Campbells Bay is a suburb of the North Shore located in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

Geography

Campbells Bay cliffs 2014-01-18 14-53-24 NZ Auckland

Campbells Bay is located in the

East Coast Bays East Coast Bays is an urban area along the east coast of the North Shore, New Zealand, North Shore in New Zealand. First established as independent borough during the 1950s, East Coast Bays became contiguous with the Auckland urban area and wa ...

of the North Shore, between

Mairangi Bay Mairangi Bay () is a coastal suburb of North Shore, Auckland, located in the northern North Island of New Zealand, on the south-east-facing peninsula forming the northern side of the Waitematā Harbour. Mairangi Bay came under the local gove ...

and

Castor Bay Castor Bay is a bay and suburb of the North Shore, New Zealand, North Shore, located in Auckland which is in the North Island of New Zealand. Located between Milford, New Zealand, Milford and Campbells Bay, it is part of the East Coast Bays. T ...

. The bay to the east shares the same name as the suburb, and looks out towards the

Hauraki Gulf The Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana is a coastal feature of the North Island of New Zealand. It has an area of 4000 km2,Coromandel Peninsula The Coromandel Peninsula () on the North Island of New Zealand extends north from the western end of the Bay of Plenty, forming a natural barrier protecting the Hauraki Gulf and the Firth of Thames in the west from the Pacific Ocean ...

. South of Campbells Bay beach is a cliff, known as Red Bluff. The land is primarily formed from clay and

Waitemata sandstone The Waitemata Group is an Early Miocene geologic group that is exposed in and around the Auckland Region of New Zealand, between the Whangarei Harbour in the North and the Raglan Harbour in the South. The Group is predominantly composed of deep ...

, which can be seen in the cliffs along the coast. Prior to human settlement, the inland Campbells Bay area was primarily a northern broadleaf podocarp forest, dominated by

kauri ''Agathis'', commonly known as kauri or dammara, is a genus of evergreen coniferous trees, native to Australasia and Southeast Asia. It is one of three extant genera in the family Araucariaceae, alongside '' Wollemia'' and ''Araucaria'' (being ...

, with significant numbers of

tōtara ''Podocarpus totara'' (), commonly known as the , is a species of Podocarpus, podocarp tree endemism, endemic to New Zealand. It grows throughout the North Island, South Island and rarely on Stewart Island, Stewart Island / Rakiura in lowland, ...

mataī ''Prumnopitys taxifolia'', the mataī () or black pine, is an endemic New Zealand coniferous tree that grows on the North Island and South Island. It also occurs on Stewart Island / Rakiura (47 °S) but is uncommon there. It grows up to high ...

, miro,

and

kahikatea ''Dacrycarpus dacrydioides'', commonly known as kahikatea (from Māori language, Māori) and white pine, is a Pinophyta, coniferous tree endemism, endemic to New Zealand. A Podocarpaceae, podocarp, it is New Zealand's tallest tree, gaining hei ...

trees.

Pōhutukawa Pōhutukawa (''Metrosideros excelsa''), also known as the New Zealand Christmas tree, or iron tree, is a coastal evergreen tree in the Myrtus, myrtle family, Myrtaceae, that produces a brilliant display of red (or occasionally orange, yellow o ...

trees were a major feature of the coastline.

History

Māori history

Māori settlement of the

Auckland Region Auckland () is one of the 16 regions of New Zealand, which takes its name from the eponymous urban areas of New Zealand, urban area. The region encompasses the Auckland, Auckland metropolitan area, smaller towns, rural areas, and the islands o ...

began around the 13th or 14th centuries. The North Shore was settled by

Tāmaki Māori Tāmaki Māori are Māori ''iwi'' and ''hapū'' (tribes and sub-tribes) who have a strong connection to Tāmaki Makaurau (the Auckland Region), and whose rohe was traditionally within the region. Among Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau (the M� ...

, including people descended from the ''

Tainui Tainui is a tribal waka (canoe), waka confederation of New Zealand Māori people, Māori iwi. The Tainui confederation comprises four principal related Māori iwi of the central North Island of New Zealand: Hauraki Māori, Hauraki, Ngāti Maniapo ...

