746 (45.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 3,564 (15.1%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 70.6% European/Pākehā, 4.0% Māori, 1.9% Pacific peoples, 27.4% Asian, and 2.9% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
The percentage of people born overseas was 37.4, compared with 27.1% nationally.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 46.4% had no religion, 40.9% were Christian, 2.4% were Hindu, 0.9% were Muslim, 2.6% were Buddhist and 2.2% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 9,519 (49.0%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 1,125 (5.8%) people had no formal qualifications. 6,993 people (36.0%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 9,915 (51.1%) people were employed full-time, 2,877 (14.8%) were part-time, and 498 (2.6%) were unemployed. [20]
Name | Area (km2) | Population | Density (per km2) | Households | Median age | Median income |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Remuera West | 0.88 | 2,805 | 3,188 | 927 | 38.5 years | $47,800 [21] |
Remuera Waitaramoa | 1.69 | 3,969 | 2,349 | 1,368 | 42.9 years | $51,400 [22] |
Remuera North | 1.40 | 3,582 | 2,559 | 1,215 | 40.9 years | $54,100 [23] |
Remuera South | 1.43 | 3,915 | 2,738 | 1,296 | 39.4 years | $41,400 [24] |
Remuera Waiata | 0.94 | 2,802 | 2,981 | 996 | 45.8 years | $54,900 [25] |
Remuera East | 0.89 | 2,739 | 3,078 | 930 | 41.2 years | $53,500 [26] |
Remuera Abbotts Park | 1.02 | 3,774 | 3,700 | 1,296 | 36.0 years | $48,500 [27] |
New Zealand | 37.4 years | $31,800 |
Remuera has several places of historic interest, some of which have been incorporated into the Remuera Heritage Walk. [13]
Other special buildings in Remuera are the Remuera Railway Station and Signal Box. These were built in 1907–1908 and the station is the best preserved in Auckland. Whilst the other stations were regularly modernised, Remuera's has been kept almost in its original state and is still used for suburban passenger trains. [32]
Arney Road has always been a coveted location due to its location being both near the city and sea shore and providing views of the Hauraki Gulf. In 1906 it was described as: [14]
the most elegant residential thoroughfare in Remuera, being just off the tram line; the residences comprise many of the largest and handsomest in the district, with beautiful grounds, and the road in a graceful sweep leads from the tram line on the high road down to the waterfront in Hobson Bay
The road itself is 20 m (66 ft) wide with large trees lining the berm. The buildings on Arney Road are from the 19th, 20th, and 21st century with seven of these having registration with Heritage New Zealand. Notable buildings along Arney Road include: 9 Arney Road, a large Edwardian home; 11 Arney Road, a category 1 building designed in the Arts and Crafts style; 27 Arney Road, a category 2 building designed in the Arts and Crafts style; 43 Arney Road, St Ann's is a category 2 English country cottage; 51 Arney Road, a neo-Georgian home; [14] 91 Arney Road, Vernon Brown House, a category 1 building and former home of Vernon Brown; [33] 30 Arney Road, Stansfield House, category 2 Arts and Crafts home; [34] 34 Arney Road, Court House, a category 2 neo-Georgian residence; [35] 85 Arney Road, Cox House, category 2 Arts and Crafts house. [36]
Remuera includes some interesting nature areas and parks. Unlike the rest of the isthmus of Auckland, which was largely void of large trees and covered with native grass, flax and manuka, Remuera retained patches of native bush and woodland.
