The suburb sits on an exposed promontory close to Barrett Reef, a dangerous area of rocky shallows upon which many ships have foundered.
Seatoun as a suburb looks out on to Steeple Rock/Te Aroaro-o-Kupe, a large rock at the west of the Wellington Harbour entrance, rising 7 metres (23ft) above sea level.
History
The traditional Māori name for the Seatoun area is Te Turanga o Kupe. It is where the mythical Polynesian navigator, Kupe, is said to have first set ashore on his voyage to New Zealand, around 1000–1300 BC. Kupe is also said to have named the foreshore Kirikiritatangi, after the rattling and rumbling caused by the waves disturbing gravel on the beach.[3]
The first settlement of the surrounding area was by Māori, led by the semi-mythical explorer Tara, or more fully Tara-Ika i Nohu, who also gave his name to what's now Wellington (as Te Whanganui a Tara, or The Harbour of Tara) and the iwi Ngāi Tara.[4] Tara settled Matiu/Soames Island around 1100-1300 AD with an estimated 200 people. The group was broken into two, with one of these establishing a pā, named Te Whetū Kairangi, which takes its name from 'whetū' (meaning star) and 'kairangi' (meaning exalted or high status), overlooking Worser Bay.[5]
Much of what now comprises Seatoun did not exist as accessible land when first settled by Māori, which along with defense helps to explain why early pā in the area occupy hillside or hilltop sites. At the time, what is now the Miramar Peninsula was disconnected to the mainland and existed as a separate island within the harbour, known after the first pā as Te Motu Kairangi (or The Exhaulted Island). Much of modern Seatoun then emerged, and the island was connected to the land, when land was lifted from the sea by the Horowhenua earthquake of 1460.[6]
A second pā was constructed in the area during the 1700s, on headland at the entrance to the harbour, in what is now the Oruaiti Reserve.[7] Tradition records that it was built by Te Rerewa of the Rangitane iwi, and that it was once attacked by Māori from Whanganui with some 500 being routed and killed at nearby Worser Bay.[8] The site is site is marked today by a 17-metre long sculpture of a 'waka' (traditional canoe), constructed in 2013.[9]
The modern name Seatoun, originally Seatown, comes from a settlement in Forfarshire, Scotland, linked with the family history of James Coutts Crawford, the suburb's founder.[10] Coutts Crawford was amongst the first permanent european settlers in Wellington. He arrived in September 1839 and set up a farm on the Miramar Peninsula. He named his holdings Overtoun and Seatoun, after family holdings of the Crawford family in Scotland. The area between Nevay and Karaka Bay roads and the old hilltop pa site was first called the Township of Overton.[11]
Amongst the first people to settle the coastline area at what is now Seatoun was James Heberley. Heberley lived with his family at what became Worser Bay. He became pilot at the request of Colonel William Wakefield, who references him in his book Adventures in New Zealand, piloted the ‘Tory’ into Wellington and drowned at Picton in 1899. The bay was originally called Young’s Bay, after a whaler, George Young, who lived in the area around 1834/5. It became Worser Bay after the nickname of Heberley. There are two origin stories for his nickname ‘Worser’. The first is that the correct spelling of his name was Hebley and that he changed it after sending £50 to pay for a brother to come out from England only to find another unwanted, 'worser', brother sent in his place. The second is that Heberley, as a pilot, was known for always stating that the weather was getting ‘worser and worser’.[12]
The first school in the district was opened in 1897 in the Church Hall in Beach Road, with a roll of sixteen students. Seatoun School was established in 1921, separated from Worser Bay to accommodate growing demand.[13]
European settlement properly began in Seatoun around 1899, although still constrained at that point by the fact that the area was accessible only by boat. A tunnel was constructed between 1906-1907, linking the settlement to nearby Strathmore Park and Miramar. This enabled the expansion of the suburb by connecting it to the city centre by electric tram. The historian John Struthers established that the population of Seatoun was less than 1,000 at the time.[14]
In 1911, shortly after the suburb became accessible by tunnel, Fort Dorset, a military base, was built to protect the entrance to Wellington Harbour. This followed construction of a two-gun battery on the top of the ridge at Point Dorset in 1908. It would operate for almost a century before being closed in 1991 and largely demolished in 1998. What remained was used in 1999 as the set for the town of ‘Bree’ and ‘The Prancing Pony Inn’ for the several night shots in The Lord of the Rings before final redevelopment as Seatoun Primary School in 2002.[15]
In 1917, The New Zealand Index proclaimed Seatoun to be:
“A suburb of Wellington, at the Heads. Six miles southeast by daily ferry steamer (8 pence return) or by electric car (tram) from Welington. It is part of the Miramar borough. A favourite seaside resort. No hotel, but good boarding accommodation, stores, tearooms, post and telephone office. One mile from Worser Bay. Electric car opened to Seatoun on December 18, 1907. Nearby is the site of the Oruaiti pa, famous in Māori history. Favourite picnic resort is Breaker Bay, a few minutes walk from here.”[16]
By 1926, Seatoun was still in need of investment. Residents complained about open drains, said the streets had not been maintained since they were built and pointed out a third of the houses in were without proper roads or footpaths.[17]
The settlement's first church service was organized in 1910 in a room at a butcher's shop on Worser Bay. This continued until 1913 when a group of 14 local residents raised funds for the construction of a Presbyterian church on Ventnor Street. That original building now serves as Seatoun Village Hall. It was replaced in 1932 by a new church, St Christopher's, designed by William Fielding, which was opened by the Governor General, Lord Bledisloe. The church contains the 'Wahine Cross', made from wood salvaged from the wreck of the TEV Wahine. The parish was closed in 2013 and the building sold in 2015 to local benefactors who now operate it as a community facility.
