Otaihanga
Encyclopedia
Kapiti Coast
The Kapiti Coast is the name of the section of the coast of the south-western North Island of New Zealand that is north of Wellington and opposite Kapiti Island. It falls under the jurisdiction of the Wellington Regional Council...
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...
'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 just north of Paraparaumu
Paraparaumu
Paraparaumu is a town in the south-western North Island of New Zealand. It lies in the Kapiti Coast, 50 kilometres north of the nation's capital city, Wellington....
on the south bank of the Waikanae River
Waikanae River
Waikanae River is located on the Kapiti Coast in the North Island of New Zealand.The river drains the western flanks of the Tararua Ranges around Reikorangi and the Akatarawa Valley, then passes to the south of the town of Waikanae before entering the Tasman Sea at Waikanae Beach. Tributaries...
and is roughly 55 km north of New Zealand's capital city, Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
. Its name means "the place made by the tide" in Māori
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...
.
Attractions
Southward Car Museum
The Southward Car Museum is an automobile museum housing a collection of over 250 vehicles, as well as three aircraft, located on Otaihanga Road, Otaihanga, just north of Paraparaumu on the Kapiti Coast of New Zealand's North Island...
on Otaihanga Road between the North Island Main Trunk Railway to the west and State Highway 1
State Highway 1 (New Zealand)
State Highway 1 is the longest and most significant road in the New Zealand roading network, running the length of both main islands. It appears on road maps as SH 1 and on road signs as a white number 1 on a red shield, but it has the official designations SH 1N in the North Island, SH 1S in the...
to the east. It has one of the largest collections of cars in the Southern Hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere
The Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...
and contains other attractions such as heritage planes, and it has a large theatre.
Economy
AgricultureAgriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
used to take place, but has now largely ceased as residential developments have been built. Otaihanga has become primarily residential, and some small-scale commercial businesses operate. The Kapiti Coast's main rubbish tip
Landfill
A landfill site , is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment...
is in Otaihanga.
Education
There are no educational institutions in Otaihanga, but there are primary schools and a secondary school, Paraparaumu College, minutes away in Paraparaumu. One of the primary schools, Kenakena School, has been involved in works to improve Otaihanga's environment at Greendale Reserve.Environment
The main parkland in Otaihanga is the Otaihanga Domain, on the banks of the Waikanae River. It is used for leisure activities and has no sporting facilities. It has family amenities and a footbridge across the river to Waikanae
Waikanae
Waikanae is a small town on New Zealand's Kapiti Coast. The name is a Māori word meaning "The waters of the yellow eyed mullet". Another settlement called Waikanae Beach exists near Gisborne on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand....
. Another parkland, Greendale Reserve, was formerly two rundown paddocks but it has been the subject of local volunteer efforts to revitalise its environment and restore native plants. These efforts began in 1997 and have involved the students of Kenakena School. In 2006, the volunteer work was honoured by a Conservation Week Merit Award
Conservation Week
Conservation Week is an annual event in New Zealand to promote conservation of native plants and animals.-External links:* - Conservation Week page...
, with the school receiving the 2006 Young Conservationist Award.
Transport
State Highway 1 (New Zealand)
State Highway 1 is the longest and most significant road in the New Zealand roading network, running the length of both main islands. It appears on road maps as SH 1 and on road signs as a white number 1 on a red shield, but it has the official designations SH 1N in the North Island, SH 1S in the...
runs through eastern Otaihanga. The intersection of the highway and Otaihanga Road is a notorious traffic black spot
Black Spot
Black Spot or black spot may refer to:* Black Spot , a plant disease caused by a fungus* Black Spot , a literary device in Treasure Island, a novel by Robert Louis Stevenson...
and in August 2006, Transit New Zealand
Transit New Zealand
Transit New Zealand was, from 1989 to 2008, the New Zealand Crown entity responsible for operating and planning the New Zealand State Highway network...
lowered the speed limit of the highway in the area from 100 km/h to 80 km/h as an attempt to reduce accidents.
Otaihanga is on the North Island Main Trunk Railway, on a section built by the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company. The two ends of the line met at Otaihanga and the last spike was driven at a public ceremony by Governor
Governor-General of New Zealand
The Governor-General of New Zealand is the representative of the monarch of New Zealand . The Governor-General acts as the Queen's vice-regal representative in New Zealand and is often viewed as the de facto head of state....
William Jervois
William Jervois
Sir William Francis Drummond Jervois, GCMG, CB was a British military engineer who saw service, as Second Captain, in South Africa...
. The railway opened on 3 November 1886 and passed into the ownership of the New Zealand Railways Department
New Zealand Railways Department
The New Zealand Railways Department, NZR or NZGR and often known as the "Railways", was a government department charged with owning and maintaining New Zealand's railway infrastructure and operating the railway system. The Department was created in 1880 and was reformed in 1981 into the New...
on 8 December 1908. There was a passenger halt at Otaihanga
Otaihanga Railway Station
Otaihanga Railway Station was a flag station between Paraparaumu and Waikanae on the Wellington-Manawatu Line in New Zealand, when the line was run by the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company. This line is now part of the Kapiti section of the North Island Main Trunk.The station was opened on 2...
until 1902. Kapiti Line commuter services stop at Paraparaumu
Paraparaumu Railway Station
Paraparaumu Railway Station in Paraparaumu on the Kapiti Coast, New Zealand is an intermediate station on the Kapiti Line for Tranz Metro's electric multiple unit commuter trains from Wellington...
and the terminus at Waikanae
Waikanae Railway Station
Waikanae Railway Station in Waikanae on the Kapiti Coast, New Zealand is the terminal station on the Kapiti Line for Tranz Metro's electric multiple unit commuter trains from Wellington...
.