Kaiapoi
| Kaiapoi | |
|---|---|
 Kaiapoi
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| Coordinates: 43°22′54″S 172°39′26″E / 43.38167°S 172.65722°ECoordinates: 43°22′54″S 172°39′26″E / 43.38167°S 172.65722°E | |
| Area | |
| • Total | 5.3098 km2 (2.0501 sq mi) |
| Population (2006) | |
| • Total | 10,200 |
| • Density | 1,900/km2 (5,000/sq mi) |
Kaiapoi is a town in the Waimakariri District of the Canterbury region, in the South Island of New Zealand. The town is located approximately 17 kilometres north of central Christchurch, close to the mouth of the Waimakariri River. It is considered to be a satellite town of Christchurch, although in the Waimakariri for statistical purposes it is part of the Christchurch urban area.
In the 2006 census, the population of the town was 10,200, with a further 1,700 residents in the surrounding area. This represents a growth rate of 11% over the previous five years.
Kaiapoi suffered extensive damage in the 2010 Canterbury and also the February 2011 Christchurch earthquakes, which rendered many homes uninhabitable and businesses inoperable.
Kaiapoi takes its name from the Māori pā (fortified village) which was built just north of the site of the current town around the year 1700 by the Ngāi Tahu chief Turakautahi. Eventually to become the largest fortified village in the South Island it lay on the site of a stronghold of an earlier tribe, Waitaha whose history and traditions Ngāi Tahu eventually adopted. Tūrākautahi was the second son of Tūāhuriri, consequently Ngāi Tūāhuriri is the name of the hapu (subtribe) of this area. In selecting the pā site, Tūrākautahi determined that kai (food/resources) would need to be poi (swung in) from other places hence the name Kaiapoi which it is said can be translated as a metaphor for "economics". All manner of resources were transported along the waterways of the Rakahuri and Taerutu on their way to or from Kaiapoi, Pounamu from the Arahura river, Titi (muttonbird) from the islands around Stewart Island / Rakiura or Tūhua (obsidian) from Mayor Island / Tuhua and other resources all indicative of a sophisticated trading network between North and South Island tribes.
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