The Anglican church of St George was established on Ferry Street in 1946, with the current building, containing striking floral stained-glass windows, constructed in 1957.
The suburb played an important role in the sinking of the inter-island ferry TEV Wahine in 1968, when the ship foundered off the shoreline. Only the four starboard lifeboats could be launched. One lifeboat was swamped shortly after leaving the sinking ship and its occupants were tossed into the sea. Of the other three, one landed at Eastbourne and two at Seatoun.[18] Churchill Park in Seatoun contains a memorial to the disaster. The memorial is formed from one of the Wahine's anchor and chains, with each link in the chain representing the victims of the tragedy. The area also contains replica ship ventilators and visible to the east is Steeple Rock, only a few hundred metres from shore, where the Wahine capsized and sank.[19]
Demographics
Seatoun statistical area, which also includes Breaker Bay, covers 1.33km2 (0.51sqmi).[1] It had an estimated population of 2,380 as of June 2023,[2] with a population density of 1,789 people per km2.
Seatoun had a population of 2,319 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 84 people (3.8%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 180 people (8.4%) since the 2006 census. There were 819 households, comprising 1,161 males and 1,158 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.0 males per female. The median age was 43.9 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 495 people (21.3%) aged under 15 years, 321 (13.8%) aged 15 to 29, 1,197 (51.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 306 (13.2%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 86.7% European/Pākehā, 6.2% Māori, 1.2% Pasifika, 10.7% Asian, and 2.6% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
The percentage of people born overseas was 30.0, compared with 27.1% nationally.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 54.7% had no religion, 34.8% were Christian, 0.1% had Māori religious beliefs, 2.3% were Hindu, 0.5% were Muslim, 0.6% were Buddhist and 1.8% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 906 (49.7%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 126 (6.9%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $54,300, compared with $31,800 nationally. 774 people (42.4%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 963 (52.8%) people were employed full-time, 309 (16.9%) were part-time, and 60 (3.3%) were unemployed.[20]
Education
Seatoun School
Seatoun School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students,[21] with a roll of 405 as of August 2024.[22] The school was founded in 1916. It relocated to a new facility on the old Fort Dorset New Zealand Army base in 2002, near the entrance to the Wellington Harbour.[23]
Other schools
St Anthony's School is a co-educational state-integrated Catholic primary school for Year 1 to 8 students,[24][25] with a roll of 56.[26]
Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Nga Mokopuna is a co-educational state Māori language immersion school for Year 1 to 13 students,[27][28] with a roll of 82.[29]
Notable Architecture
There are several buildings in the area which are either of heritage value or were designed by notable architects. These include:
Frederick de Jersey Clere designed Our Lady Star of the Sea convent chapel on Fettes Crescent which opened in 1924 and is notable due to the innovative design and construction.[30]
William Fielding designed the heritage listed St Christopher's church, now a community centre.[31]
Ian Athfield designed several homes in the area, with examples at 93 and 95 Tio Tio Road.[32][33]
David Launder, a seminal figure in Wellington architecture in the 1970s and 1980s, designed properties at 91 Tio Tio Road, Ferry Street and his own ‘man overboard’ home at nearby Karaka Bay.[34][35][36]
Notable Residents
There are various notable people who have lived in Seatoun at one point in their lives, or with connections to the area. These include:
Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand, and is the administrative centre of the Wellington Region. It is the world's southernmost capital of a sovereign state. Wellington features a temperate maritime climate, and is the world's windiest city by average wind speed.
Porirua, a city in the Wellington Region of the North Island of New Zealand, is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington metropolitan area. The name 'Porirua' is a corruption of 'Pari-rua', meaning "the tide sweeping up both reaches". It almost completely surrounds Porirua Harbour at the southern end of the Kāpiti Coast. As of 2023, Porirua has a population of 62,400 people, and is a majority minority city, with 26.5% of its population being primarily Pasifika and 23.0% primarily Māori. Porirua is the only area with city status in New Zealand with a Pasifika plurality.
Eastbourne is a suburb of Lower Hutt, a part of Wellington, New Zealand. Lying beside the sea, it is a popular local tourist destination via car from Petone or from ferry crossings from central Wellington. An outer suburb, it lies on the eastern shore of Wellington Harbour, five kilometres south of the main Lower Hutt urban area and directly across the harbour from the Miramar Peninsula in Wellington city. A narrow exposed coastal road connects it with the rest of Lower Hutt via the Eastern Bays and the industrial suburb of Seaview. It is named for Eastbourne in England, another seaside town known as a destination for day-trips.
