Whau Valley
| Whau Valley | |
|---|---|
| Basic information | |
| Local authority | Whangarei |
| Population | 2,364 (2013) |
| Surrounds | |
| North | Kamo |
| Northeast | Tikipunga |
| East | Otangarei |
| Southeast | Mairtown |
| South | Kensington |
| Northwest | Three Mile Bush |
Whau Valley is a suburb of Whangarei, in Northland Region, New Zealand. State Highway 1 runs through it. The valley was named for the whau trees which grew there in the 1850s.
The population was 2,364 in the 2013 Census, a decrease of 381 from 2006.
At the end of the 4 km long Whau Valley Road is the principal water reservoir for Whangarei City, created by the Whau Valley Earth Dam. The reservoir is stocked with rainbow and brown trout.
Some of the early settlers in what was then called Whauwhau Valley were William Hawken and his family, who arrived in 1859, and John MacDonald and his family, in 1860. The MacDonald family was part of the group of people from Nova Scotia who settled in the Whangarei area.
Coal was discovered in the Whauwhau Valley in the 1860s. Henry Walton and William Grahame took a 99 lease on the land and developed a mine. A wooden tramway was built from the mine to the Hātea River so coal wagons could be pulled by horses to be loaded onto ships. The railway line between Kamo and Whangarei, opened in 1882, replaced the tramway. Output of the mine was 45,359 long tons (46,087 t) by 1885.
Whau Valley School is a contributing primary (years 1-6) school with a decile rating of 2 and a roll of 212.
St Francis Xavier School is a Catholic contributing primary (years 1-6) school with a decile rating of 6 and a roll of 438.
Whangarei Adventist Christian School is a full primary (years 1-8) school with a decile rating of 4 and a roll of 26.
All these schools are coeducational. St Francis Xavier and Whangarei Adventist schools are state integrated.
Coordinates: 35°41′55″S 174°18′46″E / 35.69861°S 174.31278°E
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Wikipedia