Waikanae
Encyclopedia
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
.
The town is about 60 kilometres north of Wellington
, New Zealand's capital city
, and lies between the towns of Paraparaumu
, eight kilometres to the southwest, and Otaki
, 15 kilometres to the northeast.
and the rugged Tararua Ranges. Together with its neighbouring settlement of Waikanae Beach, the township comprises a quiet locale, popular with families and retirees. Many new cafes have opened up in Waikanae and Waikanae Beach to service both the locals and visitors to the Kapiti Coast. Just north of Waikanae is the small community of Peka Peka
.
The town and surrounding area is noted for its long beach and wide river mouth, opposite Kapiti Island
which lies four kilometres offshore in the Tasman Sea. The waters between Waikanae Beach and Kapiti Island are a marine reserve, and whales are sometimes spotted on their migration routes through the narrow corridor. The beach itself is composed of black iron sand but is popular for water sports and long walks. Inland, behind Waikanae, are the bush clad Tararua Ranges and the Akatarawa Valley
, home to a popular conservation park, Staglands Wildlife Reserve. A road through the valley provides a link with the Hutt Valley via Reikorangi
and Cloustonville
.
. See Kapiti Coast
for greater detail.
and the North Island Main Trunk Railway. Until 2011, the only direct commuter train
to Wellington was the Capital Connection from Palmerston North
which leaves for Wellington in the morning and returns in the evening en route to Palmerston North
. However in February 2011 the electric rail commuter service from Wellington was extended to the newly rebuilt Waikanae Railway Station
. The new Matangi electric multiple units entered service on the Kapiti Line in 2011.
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...
Kapiti Coast
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...
. The name is a 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...
word meaning "The waters of the yellow eyed mullet
Mullet (fish)
The mullets or grey mullets are a family and order of ray-finned fish found worldwide in coastal temperate and tropical waters, and in some species in fresh water. Mullets have served as an important source of food in Mediterranean Europe since Roman times...
". Another settlement called Waikanae Beach exists near Gisborne
Gisborne, New Zealand
-Economy:The harbour was host to many ships in the past and had developed as a river port to provide a more secure location for shipping compared with the open roadstead of Poverty Bay which can be exposed to southerly swells. A meat works was sited beside the harbour and meat and wool was shipped...
on the east coast of the North 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...
.
The town is about 60 kilometres north 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...
, New Zealand's capital city
Capital City
Capital City was a television show produced by Euston Films which focused on the lives of investment bankers in London living and working on the corporate trading floor for the fictional international bank Shane-Longman....
, and lies between the towns 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....
, eight kilometres to the southwest, and Otaki
Otaki, New Zealand
Otaki is a town in the Kapiti Coast District of the North Island of New Zealand, situated half way between the capital city Wellington, 70 kilometres to the southwest, and Palmerston North, 70 kilometres to the northeast. It marks the northernmost point of the Wellington Region. The town's...
, 15 kilometres to the northeast.
Geography
Waikanae is bordered by open farmland and forest, the Tasman SeaTasman 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...
and the rugged Tararua Ranges. Together with its neighbouring settlement of Waikanae Beach, the township comprises a quiet locale, popular with families and retirees. Many new cafes have opened up in Waikanae and Waikanae Beach to service both the locals and visitors to the Kapiti Coast. Just north of Waikanae is the small community of Peka Peka
Peka Peka
Peka Peka, sometimes Pekapeka, is a lightly populated seaside locality on the Kapiti Coast of New Zealand's North Island. Its population according to the 2001 New Zealand Census of Population and Dwellings is 195, an increase of 35.4% or 51 people since the 1996 census. It is located just off...
.
The town and surrounding area is noted for its long beach and wide river mouth, opposite Kapiti Island
Kapiti Island
-External links:* , Department of Conservation* * , Nature Coast Enterprise *...
which lies four kilometres offshore in the Tasman Sea. The waters between Waikanae Beach and Kapiti Island are a marine reserve, and whales are sometimes spotted on their migration routes through the narrow corridor. The beach itself is composed of black iron sand but is popular for water sports and long walks. Inland, behind Waikanae, are the bush clad Tararua Ranges and the Akatarawa Valley
Akatarawa Valley
The Akatarawa Valley is a valley in the Tararua Range of New Zealand's North Island. It provides a link from the upper reaches of the Hutt Valley to Waikanae on the Kapiti Coast through rugged hill country. The valley is lowly populated and contains the localities of Reikorangi and Cloustonville...
, home to a popular conservation park, Staglands Wildlife Reserve. A road through the valley provides a link with the Hutt Valley via Reikorangi
Reikorangi
Reikorangi is a locality on the Kapiti Coast in New Zealand's North Island. It is inland, behind Waikanae in the Akatarawa Valley of the Tararua Ranges. The Ngatiawa River and Reikorangi Stream both meet the Waikanae River in Reikorangi....
and Cloustonville
Cloustonville
Cloustonville is a small settlement in the Akatarawa Valley of New Zealand's North Island, north of Upper Hutt in the foothills of the Tararua Range. The 2006 New Zealand Census of Population and Dwellings recorded Cloustonville's population as 348, a rise of 24 people since the 2001 census...
.
History
The area has much historic and mythological significance for the Māori people of New ZealandNew 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...
. See Kapiti Coast
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...
for greater detail.
Population
The 2006 New Zealand Census records the usually-resident population of Waikanae as 10,230.Transport
The town is located on State Highway 1State 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...
and the North Island Main Trunk Railway. Until 2011, the only direct commuter train
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
to Wellington was the Capital Connection from 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...
which leaves for Wellington in the morning and returns in the evening en route to 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...
. However in February 2011 the electric rail commuter service from Wellington was extended to the newly rebuilt Waikanae Railway Station
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...
. The new Matangi electric multiple units entered service on the Kapiti Line in 2011.