The Ōrākei Basin , a tidal lagoon popular for water sport activities, is the submerged crater of a volcano. There is a 3 km public walkway around the basin whereby the flora and fauna of the area can be observed at close hand. [37]
Mount Hobson Domain includes the volcanic cone, previously used as a pā (a defended settlement) by the Māori and in later times as a quarry and pasture land. Ōhinerau / Mount Hobson (143m high) is one of Auckland's better preserved and least modified volcanic cones. Formed some 25,000 years ago, the volcanic hill has a horse-shoe shaped crater opening to the southwest. Terraces and pits are still evident from the Maori occupation. Like the other volcanic hills of the Auckland isthmus, in the 20th century, water reservoirs were built on the summit and the lower southwest side a water reservoir was incorporated into Ōhinerau / Mount Hobson to supply water to the surrounding area. Still evident on the south-east side of the mountain is the concrete base remnant of a WWII medical store for the US Navy Mobile Hospital in nearby Market Rd – a site now occupied by the Dilworth Junior School. As you walk up the path from the entrance, you will soon come to a stone seat – a memorial to Remuera boys who died in WWII. This overlooks a field of jonquils and daffodils which bloom in winter or early spring. [13]
Waiatarua Reserve . To the south of Remuera Road lies Waiatarua Reserve. This is a natural basin, prone to seasonal flooding. On several 19th century maps this was shown as a lake and referred to as 'Lake Remuera', 'Lake St John' or 'Lake Waiatarua' although in reality it was largely an area of swampy ground in which a sheet of shallow water would appear sporadically in the wet season. In 1918, 133 acres (54 hectares) of this land was given to the City Council to create Waiatarua Reserve. As the surrounding farm land was transformed into suburban housing this area became problematic – although in theory the "lake" afforded a picturesque view for the new houses, it was also a breeding ground for mosquitos. Moreover, the basin was composed of a peat-like substance subject to smouldering fires which were difficult to put out. In 1929 a drain was bored through the hill to the south west enabling the water to be drained into the adjacent natural stream which feeds into the nearby Ōrākei Basin; this drainage system is still in place. In 1934, 50 acres (20 hectares) of the park were leased to the Remuera Golf Club and a course was laid out. The clubhouse was completed in 1935. In 1938 a new course was built around the original layout in response to members’ complaints about the course conditions. [38] In 1968 the Course was redesigned by golf course specialist Harold Babbage and a new Club House built. [39]
The Remuera Town Centre includes Airlie Court, Remuera Mall, Tudor Mall, Victoria Mews Arcade and Remuera Village Green. It has 130 shops including a New World supermarket and has about 400 carparks. [40]
Remuera Intermediate is a coeducational intermediate school (years 7–8) with a roll of 897. [41]
Remuera School, Meadowbank School and Victoria Avenue School are coeducational contributing primary schools (years 1–6) with rolls of 626, 793 and 449 respectively. [42] [43] [44]
Baradene College of the Sacred Heart is a state integrated Catholic girls' secondary school (years 7–13) with a roll of 1464. [45] St Michael's Catholic School is a coeducational state-integrated contributing primary school (years 1–6) with a roll of 222. [46]
Mount Hobson Middle School is a private coeducational composite school (years 7–10) with a roll of 160. [47]
King's School, St Kentigern Primary School and Saint Kentigern Girls' School are private single-sex full primary schools (years 1–8) with rolls of 751, 658 and 376 respectively. [48] [49] [50]
Kadimah School, a co-educational Jewish primary school (years 0–8) with a roll of 122. [51]
Rolls are as of August 2024. [52]
Remuera is a part of the Epsom electorate for the Parliamentary representation. [53] Local government of Remuera is the responsibility of the Ōrākei Local Board, which also includes the suburbs of Ōrākei, Mission Bay, Kohimarama, St Heliers, Glendowie, St Johns, Meadowbank, and Ellerslie. Remuera is also a part of the Ōrākei ward. Prior to it falling under Epsom, Remuera itself was an electorate from 1938 to 1996.
The Remuera Golf Club started to develop in 1934 and the club house was finished in 1935. It was not an ideal location for a golf club, as it was established in a natural basin prone to seasonal flooding. In fact on several 19th century maps this was actually shown as a lake and referred to as 'Lake Remuera' or 'Lake St John' although in reality it was largely an area of swampy ground in which a sheet of shallow water would appear sporadically in the wet season. 133 acres (54 hectares) of land in the gully was given to the City Council in 1918 as Waiatarua Reserve. As the surrounding farm land was transformed into suburban housing this area became problematic – although the "lake" afforded a picturesque view for the new houses it was also a breeding ground for mosquitos. Moreover, the basin was composed of a peat-like substance subject to smouldering fires which were difficult to put out. In 1929 a drain was bored through the hill to the south west enabling the water to be drained into the adjacent natural stream which feeds into the nearby Oraki Basin; this drainage system is still in place.
