Whangaparaoa Peninsula

Location of Whangaparaoa Peninsula

In recent decades, the peninsula has been heavily suburbanised.

Tindalls Beach in late winter

Whangaparaoa Peninsula is a suburban area about 25 km north of Auckland in New Zealand. It had 22,788 residents in 2006, many of them in the eponymous town of Whangaparaoa on its southern side. It is part of the Hibiscus Coast.

Geography

The peninsula is in the northern North Island, close to the base of the North Auckland Peninsula. Whangaparāoa is Māori for "Bay of Whales", and pods of orca and dolphin are regularly spotted in the waters off the peninsula. The peninsula is increasingly urbanised and is in the Northern Auckland Zone of the Auckland urban area, as defined by Statistics New Zealand. Proposals mooted in 2006, when it was part of the Rodney District, would have seen it absorbed into North Shore City. Since 2010, it has been part of the Albany ward of the Auckland Region.

Until relatively recently a sparsely inhabited rural area, it is now seen as something of a retreat for the more retired members of Auckland society, the city lying 25 kilometres to the south. This is particularly true of the resort of Gulf Harbour, four kilometres from the tip of the peninsula. Classification of this area as predominantly "Metro 1" by the Auckland Regional Council caused sharp rates rises recently, causing outcry among residents.

Auckland's Northern Motorway (State Highway One) was extended to Orewa at the end of the 1990s, reducing journey time into the city and making it more popular for commuters. The proposed Penlink road (including a bridge over the Wade River from Stanmore Bay to Stillwater) would provide a quicker route between the peninsula and central Auckland.

The peninsula stretches east for 11 kilometres into the Hauraki Gulf, to the north of East Coast Bays. Tiritiri Matangi Island is three kilometres off its eastern tip. The town of Whangaparaoa is on the southwestern shore, and is regarded as the start of the Hibiscus Coast.

Communities include Red Beach, Stanmore Bay, Big Manly, Tindalls Beach, Army Bay, Gulf Harbour, Matakatia, Little Manly, and Arkles Bay. At the end of the peninsula is Shakespear Regional Park. The New Zealand Defence Force owns part of this area, which has been used as a resettlement camp for refugees.

In the past ten years a township has developed on the high land above Stanmore Bay and Big Manly beach, including a shopping centre, a movie theatre, a bowling alley and a library and community centre. While the area was once relatively remote, the shopping facilities, including a large supermarket, have made living on the extremities of the peninsula more convenient, especially as the central city is now no more than 40 minutes away during off-peak periods.

Association football

The peninsula is home to football (soccer) club Hibiscus Coast AFC, which competes in the Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 2.

Transportation

Hibiscus Coast is served by Auckland Transport bus routes operated by NorthStar to destinations including central Auckland. Ferries operated by 360 Discovery run between Gulf Harbour and central Auckland daily, and to Tiritiri Matangi.

Education

Whangaparaoa College is the main college. It was formed from Hibiscus Coast Intermediate School in 2005, and first had all years 7 to 13 attending in 2009.

Other schools:

• Wentworth College (Gulf Harbour)
• Whangaparaoa Primary
• Stanmore Bay Primary
• Gulf Harbour School
• Red Beach Primary
• Orewa College

See also

• Shakespear Regional Park
• Gulf Harbour