Wellington City Council is a territorial authority in New Zealand, governing the city of Wellington, the country's capital city and third-largest city by population, behind Auckland and Christchurch. It consists of the central historic town and certain additional areas within the Wellington metropolitan area, extending as far north as Linden and covering rural areas such as Mākara and Ohariu. The city adjoins Porirua in the north and Hutt City in the north-east. It is one of nine territorial authorities in the Wellington Region.
The suburb of Plimmerton lies in the northwest part of the city of Porirua in New Zealand, adjacent to some of the city's more congenial beaches. State Highway 59 and the North Island Main Trunk railway line pass just east of the main shopping and residential area.
Wellington Harbour, officially called Wellington Harbour / Port Nicholson, is a large natural harbour on the southern tip of New Zealand's North Island. The harbour entrance is from Cook Strait. Central Wellington is located on parts of the western and southern sides of the harbour, and the suburban area of Lower Hutt is to the north and east.
Miramar is a suburb of Wellington, New Zealand, south-east of the city centre. It is on the Miramar Peninsula, directly east of the isthmus of Rongotai, the site of Wellington International Airport.
Te Motu Kairangi / Miramar Peninsula is a large peninsula on the southeastern side of the city of Wellington, New Zealand. It is located at the entrance to Wellington Harbour, in Wellington's eastern suburbs. According to Māori legend, it was formed when the taniwha Whaitaitai beached as he tried to escape the confines of the harbour. It contains the suburbs of Miramar, Seatoun, Strathmore Park, and Karaka Bays.
Papamoa or Papamoa Beach is a suburb of Tauranga, located about 11 kilometres from the city centre. It is the largest residential suburb in Tauranga. It is bordered to the west by Arataki and Mount Maunganui, the east by the Kaituna River and to the south by State Highway 2.
Ōtaki is a town in the Kāpiti Coast District of the North Island of New Zealand, situated halfway between the capital city Wellington, 70 km (43 mi) to the southwest, and Palmerston North, 70 km (43 mi) to the northeast.
Island Bay is a coastal suburb of Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, situated 5 km (3.1 mi) south of the city centre.
Hataitai is an inner-city suburb of Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, 3.5 kilometres southeast of the city centre. The suburb extends over the southeastern flank of Mount Victoria and down a valley between the Town Belt and a ridge along the shoreline of Evans Bay. Hataitai is bounded by Hepara Street, Grafton Road and the suburb of Roseneath in the north, Wellington Harbour in the east, Cobham Drive, Wellington Road and Crawford Road in the south, and Alexandra Road in the west.
Worser Bay in Wellington, New Zealand is along the beach from Seatoun and over the hill from Miramar on the Miramar Peninsula. It has a calm sandy beach with a road running along the base of the Seatoun Heights hill. Houses run all along the hill side of the road, with only carparks and beach facilities opposite.
Breaker Bay is a suburb on the south east coast of Wellington City in New Zealand, on the Miramar Peninsula. The suburb contains a 600 m wide bay with the same name.
Onekawa is a suburb of the city of Napier, in the Hawke's Bay Region of the eastern North Island of New Zealand. Development of the suburb began in the late 1940s, after the land was acquired from then-Harbour Board.
Steeple Rock/Te Aroaro-o-Kupe is a large rock off Seatoun at the west of the entrance to Wellington Harbour, rising 7 metres (23 ft) above sea level. The rock plays a role in warning ships off the coast. It is the location of a marine light and an unbeaconed trig station.
Strathmore Park is a suburb of Wellington City, New Zealand. It is located at the southern end of the Miramar Peninsula to the south of the suburb of Miramar, and due east of the airport. A hill suburb, it overlooks Lyall Bay, Evans Bay and several bays along the Seatoun coast close to the mouth of Wellington Harbour, which lies to the east.
Welcome Bay is a suburb of Tauranga, New Zealand. It is located 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) from central Tauranga. Neighbouring suburbs include Hairini and Maungatapu. There are a number of schools in Welcome Bay, including three primary schools.
Parkvale is a suburb of Hastings City, in the Hawke's Bay Region of New Zealand's North Island.
Whitireia Park is a headland north of Tītahi Bay and Te Awarua-o-Porirua Harbour in Porirua, in the Wellington Region at the southern end of New Zealand's North Island. It is a park administered by the Whitireia Park Board, in collaboration with Wellington Regional Council. The park includes Onehunga Bay, Kaitawa Point and part of Rocky Bay.
↑ Chambers, Robert (1836). "Fetteresso". The gazetteer of Scotland. Edinburgh. Retrieved 20 September 2014. In a northerly part of the parish [of Fetteresso in Kincardineshire] near the shore is the village of Seatoun.
↑ "Stuff". www.stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
↑ Alexander, John (1959). Historic Wellington. A.H & A.W Reed.
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