'' migratory canoe and ancestors of figures such as Taikehu and Peretū. Many of the Tāmaki Māori people of the North Shore identified as

Ngā Oho Ngā Oho, also known as Ngā Ohomatakamokamo-o-Ohomairangi, is the name of a historical iwi (tribe) of Māori who settled in the Auckland Region. In the 17th century, Ngā Oho and two other tribes of shared heritage, Ngā Riki and Ngā Iwi, form ...

. While the poor soils around the East Coast Bays hindered dense settlement, traditional resources in the area included fish, shellfish and marine birds. The traditional name for the coast between

Murrays Bay Murrays Bay is a small suburb in the East Coast Bays region, located in the North Shore of Auckland. The suburb is roughly the same size as Rothesay Bay, the suburb to the immediate north. It is primarily a residential area but does have a c ...

and Campbells Bay is . The warrior Maki migrated from the

Kāwhia Harbour Kawhia Harbour () is one of three large natural inlets in the Tasman Sea coast of the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located to the south of Raglan Harbour, Ruapuke and Aotea Harbour, 40 kilometres southwest of Hamilton. ...

to his ancestral home in the

, likely sometime in the 17th century. Maki conquered and unified many the Tāmaki Māori tribes as

Te Kawerau ā Maki Te Kawerau ā Maki, Te Kawerau a Maki, or Te Kawerau-a-Maki is a Māori ''iwi'' (tribe) of the Auckland Region of New Zealand. Predominantly based in West Auckland (Hikurangi also known as Waitākere), it had 251 registered adult members as of J ...

, including those of the North Shore. After Maki's death, his sons settled different areas of his lands, creating new

hapū In Māori language, Māori and New Zealand English, a ' ("subtribe", or "clan") functions as "the basic political unit within Māori society". A Māori person can belong to or have links to many hapū. Historically, each hapū had its own chief ...

. His younger son Maraeariki settled the North Shore and

Hibiscus Coast The Hibiscus Coast is a populated area on a stretch of the Hauraki Gulf coast in New Zealand's Auckland Region. It has a population of making it the List of New Zealand urban areas by population, 10th most populous urban area in New Zealand, ...

, who based himself at the head of the

Ōrewa River The Ōrewa River is a river of the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It flows east to reach Whangaparāoa Bay just to the north of Whangaparāoa Peninsula. The town of Orewa is near the river's mouth. Geography The Ōrewa River b ...

. Maraeariki's daughter Kahu succeeded him, and she is the namesake of the North Shore, ("The Greater Lands of Kahu"). Many of the iwi of the North Shore, including

Ngāti Manuhiri Ngāti Manuhiri is a Māori iwi of the Mahurangi Peninsula area of New Zealand. They have an interest in the region from the Ōkura River in the south to Mangawhai in the north, and extending out to Great Barrier Island. They are descended from ...

, Ngāti Maraeariki, Ngāti Kahu, Ngāti Poataniwha,

Ngāi Tai Ki Tāmaki Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki is a Māori people, Māori tribe that is based in the area around Clevedon, New Zealand, Clevedon, part of the Auckland region (''Tāmaki'' in the Māori language). It is one of the twelve members of the Hauraki Collective ...

and

Ngāti Whātua Ngāti Whātua is a Māori iwi (tribe) of the lower Northland Peninsula of New Zealand's North Island. It comprises a confederation of four hapū (subtribes) interconnected both by ancestry and by association over time: Te Uri-o-Hau, Te Roroa ...

, can trace their lineage to Kahu. By the 18th century, the

Marutūāhu __NOTOC__ Marutūāhu (also spelled, Marutūahu or Marutuahu) is a confederation of Māori ''iwi'' (tribes) in the Hauraki region (the Hauraki Gulf, Coromandel Peninsula and Hauraki Plains) of New Zealand. The confederation comprises the tribes ...

iwi

Ngāti Paoa Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English. ...

had expanded their influence to include the islands of the

Hauraki Gulf The Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana is a coastal feature of the North Island of New Zealand. It has an area of 4000 km2, After periods of conflict, peace had been reached by the 1790s. The earliest contact with Europeans began in the late 18th century, which caused many Tāmaki Māori to die of , respiratory diseases. During the early 1820s, most Māori of the North Shore fled for the

Waikato The Waikato () is a region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipā District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, the nort ...

or Northland due to the threat of war parties during the

Musket Wars The Musket Wars were a series of as many as 3,000 battles and raids fought throughout New Zealand (including the Chatham Islands) among Māori people, Māori between 1806 and 1845, after Māori first obtained muskets and then engaged in an inte ...