Fifty acres of the park were leased to the Golf Club in 1934 and a course was laid out. In 1938 a new course was built around the original layout in response to members’ complaints about the course conditions. [38] In 1968 the Course was redesigned by golf course specialist Harold Babbage and a new Club House has been built. [39]
Remuera's reputation as a desirable residential area around the turn of the 20th century was reflected in the use of its name for a luxury liner. SS Remuera was a steamship launched in 1911. She was the last delivered of three 11000 tonners built by the William Denny Organization between 1909 and 1911 for the New Zealand Shipping Company (sister ships Ruahine and Rotorua). Her inaugural voyage in 1911 was from London to Wellington. In September 1914 she was the first British ship to pass through the newly complete Panama Canal.
During the First War she was commandeered by the British Government. After the war she returned to the UK to New Zealand route, as a sign of the changing times she was now refitted to accommodate two classes of passengers as opposed to her initial layout of First, Second and Steerage. Again commandeered at the outbreak of war in 1939 she was torpedoed in the North Sea in September 1940.
Epsom is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. It is located in the centre of the Auckland isthmus between Mount Eden and Greenlane, south of Newmarket, and 5 km (3.1 mi) south of the Auckland City Centre.
Freemans Bay is the name of a former bay and now inner city suburb of Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand. The bay has been filled in to a considerable extent, with the reclamation area now totally concealing the ancient shoreline. Historically a poor and often disreputable quarter, it is now a comparatively wealthy and desirable neighbourhood known for its mix of heritage homes and more recent single-dwelling houses, as well as for its two large parks.
Ellerslie is a suburb of the city of Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand. Ellerslie lies seven kilometres to the southeast of the city centre, close to State Highway 1.
Māngere is a major suburb in South Auckland, New Zealand, located on mainly flat land on the northeastern shore of the Manukau Harbour, to the northwest of Manukau City Centre and 15 kilometres south of the Auckland city centre. It is the location of Auckland Airport, which lies close to the harbour's edge to the south of the suburb.
Mission Bay is a seaside suburb of Auckland city, on the North Island of New Zealand. The suburb's beach is a popular resort, located alongside Tamaki Drive. The area also has a wide range of eateries. Mission Bay is located seven kilometres to the east of the city centre, and east of the Waitematā Harbour, between Ōrākei and Kohimarama. It covers an area of 1.08 km2, about three quarters of which comprises low hills, surrounding the remaining quarter, which slopes down to the sea. Local government of Mission Bay is the responsibility of the Ōrākei Local Board, which also includes the suburbs of Ōrākei, Kohimarama, St Heliers, Glendowie, St Johns, Meadowbank, Remuera and Ellerslie.
Parnell is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. It is one of New Zealand's most affluent suburbs, consistently ranked within the top three wealthiest, and is often billed as Auckland's "oldest suburb" since it dates from the earliest days of the European settlement of Auckland in 1841. It is characterised by its mix of tree-lined streets with large estates; redeveloped industrial zones with Edwardian town houses and 1920s bay villas; and its hilly topography that allows for views of the port, the Waitematā Harbour, Rangitoto Island and the Auckland Domain. To its west lies the Auckland Domain, to the south Newmarket, and to the north the Ports of Auckland.
Hillsborough is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. It is under the local governance of the Auckland Council. Hillsborough is a leafy suburb of 20th-century houses. The area is serviced by two shopping areas; Onehunga and Three Kings. The area is served by secondary schools Mount Roskill Grammar School and Marcellin College.
Mechanics Bay is a reclaimed bay on the Waitematā Harbour in Auckland, New Zealand. It is also the name of the area of the former bay that is now mainly occupied by commercial and port facilities. Sometimes the bay formed between Tāmaki Drive and the western reclamation edge of Fergusson Container Terminal is also referred to as Mechanics Bay.
