Plimmerton
Encyclopedia
The township of Plimmerton is adjacent to one of the more congenial beach
es in the northwest part of the Wellington
urban area of Porirua
in New Zealand
. Its population (including Hongoeka Bay) at the 2006 census was 2058, little changed from 2052 in both the 1996 and 2001 counts.
was nearby.
In the 1840s it was the home of Te Rauparaha
, who was captured by the British in Plimmerton in 1846. Near the southern end of Motuhara Road, a tiny historic reserve contains a cabbage tree that may be descended from the one he was said to have been captured near, and a plaque.
The original laying-out of streets and naming was done for the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company, which built the railway link from the capital, Wellington
, to Longburn, near Palmerston North
. Several towns were established along the way to encourage settlements that would contribute to the line's business. John Plimmer
, after whom Plimmerton was named, was a director of the company.
By the late 1890s Plimmerton had become a popular holiday destination.
For a long time Plimmerton was part of Hutt County
, on 1 April 1973 the still-growing area became one of the northern suburbs of Porirua
. Though small, it was one of the most lively. For a time it had the only active Residents' Association in the city.
) settlement at Hongoeka Bay to the northwest is part of Plimmerton for most purposes.
North of the industrial area is the Taupo Swamp
, a flax
swamp, one of the largest of its type in the southern half of the North Island
.
State Highway 1, here named St Andrews Road, separates Plimmerton and the late-20th-century suburb of Camborne.
A shopping area about two blocks long adjoins the railway station and includes two churches, a medical centre, Plunket rooms, a craft shop, a beauty salon, a real estate agent, a grocery store and several eateries. School, kindergarten, and tennis courts are close. Plimmerton Library, part of Porirua City Council's library system, moved in December 2007 from the single-room building near the school to the Plimmerton Pavilion, opposite the Plimmerton Volunteer Fire Brigade building.
South-west of the shopping area is a fairly sheltered, gently graded beach, which has been a popular recreation area for over a century. It is popular with windsurfers; some world champions have trained there. Another popular beach is Karehana Bay
, at the foot of the Airlie Road/Cluny Road valley about 1.5 kilometres north-west of the shops. Poet Denis Glover
mentioned the settlement in his poem Threnody: "In Plimmerton, in Plimmerton, the little penguin
s play, and one dead albatross
was found at Karehana Bay".
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...
es in the northwest part of the 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...
urban area of Porirua
Porirua
Porirua is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand, immediately north of the city of Wellington, with their central business districts 20 km apart. A large proportion of the population commutes to Wellington, so it may be considered a satellite city. It almost completely surrounds...
in 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...
. Its population (including Hongoeka Bay) at the 2006 census was 2058, little changed from 2052 in both the 1996 and 2001 counts.
History
The area was first settled by the Māori people early in their occupation of New Zealand, and the major Taupo PaPa (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...
was nearby.
In the 1840s it was the home of Te Rauparaha
Te Rauparaha
Te Rauparaha was a Māori rangatira and war leader of the Ngāti Toa tribe who took a leading part in the Musket Wars. He was influential in the original sale of conquered Rangitane land to the New Zealand Company and was a participant in the Wairau Incident in Marlborough...
, who was captured by the British in Plimmerton in 1846. Near the southern end of Motuhara Road, a tiny historic reserve contains a cabbage tree that may be descended from the one he was said to have been captured near, and a plaque.
The original laying-out of streets and naming was done for the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company, which built the railway link from the capital, 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...
, to Longburn, near Palmerston North
Palmerston North
Palmerston North is the main city of the Manawatu-Wanganui region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is an inland city with a population of and is the country's seventh largest city and eighth largest urban area. Palmerston North is located in the eastern Manawatu Plains near the north bank...
. Several towns were established along the way to encourage settlements that would contribute to the line's business. John Plimmer
John Plimmer
John Plimmer has been called the Father of Wellington.He was a member of the Wellington Provincial Council from 1856 to 1857, the first Wellington Town Board and was on the Wellington City Council from 1870 to 1871....
, after whom Plimmerton was named, was a director of the company.
By the late 1890s Plimmerton had become a popular holiday destination.
For a long time Plimmerton was part of Hutt County
Hutt County
Hutt County was one of the former counties of New Zealand. It occupied the south-western corner of the North Island, extending south from the Waikanae River and lying to the west of the summits of the Rimutaka Ranges...
, on 1 April 1973 the still-growing area became one of the northern suburbs of Porirua
Porirua
Porirua is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand, immediately north of the city of Wellington, with their central business districts 20 km apart. A large proportion of the population commutes to Wellington, so it may be considered a satellite city. It almost completely surrounds...
. Though small, it was one of the most lively. For a time it had the only active Residents' Association in the city.
Localities
The largely Māori (Ngati ToaNgati Toa
Ngāti Toa , an iwi , traces its descent from the eponymous ancestor Toarangatira. The Ngāti Toa region extends from Miria-te-kakara at Rangitikei to Wellington, and across Cook Strait to Wairau and Nelson....
) settlement at Hongoeka Bay to the northwest is part of Plimmerton for most purposes.
North of the industrial area is the Taupo Swamp
Taupo Swamp
Taupo Swamp is an approximately 25-hectare lowland freshwater swamp, classified as a topogeneous mire, located three kilometres north of Plimmerton and 20 kilometres north-northeast of Wellington City, New Zealand. Taupo Swamp is home to largely indigenous vegetation including sedges, flax,...
, a flax
New Zealand flax
New Zealand flax describes common New Zealand perennial plants Phormium tenax and Phormium cookianum, known by the Māori names harakeke and wharariki respectively...
swamp, one of the largest of its type in the southern half of the 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...
.
State Highway 1, here named St Andrews Road, separates Plimmerton and the late-20th-century suburb of Camborne.
A shopping area about two blocks long adjoins the railway station and includes two churches, a medical centre, Plunket rooms, a craft shop, a beauty salon, a real estate agent, a grocery store and several eateries. School, kindergarten, and tennis courts are close. Plimmerton Library, part of Porirua City Council's library system, moved in December 2007 from the single-room building near the school to the Plimmerton Pavilion, opposite the Plimmerton Volunteer Fire Brigade building.
South-west of the shopping area is a fairly sheltered, gently graded beach, which has been a popular recreation area for over a century. It is popular with windsurfers; some world champions have trained there. Another popular beach is Karehana Bay
Karehana Bay
Karehana Bay is a northern coastal suburb of Porirua located near the entrance to the Porirua Harbour, to the west of Plimmerton. It is about 5 minutes drive to Karehana Bay from the State Highway 1 turnoff to Plimmerton...
, at the foot of the Airlie Road/Cluny Road valley about 1.5 kilometres north-west of the shops. Poet Denis Glover
Denis Glover
Lieutenant Commander Denis James Matthews Glover DSC was a New Zealand poet and publisher.Well-known for radical leftist opinions, he was often in trouble with authorities. In 1935 he founded the Caxton Press, which he used to encourage a less sentimental style of poetry in New Zealand than was...
mentioned the settlement in his poem Threnody: "In Plimmerton, in Plimmerton, the little penguin
Penguin
Penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere, especially in Antarctica. Highly adapted for life in the water, penguins have countershaded dark and white plumage, and their wings have become flippers...
s play, and one dead albatross
Albatross
Albatrosses, of the biological family Diomedeidae, are large seabirds allied to the procellariids, storm-petrels and diving-petrels in the order Procellariiformes . They range widely in the Southern Ocean and the North Pacific...
was found at Karehana Bay".