. Most people had returned by the late 1820s and 1830s.

European settlement

In 1841, the

Crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, parti ...

purchased the Mahurangi and Omaha blocks; an area that spanned from

Takapuna Takapuna is a suburb located on the North Shore, New Zealand, North Shore of Auckland, New Zealand. The suburb is an isthmus between Shoal Bay, New Zealand, Shoal Bay, arm of the Waitematā Harbour, and the Hauraki Gulf. Lake Pupuke, a volca ...

Te Ārai Te Ārai is a small community on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand, near the northern end of the Auckland Region (specifically within the former Rodney District). Mangawhai lies to the north, and Tomarata to the south. The ...

. The purchase involved some iwi with customary interests in the area, such as Ngāti Paoa, other Marutūāhu iwi and Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki, but not others, such as Te Kawerau ā Maki or Ngāti Rango. The Crown spent until 1873 rectifying this sale, by making further deals with stakeholders. The land at Campbells Bay was first purchased by

John Logan Campbell Sir John Logan Campbell (3 November 1817 – 22 June 1912) was a Scottish-born New Zealand public figure. He was described by his contemporaries as "the father of Auckland". Early life John Logan Campbell was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on ...

in 1845. In 1850, Scottish immigrant Donald Mackay from

Reay Reay (, ; , ) is a village which has grown around Sandside Bay on the north coast of the Highland council area of Scotland. It is within the historic Parish of Reay and the historic county of Caithness. The village is on the A836 road some we ...

came to New Zealand to join his brother Alexander Mackay, who was farming land near

Lake Pupuke Lake Pupuke (traditionally known in Māori as Pupukemoana) is a heart-shaped freshwater lake occupying a volcanic crater (or maar) between the suburbs of Takapuna and Milford on the North Shore of Auckland, New Zealand. The heart shape is a r ...

. Alexander Mackay bought 60 acres of land from Campbell, to develop into a farm worked by his brother Donald. Around this period, one of the largest

kauri gum Kauri gum is resin from kauri trees (''Agathis australis''), which historically had several important industrial uses. It can also be used to make crafts such as jewellery. Kauri forests once covered much of the North Island of New Zealand, bef ...

diggers camps on the North Shore was established in the area. Originally known as Donalds Bay, the bay became known as Johnston's Bay, after the Johnston family from

County Tyrone County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland. Its county town is Omagh. Adjoined to the south-west shore of Lough Neagh, the cou ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

set up a dairy farm and grew vegetables in the area. The Johnston family sold their milk to residents in

and the gum diggers who visited the area. In 1885, 70 hectares of scrubland was gazetted as a nature reserve called the Takapuna Domain (renamed Centennial Park in 1940), which overtime regenerated into native bush. The Johnston family sold the farm to a farmer named Mr. Cave in 1888, around the time that orchards became an important feature of the farm. In 1894, Mr. Cave sold the property to Duncan Campbell, well known for his Auckland shoe store, after which the bay became known as Campbells Bay. In 1912, the farm was subdivided, and Campbells Bay became a popular spot for holidayers, due to its relative proximity to the terminus for the Milford to Bayswater tram. Holiday baches were built in the area until

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

stopped the construction of new baches. In 1914, a portion of the Takapuna Domain became the Pupuke Golf Club, and from 1920 better roading in the area led to the construction of permanent homes. In 1938, the Central Methodist Mission established a health camp at Campbells Bay, which by the 1940s became the main health camp for in-need youth in Auckland. In 1940 to celebrate 100 years since the establishment of Auckland, Takapuna Domain was renamed Centennial Park, and extensive planting was done to create a native bush. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, defensive pillboxes were constructed in Centennial Park.

Local government

From 1876 until 1954, the area was administered by the

Waitemata County The Waitemata County, historically also known as Waitamata County, was one of the counties of New Zealand in the North Island. Established in 1876, the county covered West Auckland, New Zealand, West Auckland, Rodney (local board area), Rodney a ...

, a large rural county north and west of the city of Auckland. In 1954, the area split from the county, forming the East Coast Bays Borough Council, which became East Coast Bays City in 1975. In 1989, the city was merged into the

North Shore City North Shore City was a territorial authority unit in the Auckland Region of New Zealand that was governed by the North Shore City Council. It existed from 1989 until November 2010, when the council was incorporated into Auckland Council. It ha ...

