Waiwera is a small town in the north 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 ...

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 ...

. Waiwera is 6 km north of

Orewa Orewa () is a settlement in the northern Auckland Region of New Zealand. It is a suburb of the Hibiscus Coast, just north of the base of the Whangaparāoa Peninsula and north of central Auckland. The Auckland Northern Motorway, Northern Motor ...

, 6 km south-east of Puhoi, 23 km south-east of Warkworth and approximately 35 km from the

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 ...

City centre. The settlement lies at the outlet of a river also called Waiwera. Less than 1 kilometre north of the Waiwera turn-off lies the turn-off to Wenderholm Regional Park which is situated on the far side of the headland to the north of the Waiwera River outlet.

History

The name is of

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 ...

origin and means "Hot Water" (Wai = Water and Wera = Hot), and is a shortened version of the traditional name Waiwerawera. Its main claim to fame was the hot water springs which were well known in pre-European times and reputedly visited by Māori from as far away as

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after th ...

. The first European settler to promote the springs was Robert Graham who established a health resort in 1848. This resort was destroyed by fire in 1939. During the late 19th century there was a regular steam

ferry A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...

service from Auckland.Wises New Zealand Guide. 1979. p. 490. The bath house was torn down in 1951. The commercial hot pools closed in 2018.

Demographics

Statistics New Zealand describes Waiwera as a rural settlement, which covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Waiwera is part of the larger Wainui-Waiwera statistical area. Waiwera had a population of 252 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 ...

, an increase of 12 people (5.0%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 15 people (6.3%) since the 2013 census. There were 117 males and 132 females in 141 dwellings. 1.2% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 58.8 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 15 people (6.0%) aged under 15 years, 21 (8.3%) aged 15 to 29, 126 (50.0%) aged 30 to 64, and 90 (35.7%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 83.3%

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 ...

); 13.1%

; 2.4% Pasifika; 7.1% Asian; and 1.2% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA). English was spoken by 98.8%, Māori language by 4.8%, and other languages by 14.3%. No language could be spoken by 1.2% (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 1.2%. The percentage of people born overseas was 25.0, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 41.7%

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 ...

, 1.2%

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 ...

, 1.2%

Māori religious beliefs 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 ...

, 2.4%

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 ...

, 2.4%

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 ...

, 1.2%

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 1.2% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 42.9%, and 6.0% of people did not answer the census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 48 (20.3%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 123 (51.9%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 60 (25.3%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $35,900, compared with $41,500 nationally. 21 people (8.9%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 102 (43.0%) people were employed full-time, 27 (11.4%) were part-time, and 3 (1.3%) were unemployed.

Gallery

-Waiwera- (48752551396).jpg, Watercolour of Waiwera c. 1860s drawn by John Hoyte Waiwera (AM 79550-1).jpg, Waiwera in the 1940s Mahurangi Island, Waiwera.jpg, Mahurangi Island and Waiwera Beach Waiwera Hot Pools P5140070.jpg, Waiwera Hot Pools in 2006

References

External links

{{Hibiscus Coast Populated places in the Auckland Region Beaches of the Auckland Region Spa towns in New Zealand Hibiscus Coast