Opunake
Encyclopedia
Opunake is a small town on the southwest coast of Taranaki in New Zealand
's North Island
. It is located 45 kilometres southwest of New Plymouth
. Rahotu
is 16 km to the northwest. Manaia is 29 km to the southeast. State Highway 45 passes through the town.
The population was 1368 in the 2006 Census, a reduction of 132 from 2001.
The town was settled in the 1880s. It was intended to be a major port but, other than a jetty constructed in 1891, little else was completed.
Opunake is the centre for the local dairy industry, and is also a popular tourist spot, having one of Taranaki's finest beaches. The beach is composed of volcanic blacksand and there are large rock pools to be found on the north-west end of the beach at low tide.
Currently (January 2008) an artificial surfing reef is under construction in the northwestern corner of the beach.
The Opunake and surrounding community has a South Taranaki District Council LibraryPlus, which provides full library and Council related services. Including: being able to register your dog, pay your rates or inquire about obtaining a building permit. Other services include a Tot Time for the under 5s and a regular Friends of the Library meetings. The LibraryPlus also has numerous APN
computers, offering free internet and Skype to the public.
A statue of Peter Snell
was unveiled on Saturday 19 May 2007 to celebrate the fame of this son of Opunake. Other notable people born in Opunake include former All Black captain Graham Mourie
, prop Carl Hayman
and former New Zealand Prime Minister Jim Bolger
.
is a coeducational secondary (years 9-15) school with a decile rating
of 4 and a roll of 261. The school celebrated its 75th jubilee in 2000.
Opunake School, St Joseph's School, and Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Tamarongo are full primary (years 1-8) schools with rolls of 193, 107, and 24, respectively. St Joseph's is a state integrated Catholic school. Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Tamarongo is a Kura Kaupapa Māori
school which teaches in the Māori language
.
All these schools are coeducational, and all have a decile rating of 4 except for St Joseph's School, which has a decile rating of 6.
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...
's North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
. It is located 45 kilometres southwest of New Plymouth
New Plymouth
New Plymouth is the major city of the Taranaki Region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after Plymouth, Devon, England, from where the first English settlers migrated....
. Rahotu
Rahotu
Rahotu is a community in the west of Taranaki, in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 45, 16 kilometres north of Opunake and 11 km south of Warea.The population was 249 in the 2006 Census, a decrease of 48 from 2001....
is 16 km to the northwest. Manaia is 29 km to the southeast. State Highway 45 passes through the town.
The population was 1368 in the 2006 Census, a reduction of 132 from 2001.
The town was settled in the 1880s. It was intended to be a major port but, other than a jetty constructed in 1891, little else was completed.
Opunake is the centre for the local dairy industry, and is also a popular tourist spot, having one of Taranaki's finest beaches. The beach is composed of volcanic blacksand and there are large rock pools to be found on the north-west end of the beach at low tide.
Currently (January 2008) an artificial surfing reef is under construction in the northwestern corner of the beach.
The Opunake and surrounding community has a South Taranaki District Council LibraryPlus, which provides full library and Council related services. Including: being able to register your dog, pay your rates or inquire about obtaining a building permit. Other services include a Tot Time for the under 5s and a regular Friends of the Library meetings. The LibraryPlus also has numerous APN
Access Point Name
Access Point Name is a computer protocol that typically allows a user's computer to access the Internet using the mobile phone network.On a technical level it is a configurable network identifier used by a mobile device when connecting to a GSM carrier...
computers, offering free internet and Skype to the public.
A statue of Peter Snell
Peter Snell
Sir Peter George Snell, KNZM, MBE is a former New Zealand athlete, now resident in Texas, United States. He had one of the shortest careers of world famous international sportsmen, yet achieved so much that he was voted New Zealand’s "Sports Champion of the Century"...
was unveiled on Saturday 19 May 2007 to celebrate the fame of this son of Opunake. Other notable people born in Opunake include former All Black captain Graham Mourie
Graham Mourie
Graham Neil Kenneth Mourie is a former New Zealand All Black flanker and coach of the Hurricanes. He was one of the great All Black Captains in the late 70s and early 80s...
, prop Carl Hayman
Carl Hayman
Carl Hayman is an international rugby union footballer who has played at tighthead prop for Otago at provincial level, the Highlanders in the Super 14 and the All Blacks at international level...
and former New Zealand Prime Minister Jim Bolger
Jim Bolger
James Brendan "Jim" Bolger, ONZ was the 35th Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1990 to 1997. Bolger was elected on the promise of delivering a "Decent Society" following the previous Labour government's economic reforms, known as Rogernomics...
.
Education
Opunake High SchoolOpunake High School
Opunake High School is a state co-educational secondary school in Opunake, New Zealand.-Notable alumni:* Shane Ardern - Member of Parliament* Jim Bolger - former Prime Minister of New Zealand, and former NZ Ambassador to the United States of America...
is a coeducational secondary (years 9-15) school with a decile rating
Socio-Economic Decile
Decile, Socio-Economic Decile or Socio-Economic Decile Band is a widely used measure in education in New Zealand used to target funding and support to more needy schools....
of 4 and a roll of 261. The school celebrated its 75th jubilee in 2000.
Opunake School, St Joseph's School, and Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Tamarongo are full primary (years 1-8) schools with rolls of 193, 107, and 24, respectively. St Joseph's is a state integrated Catholic school. Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Tamarongo is a Kura Kaupapa Māori
Kura Kaupapa Maori
Kura Kaupapa Māori are Māori-language immersion schools where the philosophy and practice reflect Māori cultural values with the aim of revitalising Māori language, knowledge and culture...
school which teaches in the Māori language
Maori language
Māori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
.
All these schools are coeducational, and all have a decile rating of 4 except for St Joseph's School, which has a decile rating of 6.