. North Shore City was amalgamated into

Auckland Council Auckland Council () is the local government council for the Auckland Region in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority that also has the responsibilities, duties and powers of a regional council and so is a unitary authority, according to t ...

in November 2010. Within the Auckland Council, Campbells Bay is a part of the

Hibiscus and Bays The Hibiscus and Bays Local Board is one of the 21 local boards of the Auckland Council. It is one of two boards overseen by the council's Albany Ward (local government), Albany Ward councillors. The board consists of eight members elected at ...

local government area governed by the

Hibiscus and Bays Local Board The Hibiscus and Bays Local Board is one of the 21 local boards of the Auckland Council. It is one of two boards overseen by the council's Albany Ward councillors. The board consists of eight members elected at large. The board's area is div ...

. It is a part of the Albany ward, which elects two councillors to the Auckland Council.

Demographics

Campbells Bay covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Campbells Bay had a population of 2,847 in the

2023 New Zealand census The 2023 New Zealand census, which took place on 7 March 2023, was the thirty-fifth national census in New Zealand. It implemented measures that aimed to increase the Census' effectiveness in response to the issues faced with the 2018 census, i ...

, a decrease of 42 people (−1.5%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 12 people (0.4%) since the 2013 census. There were 1,419 males, 1,422 females and 6 people of other genders in 966 dwellings. 2.3% of people identified as

LGBTIQ+ LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The group is ...

. The median age was 42.1 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 540 people (19.0%) aged under 15 years, 489 (17.2%) aged 15 to 29, 1,344 (47.2%) aged 30 to 64, and 474 (16.6%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 75.8%

European European, or Europeans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe and other West ...

(

Pākehā ''Pākehā'' (or ''Pakeha''; ; ) is a Māori language, Māori-language word used in English, particularly in New Zealand. It generally means a non-Polynesians, Polynesian New Zealanders, New Zealander or more specifically a European New Zeala ...

); 6.3%

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

; 0.7%

Pasifika Pasifika may refer to: *Pacific Islander people, indigenous peoples of the Pacific Islands **Pasifika New Zealanders, Pacific peoples living in New Zealand *Pacific Islands, including Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia *The Pasifika Festival, an a ...

; 23.1% Asian; 2.0% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 1.6% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 94.9%, Māori language by 0.4%, and other languages by 24.3%. No language could be spoken by 1.3% (e.g. too young to talk).

New Zealand Sign Language New Zealand Sign Language or NZSL () is the main language of the deaf community in New Zealand. It became an official language of New Zealand in April 2006 under the New Zealand Sign Language Act 2006. The purpose of the act was to create rights ...

was known by 0.1%. The percentage of people born overseas was 39.8, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 28.5%

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

, 0.4%

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

, 0.8%

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

, 0.8%

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

, 0.1%

New Age New Age is a range of Spirituality, spiritual or Religion, religious practices and beliefs that rapidly grew in Western world, Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclecticism, eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise d ...

, 0.6%

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

, and 0.9% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 61.2%, and 6.4% of people did not answer the census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 1,068 (46.3%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 918 (39.8%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 324 (14.0%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $54,200, compared with $41,500 nationally. 666 people (28.9%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,146 (49.7%) people were employed full-time, 411 (17.8%) were part-time, and 54 (2.3%) were unemployed.

Education

Campbells Bay Primary School is a coeducational contributing primary (years 1–6) school with a roll of students as of which opened in August 1925. In 1973,

Kristin School Kristin School is a private school, private co-educational composite school located in Albany, North Shore, New Zealand, North Shore, New Zealand. Kristin is an IB World School with approximately students. The school was established in 1973 by ...

was established at the former Methodist Health Camp in Campbells Bay. As the school grew rapidly, a new campus was opened in Albany in 1978.

Amenities

*A popular public walkway connects Campbells Bay to Browns Bay in the north, passing sections of exposed

. *Centennial Park, a 70-hectare park which is the largest area of regenerating native bush in the East Coast Bays area.

References

Bibliography

* * * * *

External links

Photographs of Campbells Bay
held in Auckland Libraries' heritage collections. {{Subject bar, auto=y, d=y Suburbs of Auckland North Shore, New Zealand East Coast Bays Bays of Auckland