Makarora is a small community within the

Queenstown-Lakes District Queenstown-Lakes District, a local government district, is in the Otago Region of New Zealand that was formed in 1986. It is surrounded by the districts of Central Otago, Southland, Westland and Waitaki. Much of the area is often referred to ...

of the

Otago Otago (, ; ) is a regions of New Zealand, region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island and administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local go ...

region of the

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

of New Zealand. It is situated on on the eastern side of the Haast Pass and adjacent to the Makarora River. Local

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

operators offer scenic plane flights and

jetboat A jetboat is a boat propelled by a jet of water ejected from the back of the craft. Unlike a powerboat or motorboat that uses an external propeller in the water below or behind the boat, a jetboat draws the water from under the boat through a ...

ing tours on the Makarora River, which is the border of the

Mount Aspiring National Park Mount Aspiring National Park is in the Southern Alps of the South Island of New Zealand, north of Fiordland National Park, situated in Otago and Westland regions. The park forms part of the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage Site. History Moun ...

. The 2022 film '' Nude Tuesday'' was shot at the Wonderland Lodge in Makarora.

Demographics

Makarora is part of the Outer Wānaka statistical area, which covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Outer Wānaka had a population of 399 at the

2018 New Zealand census The 2018 New Zealand census, which took place on Tuesday 6 March 2018, was the thirty-fourth national census in New Zealand. The population of New Zealand was counted as 4,699,755 – an increase of 457,707 (10.79%) over the 2013 census. Resu ...

, an increase of 21 people (5.6%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 63 people (18.8%) since the 2006 census. There were 162 households, comprising 204 males and 192 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.06 males per female. The median age was 45.1 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 72 people (18.0%) aged under 15 years, 57 (14.3%) aged 15 to 29, 228 (57.1%) aged 30 to 64, and 36 (9.0%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 96.2% European/

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 ...

, 10.5%

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 ...

, 0.8% Asian, and 0.8% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 18.8, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 64.7% had no religion, and 29.3% were

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 ...

. Of those at least 15 years old, 87 (26.6%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 21 (6.4%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $32,800, compared with $31,800 nationally. 63 people (19.3%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 183 (56.0%) people were employed full-time, 78 (23.9%) were part-time, and 3 (0.9%) were unemployed.

Education

Makarora Primary School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of as of . The school was first established in 1895.

References

{{Queenstown-Lakes Populated places in Otago Queenstown-Lakes District