Raumati
Encyclopedia
Raumati collectively refers to two neighbouring places on the Kapiti Coast
of New Zealand
's North Island
. They are located 50-60 km north-east of Wellington
, and immediately to the south-west of the larger town of Paraparaumu
. The Maungakotukutuku
area is located immediately behind Raumati. "Raumati" is the Māori language
word for "summer".
, within sight of the Tasman Sea
. It has a population of 4,100.
Following the laying out of Raumati Beach as a seaside resort in 1908, the first general store was built in Raumati Beach in 1919.
The town has many landmarks including Kapiti College
, in which Peter Jackson
(New Zealand
Filmmaker) and Christian Cullen
(Rugby Union
Footballer) received their education, St. Mark's Church, the vast sandy beach (popular for walks, fishing and people on holiday), The Raumati Beach Shopping Village, Kapiti Island and Weka Park. The main primary education provider is Raumati Beach Primary School. The Wharemauku Stream
meets the sea in Raumati Beach on the northern side of Raumati Marine Gardens
. This park is a popular recreation location: it features a ridable miniature railway
and indoor, heated swimming pools that serve as the primary public pools for the surrounding area. The Beach offers a boat ramp and a tractor is on offer from the Raumati Fishing Club. During the year several large events are held at Raumati Beach including the Raumati Beach Surf Casting competition which attracts hundreds of fisherman from all around New Zealand. The Kapiti Woman's Triathlon is also held annually within the Marine Gardens and attracts large crowds and is well supported.
To the south of this town, between it and the town of Paekakariki
, is the Queen Elizabeth Park
, a 12 km² regional park used during the filming of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
, where it represented Pelennor Fields. Raumati South is known for its alternative lifestyle, and is very arty. The main primary education provider is Raumati South Primary School. There is also a Steiner school called 'Te Ra' located on Poplar Avenue.
The Kapiti Bears - Kapiti Coast Rugby League Club Inc is on the border of Raumati South and Raumati Beach. The Club was founded in the 1970s and was the home of Kiwi and Melbourne Storm player, now Kiwi coach Stephen Kearney
. The Club operates out of Matthews Park, Menin Road, and is affiliated to the Wellington Rugby League Zone.
The local football club, Kapiti Coast United
, plays at Weka Park
in Raumati Beach.
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...
. They are located 50-60 km north-east of 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...
, and immediately to the south-west of the larger town 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....
. The Maungakotukutuku
Maungakotukutuku
Maungakotukutuku is a rural locality on the Kapiti Coast of New Zealand's North Island. It is located inland, behind Paraparaumu and Raumati, and the 2001 New Zealand Census of Population and Dwellings gave its population as 621 people, an increase of 38.9% or 174 people since the 1996 census.The...
area is located immediately behind Raumati. "Raumati" is 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...
word for "summer".
Raumati Beach
Raumati Beach is the northern of the two, both of which are popular seaside settlements on the coast of Cook StraitCook Strait
Cook Strait is the strait between the North and South Islands of New Zealand. It connects the Tasman Sea on the west with the South Pacific Ocean on the east....
, within sight of the Tasman Sea
Tasman Sea
The Tasman Sea is the large body of water between Australia and New Zealand, approximately across. It extends 2,800 km from north to south. It is a south-western segment of the South Pacific Ocean. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, the first recorded European...
. It has a population of 4,100.
Following the laying out of Raumati Beach as a seaside resort in 1908, the first general store was built in Raumati Beach in 1919.
The town has many landmarks including Kapiti College
Kapiti College
Kapiti College is situated at Raumati Beach on the Kapiti Coast in New Zealand, 40 minutes drive from central Wellington. It was called Raumati District High School when built in 1954, then renamed Kapiti College in 1957. The Kapiti College Motto is "Semper Fidelis".The roll is 1080 in 2010,...
, in which Peter Jackson
Peter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson, KNZM is a New Zealand film director, producer, actor, and screenwriter, known for his The Lord of the Rings film trilogy , adapted from the novel by J. R. R...
(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...
Filmmaker) and Christian Cullen
Christian Cullen
Christian Mathias Cullen is a former New Zealand rugby union footballer. He played most of his rugby at fullback for New Zealand , for the Hurricanes in the Super 12, and for Manawatu, Wellington and later Munster at first-class level. He was nicknamed the Paekakariki Express...
