Tirau
Encyclopedia
Tirau is a small town in the Waikato
region of the North Island
of New Zealand
, 50 kilometres southeast of Hamilton
. The town has a population of 732 (2006 census) (726 in 2001 and 735 in 1996). Tirau is primarily a farming town but in recent years has begun to exploit the income that comes from being on a major road. Tirau is Maori
for "place of many cabbage trees."
Tirau is a major junction in the New Zealand State Highway network
. Just south of the township is the intersection of State Highway 1 and State Highway 5
, where traffic from Auckland
and Hamilton split to go either to Rotorua
(SH 5) or Taupo
(SH 1).
, however plans were changed after the entrepreneurial Rose family bought up large volumes of land in the region, with the intention of making large returns when it came of high demand. Oxford later became a rural service town, and changed its name to Tirau in 1896. By the late 1980s Tirau was fast becoming a ghost town.
In 1991, local business man Henry Clothier sought to advantage from the relatively cheap real estate and high traffic volume in the town by opening an Antique shop in the former Rose Bros. grocery store building. Many other businesses followed suit off the back of his success throughout the 1990s until today. Tirau has built a reputation as a shopping destination for antiques, collectibles and other niche items. In 2005/06 the South Waikato District Council is working, on behalf of the Tirau Ward, in conjunction with the community, to develop a concept plan for Tirau's future. This project is taking the success of Tirau's transformation over the past decade and linking it with the requirements of the Local Government Act 2002 new emphasis on the four well-beings, social, economic, environmental and cultural.
The town is now a well known tourist stop-off, and is characterised by many local art works in the town forged out of discarded corrugated iron.
In 2000 ‘The Castle’ opened in Tirau, a large toy museum on the towns southern limits, which is in clear view when heading through the township from Rotorua
or Taupo
.
Among its other well known sights are the information centre shaped like a giant dog and 'the big sheep', a large wool outlet, both made out of corrugated iron. Many of the shops in the town also possess large corrugated iron sculptures and the church has a giant shepherd also made out of corrugated iron.
Waikato
The Waikato Region is a local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato, Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, the northern King Country, much of the Taupo District, and parts of Rotorua District...
region 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...
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...
, 50 kilometres southeast of Hamilton
Hamilton, New Zealand
Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland...
. The town has a population of 732 (2006 census) (726 in 2001 and 735 in 1996). Tirau is primarily a farming town but in recent years has begun to exploit the income that comes from being on a major road. Tirau is Maori
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...
for "place of many cabbage trees."
Tirau is a major junction in the New Zealand State Highway network
New Zealand State Highway network
The New Zealand State Highway network is the major national highway network in New Zealand. Just under 100 roads in both the North and South Islands are State Highways...
. Just south of the township is the intersection of State Highway 1 and State Highway 5
New Zealand State Highway 5
State Highway 5 is the second shortest of New Zealand's eight national highways. It extends from SH 1 at Tirau, on the plains of the Waikato River to SH 2 close to the Hawke Bay coast at Bay View, 10 km north of Napier...
, where traffic from Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
and Hamilton split to go either to Rotorua
Rotorua
Rotorua is a city on the southern shores of the lake of the same name, in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand. The city is the seat of the Rotorua District, a territorial authority encompassing the city and several other nearby towns...
(SH 5) or Taupo
Taupo
Taupo is a town on the shore of Lake Taupo in the centre of the North Island of New Zealand. It is the seat of the Taupo District Council and lies in the southern Waikato Region....
(SH 1).
History
In the 19th century, Tirau, then Oxford, was originally planned as a large-scale city for the WaikatoWaikato
The Waikato Region is a local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato, Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, the northern King Country, much of the Taupo District, and parts of Rotorua District...
, however plans were changed after the entrepreneurial Rose family bought up large volumes of land in the region, with the intention of making large returns when it came of high demand. Oxford later became a rural service town, and changed its name to Tirau in 1896. By the late 1980s Tirau was fast becoming a ghost town.
In 1991, local business man Henry Clothier sought to advantage from the relatively cheap real estate and high traffic volume in the town by opening an Antique shop in the former Rose Bros. grocery store building. Many other businesses followed suit off the back of his success throughout the 1990s until today. Tirau has built a reputation as a shopping destination for antiques, collectibles and other niche items. In 2005/06 the South Waikato District Council is working, on behalf of the Tirau Ward, in conjunction with the community, to develop a concept plan for Tirau's future. This project is taking the success of Tirau's transformation over the past decade and linking it with the requirements of the Local Government Act 2002 new emphasis on the four well-beings, social, economic, environmental and cultural.
Tirau Today
In 2000 ‘The Castle’ opened in Tirau, a large toy museum on the towns southern limits, which is in clear view when heading through the township from Rotorua
Rotorua
Rotorua is a city on the southern shores of the lake of the same name, in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand. The city is the seat of the Rotorua District, a territorial authority encompassing the city and several other nearby towns...
or Taupo
Taupo
Taupo is a town on the shore of Lake Taupo in the centre of the North Island of New Zealand. It is the seat of the Taupo District Council and lies in the southern Waikato Region....
.
Among its other well known sights are the information centre shaped like a giant dog and 'the big sheep', a large wool outlet, both made out of corrugated iron. Many of the shops in the town also possess large corrugated iron sculptures and the church has a giant shepherd also made out of corrugated iron.