Hahei
Encyclopedia
Hahei is a small settlement near Cathedral Cove
on the eastern side of the Coromandel Peninsula
in the Waikato Region of New Zealand
.
Hahei is located in Mercury Bay
, between the settlements of Cooks Beach and Hot Water Beach
.It is approximately 6 km south east of Whitianga
and 6 km north of Hot Water Beach. The main town of Whitianga can be reached in one of two ways: either by a 40 minute drive or by a ferry ride some 15 minutes from Hahei by car.
Hahei is a popular holiday destination, with a white sandy beach
and sheltered aspect, resulting in safe sheltered swimming waters. Its resident population is around 300, but in peak holiday periods the population swells to more than 9 times the norm.
On the southern end of the beach is Te Pare Historic Reserve, which was once the site of two māori pā
, Hereheretaura Pā and Hahei Pā.
The town centre consists of three cafés, a gift shop, a general store with a gas station and a takeaways bar, a dive shop, two real estate agencies and an ice cream parlour. Other holiday related businesses include kayaking, snorkelling and boat trips to Cathedral Cove and the Marine Reserve.
Another predominant feature of the beach is Mahurangi Island, which lies on the edge of the Te Whanganui-A-Hei marine reserve.
with Kupe
. With his family he settled in the area of Oahei, which is now Hahei, and they became the ancestors of the Ngati Hei people. However, in 1818 the Ngati Hei people were attacked by the Ngā Puhi tribe, and almost completely wiped out. The remnant of the Ngati Hei people fled, leaving the land vacant.
The valley of Hahei was purchased in the 1870s by Robert Wigmore, who was the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages from 1876 to 1887. He was reputedly the tallest man in New Zealand at the time, being 6 foot 8½ inches tall. Robert Wigmore built the kauri homestead which is still standing today. The burial place of Robert Wigmore and his wife Fanny in Hahei is marked by a cairn in the Wigmore Historic Reserve, at the end of Hahei Beach Road by the beach.
In 1915 the property was purchased by the brothers Horace and Walter Harsant. The farm primarily supported a dairy herd, but pigs, fruit and crayfish were also part of the produce sold at the nearby store of Coroglen
.
Transport at that time was difficult. Heavy and large goods had to be transported by sea, and for an ordinary shopping trip the Harsants would ride on horseback to the river and "coo-ee" loudly for the boatman to ferry them across.
In the 1960s Vaughan Harsant lived in the homestead, and as Hahei began to gain popularity as a camping site, he developed the camping ground, and began to subdivide areas of the farm near the beach into residential sections.
Te Whanganui-A-Hei (Cathedral Cove)
Te Whanganui-A-Hei Marine Reserve is a marine reserve on the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand.Cathedral Cove is named after the cave located there linking Mare’s Leg Cove to Cathedral Cove. Gemstone Bay and Stingray Bay are also located within the reserve...
on the eastern side of the Coromandel Peninsula
Coromandel Peninsula
The Coromandel Peninsula lies in the North Island of New Zealand. It is part of the Waikato Region and Thames-Coromandel District and extends 85 kilometres north from the western end of the Bay of Plenty, forming a natural barrier to protect the Hauraki Gulf and the Firth of Thames in the west...
in the Waikato Region of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Hahei is located in Mercury Bay
Mercury Bay
Mercury Bay is a large V-shaped bay on the eastern coast of the Coromandel Peninsula on the North Island of New Zealand. This bay was named by the English navigator Captain James Cook during his exploratory expeditions. By the Māori it was named Te-Whanganui-o-Hei, the great bay of Hei.On November...
, between the settlements of Cooks Beach and Hot Water Beach
Hot Water Beach
Hot Water Beach is a beach on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand, approximately 12 kilometres south east of Whitianga, and approximately 175 kilometres from Auckland by car. Its name comes from underground hot springs which filter up through the sand between the high and low...
.It is approximately 6 km south east of Whitianga
Whitianga
Whitianga is the main settlement of Mercury Bay on the North Island of New Zealand. The population was 3768 in the 2006 Census, an increase of 690 from 2001. The population is now 4100 an increase of 332 since 2006.-Social:...
and 6 km north of Hot Water Beach. The main town of Whitianga can be reached in one of two ways: either by a 40 minute drive or by a ferry ride some 15 minutes from Hahei by car.
Hahei is a popular holiday destination, with a white sandy beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
and sheltered aspect, resulting in safe sheltered swimming waters. Its resident population is around 300, but in peak holiday periods the population swells to more than 9 times the norm.
On the southern end of the beach is Te Pare Historic Reserve, which was once the site of two māori pā
Pa (Maori)
The word pā can refer to any Māori village or settlement, but in traditional use it referred to hillforts fortified with palisades and defensive terraces and also to fortified villages. They first came into being about 1450. They are located mainly in the North Island north of lake Taupo...
, Hereheretaura Pā and Hahei Pā.
The town centre consists of three cafés, a gift shop, a general store with a gas station and a takeaways bar, a dive shop, two real estate agencies and an ice cream parlour. Other holiday related businesses include kayaking, snorkelling and boat trips to Cathedral Cove and the Marine Reserve.
Another predominant feature of the beach is Mahurangi Island, which lies on the edge of the Te Whanganui-A-Hei marine reserve.
History
The name of the settlement of Hahei is derived from the Māori name for Mercury Bay, Te-Whanganui-A-Hei, or "The Great Bay of Hei". According to tradition, Hei was one of three brothers who arrived in New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
with Kupe
Kupe
In the Māori mythology of some tribes, Kupe was involved in the Polynesian discovery of New Zealand.-Contention:There is contention concerning the status of Kupe. The contention turns on the authenticity of later versions of the legends, the so-called 'orthodox' versions closely associated with S....
. With his family he settled in the area of Oahei, which is now Hahei, and they became the ancestors of the Ngati Hei people. However, in 1818 the Ngati Hei people were attacked by the Ngā Puhi tribe, and almost completely wiped out. The remnant of the Ngati Hei people fled, leaving the land vacant.
The valley of Hahei was purchased in the 1870s by Robert Wigmore, who was the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages from 1876 to 1887. He was reputedly the tallest man in New Zealand at the time, being 6 foot 8½ inches tall. Robert Wigmore built the kauri homestead which is still standing today. The burial place of Robert Wigmore and his wife Fanny in Hahei is marked by a cairn in the Wigmore Historic Reserve, at the end of Hahei Beach Road by the beach.
In 1915 the property was purchased by the brothers Horace and Walter Harsant. The farm primarily supported a dairy herd, but pigs, fruit and crayfish were also part of the produce sold at the nearby store of Coroglen
Coroglen
Coroglen is a locality in the Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand. It lies on State Highway 25, 18 kilometres south of Whitianga and 26 kilometres north west of Tairua.-History:The town was founded as "Gumtown" in the late 19th century with a kauri sawmill...
.
Transport at that time was difficult. Heavy and large goods had to be transported by sea, and for an ordinary shopping trip the Harsants would ride on horseback to the river and "coo-ee" loudly for the boatman to ferry them across.
In the 1960s Vaughan Harsant lived in the homestead, and as Hahei began to gain popularity as a camping site, he developed the camping ground, and began to subdivide areas of the farm near the beach into residential sections.