Kohimarama is a coastal residential Auckland suburb, located to the east of the city. Kohimarama is situated between Mission Bay and St Heliers and has an accessible beach with a boardwalk and green recreational spaces located amongst residential areas. Local government of Kohimarama is the responsibility of the Ōrākei Local Board, which also includes the suburbs of Ōrākei, Mission Bay, St Heliers, Glendowie, St Johns, Meadowbank, Remuera and Ellerslie.
St Johns is a suburb in Auckland, New Zealand.
Meadowbank is a central suburb of Auckland city, situated in the North Island of New Zealand. Meadowbank is governed under the local governance of the Orakei Local Board and Auckland Council. The Meadowbank train station is the second stop on the Eastern Train line. The Orakei Basin is held between the two suburbs of Meadowbank and Remuera. The Meadowbank Mall and nearby corner shops are located on the corner of Gerard Way and St John's Road. Purewa Cemetery, one of central Auckland's largest cemeteries, is situated in Meadowbank and can be accessed from St John's Road.
St Heliers is a seaside suburb of Auckland with a population of 11,710 as of June 2024. This suburb is popular amongst visitors for the beaches, cafés, and views of Rangitoto Island, the distinctive volcanic island in the Hauraki Gulf.
The Auckland isthmus, also known as the Tāmaki isthmus, is a narrow stretch of land on the North Island of New Zealand in the Auckland Region, and the location of the central suburbs of the city of Auckland and the central business district. The isthmus is located between two rias : the Waitematā Harbour to the north, which opens to the Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana and Pacific Ocean, and the Manukau Harbour to the south, which opens to the Tasman Sea. The isthmus is the most southern section of the Northland Peninsula.
The human history of the Auckland metropolitan area stretches from early Māori settlers in the 14th century to the first European explorers in the late 18th century, over a short stretch as the official capital of (European-settled) New Zealand in the middle of the 19th century to its current position as the fastest-growing and commercially dominating metropolis of the country.
Maungawhau / Mount Eden is a scoria cone and Tūpuna Maunga in Mount Eden, Auckland, New Zealand. The cone is part of the Auckland volcanic field, the tallest located on the isthmus.
Tamaki Drive is the coastal road which follows the contours of the Waitematā Harbour, Auckland, New Zealand. The road links the suburbs Ōrākei, Mission Bay, and Kohimarama ending in Saint Heliers providing easy access to the local beaches. Tamaki Drive was completed in 1932 and incorporates The Strand, Bice Esplanade and, what was once part of the old Kohimarama Road. It is also referred to as the Waterfront Road. Tamaki Drive is a flat road around 8 km long and popular with walkers, runners and roller skaters, and includes a dedicated cycle lane. Those travelling along Tamaki Drive can find scenic highlights and peaceful views across the harbour to the volcanic island Rangitoto. The cliffs backing onto Tamaki Drive are made of Waitematā Sandstone strata clothed in places with pōhutukawa. These trees seem to flower out of season, because these are actually Kermadec pōhutukawa with small distinctive roundish leaves.
Ōrākei is a local government area in Auckland, in New Zealand's Auckland Region. It is governed by the Ōrākei Local Board and Auckland Council. It currently aligns with the council's Ōrākei Ward.
Te Ara ki Uta ki Tai, also known as the Glen Innes to Tamaki Drive shared path, is a shared pathway connecting the suburbs of Ōrākei and Glen Innes in Auckland, New Zealand. It runs through the Pourewa Valley and the Eastern Transport Corridor, and for most of its length is adjacent to the North Island Main Trunk railway line.
The Waiatarua Reserve is a nature reserve on the eastern Auckland isthmus in New Zealand, close to the suburbs of Remuera, Meadowbank and St Johns. Originally the site of a freshwater lake, Waiatarua was drained in 1929. Since 1987, the reserve has been redeveloped as an urban wetland, and is currently the largest urban wetland restoration project in New Zealand.
Hobson Bay is a bay in the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located to the east of the Auckland City Centre, and is bisected by the Eastern Line and Tamaki Drive.