(Rugby Union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
Footballer) received their education, St. Mark's Church, the vast sandy beach (popular for walks, fishing and people on holiday), The Raumati Beach Shopping Village, Kapiti Island and Weka Park. The main primary education provider is Raumati Beach Primary School. The Wharemauku Stream
Wharemauku Stream
The Wharemauku Stream is a stream on the Kapiti Coast of New Zealand's North Island. Its headwaters are in the Maungakotukutuku valley, and it flows through Paraparaumu and Raumati Beach before reaching the Tasman Sea on the northern side of Raumati Marine Gardens...
meets the sea in Raumati Beach on the northern side of Raumati Marine Gardens
Raumati Marine Gardens
Raumati Marine Gardens is a public park in Raumati Beach on New Zealand's Kapiti Coast. It is near the Tasman Sea just behind the beach, hence its name, and on the northern side of the park, the Wharemauku Stream reaches the ocean....
. This park is a popular recreation location: it features a ridable miniature railway
Ridable miniature railway
A ridable miniature railway is a ground-level, large scale model railway that hauls passengers using locomotives that are models of full-sized railway locomotives .-Overview:Typically they have a rail track gauge between and , though both larger and...
and indoor, heated swimming pools that serve as the primary public pools for the surrounding area. The Beach offers a boat ramp and a tractor is on offer from the Raumati Fishing Club. During the year several large events are held at Raumati Beach including the Raumati Beach Surf Casting competition which attracts hundreds of fisherman from all around New Zealand. The Kapiti Woman's Triathlon is also held annually within the Marine Gardens and attracts large crowds and is well supported.
Raumati South
Two kilometres further south is Raumati South, which has a population of 3,200. In 1912, Herbert and William Eatwell had named the place Kawatiri, but the name was changed to the current one in 1934 because of another place with the same name in the Tasman Region.To the south of this town, between it and the town of Paekakariki
Paekakariki
Paekakariki is a town in the Kapiti Coast District in the south-western North Island of New Zealand. It is 22 km north of Porirua and 45 km north-east of Wellington, the nation's capital city....
, is the Queen Elizabeth Park
Queen Elizabeth Park, New Zealand
Queen Elizabeth Park is a Wellington Regional Park located on the Kapiti Coast in New Zealand. The park contains the last area of natural dunes on the Kapiti Coast. The park is steeped in history including pa sites at Whareroa Beach and Wainui Beach....
, a 12 km² regional park used during the filming of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is a 2003 epic fantasy-drama film directed by Peter Jackson that is based on the second and third volumes of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings...
, where it represented Pelennor Fields. Raumati South is known for its alternative lifestyle, and is very arty. The main primary education provider is Raumati South Primary School. There is also a Steiner school called 'Te Ra' located on Poplar Avenue.
Sport
Tennis courts were built by Bert Eatwell in Raumati South (then Kawatiri) in about 1930. The first tennis club in Raumati South was established in the mid-1940s. A bowling club was established in Raumati South in 1945. A surf club was established in Raumati South in 1955.The Kapiti Bears - Kapiti Coast Rugby League Club Inc is on the border of Raumati South and Raumati Beach. The Club was founded in the 1970s and was the home of Kiwi and Melbourne Storm player, now Kiwi coach Stephen Kearney
Stephen Kearney
Stephen Peter Kearney, ONZM is a professional rugby league football coach and former player. He is the current head coach of the Parramatta Eels in the NRL as well as the New Zealand national team...
. The Club operates out of Matthews Park, Menin Road, and is affiliated to the Wellington Rugby League Zone.
The local football club, Kapiti Coast United
Kapiti Coast United
Kapiti Coast United is an association football club in New Zealand. Their home ground is Weka Park in Raumati Beach on the Kapiti Coast. The club was formed by a merger of the Kapiti Hearts and Paraparaumu United in 2003. The Kapiti Hearts, founded as the Raumati Hearts in 1960, were named after...
, plays at Weka Park
Weka Park
Weka Park is a public park in Raumati Beach on New Zealand's Kapiti Coast. It is the home ground of the local soccer team, Kapiti Coast United. Cricket is also played at the park, and it has a children's playground. The Wharemauku Stream flows along the boundary of the park, and a walking track...
in Raumati Beach.
Further reading
- Raumati reflections, 1948-1958 by Celia Harden, published by Paraparaumu, 2008, OCLC Number 310733684
- Raumati South, heart and soul : our community's story of our history by Jacqueline Elliot, published by Otaki, 2008, ISBN 9780473137410