Wairarapa
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The Wairarapa (
The region is referred to as The Wairarapa, particularly when used after a preposition (e.g., locals will say they live "in the Wairarapa", and travel "to" and "from the Wairarapa").[1]
Boundaries
The Wairarapa is shaped like a rectangle, about 130 kilometres (81 mi) long (from Palliser Bay north to Woodville) and 65 kilometres (40 mi) wide (from the Tararua Range east to the coast). The Ngāti Kahungunu tribe's boundary for the region is similar. Their tribal area begins at Pōrangahau and ends at Turakirae. It is the southernmost of their three rohe (homelands) running down the eastern North Island from Wairoa. For the Rangitāne tribe, the Wairarapa is part of a wider homeland that includes Manawatū and Horowhenua.[2]
The north–south divide was reinforced in 1989, when local authority boundaries changed. The new Tararua District Council covers northern Wairarapa and southern Hawke's Bay. The central and southern Wairarapa was divided into three district councils: Masterton, Carterton and the South Wairarapa.
In terms of national politics, after the proportional representation electoral system was introduced in 1996, the Wairarapa electorate expanded to include southern Hawke's Bay.
The area from
The east coast contains settlements such as Tīnui, Castlepoint, and Riversdale Beach, while the main southern rivers drain through or past Lake Wairarapa to discharge into Palliser Bay east of Cook Strait.
History
The name Wairarapa means "glistening waters" in
During British colonial times the region was also known colloquially as The Wydrop.[5]
European settlement began in the early 1840s, initially on large grazing runs leased from Māori, and with closer settlement from the 1850s.
On 23 January 1855 the strongest
In World War II United States Marine Corps soldiers were stationed in the Wairarapa with two battalions in Masterton.[6]
Economy
The agricultural industries, including forestry, cropping, sheep, beef and dairy farming, are major land users. The area around Martinborough, in the south, is notable for its vineyards and wine, as are the outskirts of Masterton and Carterton. Beer has been brewed at Mangatainoka, near Pahiatua, since 1889.[7] There are over 60 wineries in the region since the weather is very similar to Burgundy.[8] Deer farming is growing in importance.[9]
Transport
The region is well served by different transport modes. The State Highway 2, via Rimutaka Hill Road connects the region to Wellington in the south and the Manawatū in the north. The
Many residents, especially in the southern towns such as
Wildlife
Many of New Zealand's endangered native bird species can be seen at the
International Dark Sky Reserve
In January 2023, an area of 3,665 square kilometres (1,415 sq mi), was certified as the Wairarapa Dark Sky Reserve by the
Notable people
- Max Abbott, psychologist, Pro-Vice Chancellor of Auckland University of Technology, and former president of the World Federation for Mental Health, born Featherston
- Pip Brown - singer/songwriter Ladyhawke, born Masterton
- James Cameron, film director
- Bob Charles, champion golfer and winner of the 1963 British Open, at Carterton.
- Jemaine Clement, one half of the comedy band/TV series "Flight of the Conchords"
- Marcus Daniell Masterton-born professional tennis player
- Katie Gold, potter
- Murray Halberg, middle-distance runner and Olympic gold medalist, at Eketāhuna
- Keith Holyoake, former Prime Minister of New Zealand, at Pahiatua.
- Raybon Kan, Comedian, at Masterton
- Moana Leota, singer-songwriter
- Brian Lochore, All Black captain and World Cup-winning coach, at Masterton
- Alan Graham MacDiarmid, Nobel Prize-winning chemist, born in Masterton
- Cathy Penney, helicopter pilot and founder (with Laurie Bargh) of Heli-Flight Wairarapa
- Arthur Prior, Masterton-born logician and philosopher. Professor of Philosophy at the University of Manchester, fellow and tutor at Balliol College, Oxford, and founder of Temporal logic.
- Jesse Ryder, International cricketer, at Masterton
- Ross Taylor, International cricketer
- Vincent Ward, Film director, at Greytown (What dreams may come, The Navigator, Vigil, River Queen)
- Maurice Wilkins, Nobel Prize-winning scientist, whose work led to the discovery of the structure of DNA, at Pongaroa.
See also
- List of regions in New Zealand
- Georgina Beyer, Ex MP for Wairarapa, ex Mayor of Carterton.
- Grant Batty, Greytown, Ex *All Black*
- Geoffrey Fisken, Grazier, Fighter Pilot
- Zac Guildford, Masterton, All Black
- New Zealand wine
References
- ^ See for example "About the Wairarapa," wairarapanz.com; "The Wairarapa," Lonely Planet; and "Wairarapa region," Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. All retrieved 17 February 2019.
- ^ "2. – Wairarapa region – Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand". Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand.
- ^
Yerex, David (1991). They Came to Wydrop: The Beetham and Williams Families of Brancepeth and Te Parae, Wairarapa, 1856-1990. Hugh Beetham of Brancepeth and Tom Williams of Te Parae. ISBN 9781869560249.
- Wellington Regional Council.
- ^
Yerex, David (1991). They Came to Wydrop: The Beetham and Williams Families of Brancepeth and Te Parae, Wairarapa, 1856-1990. Hugh Beetham of Brancepeth and Tom Williams of Te Parae. ISBN 9781869560249.
- ^ Fuller, Piers (14 March 2023). "American soldiers were a welcome sight in wartime Wellington". Stuff. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
- ^ "Tui Brewery Tours & Tui HQ, Mangatainoka". Tui HQ. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
- ^ "Wairarapa Wine Region". Wairarapa Wine Region. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
- ^ McLellan, Illya (7 November 2016). "Wairarapa's newest deer farmer taking it all in her stride". Stuff. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
- ^ "Wairarapa Dark Sky Reserve Becomes New Zealand's Second International Dark Sky Reserve". International Dark-Sky Association. 18 January 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
- ^ "Wairarapa Dark Sky Reserve (New Zealand)". International Dark-Sky Association. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
- ^ Bunny, Sara (21 March 2023). "Wairarapa becomes official Dark Sky stargazing reserve". NZ Herald. Retrieved 23 May 2023.