Bombay Hills, New Zealand
Encyclopedia
The Bombay Hills are a range of hills to the south of Auckland
, New Zealand
. Though only a small and seemingly insignificant range of hills, they lie at the southern boundary of the Auckland
region, and serve as a divide
between Auckland and the Waikato region. There is a 19th century settlement, Bombay, on the old main road south of Auckland, the Great South Road.
Aucklanders and other New Zealanders have a mostly light-hearted "love-hate" relationship. Stereotypically, Aucklanders view parts of the country "south of the Bombay Hills" as provincial and unsophisticated, while the rest of the country sees Aucklanders as brash and arrogant. For this reason, the boundary between Auckland and its southern neighbours bears great significance. People on both sides of the boundary are as likely to use the phrase "New Zealand stops at the Bombay Hills". See also the term Jafa
for Aucklanders, and North of Watford for a similar cultural border concept in the United Kingdom
.
. State Highway 1 here reaches its highest point between Auckland and Tirau
in the eastern Waikato
Region, 134 kilometres (83.3 mi) to the southeast. Bombay is the nearest settlement to the southern fringe of the Auckland metropolitan area.
, which landed in Auckland and brought settlers to the area, originally called Williamson's Clearing, in 1863. The ship itself was named after the India
n city of Bombay
(now Mumbai).
, the Bombay Hills are geologically quite distinct, being mainly of volcanic origin. This makes the Bombay Hills an ideal place for farming and growing crops.
(Olympic rower), Katherine Prumm (World Champion motorcyclist) and Andy Dalton
(former All Black captain).
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...
, 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...
. Though only a small and seemingly insignificant range of hills, they lie at the southern boundary of the Auckland
Auckland Region
The Auckland Region was one of the sixteen regions of New Zealand, named for the city of Auckland, the country's largest urban area. With one third of the nation's residents, it was by far the biggest population and economy of any region of New Zealand, but the second-smallest land area.On 1...
region, and serve as a divide
North-South divide
The north–south divide is a socio-economic and political division that exists between the wealthy developed countries, known collectively as "the north", and the poorer developing countries , or "the south." Although most nations comprising the "North" are in fact located in the Northern Hemisphere ,...
between Auckland and the Waikato region. There is a 19th century settlement, Bombay, on the old main road south of Auckland, the Great South Road.
Aucklanders and other New Zealanders have a mostly light-hearted "love-hate" relationship. Stereotypically, Aucklanders view parts of the country "south of the Bombay Hills" as provincial and unsophisticated, while the rest of the country sees Aucklanders as brash and arrogant. For this reason, the boundary between Auckland and its southern neighbours bears great significance. People on both sides of the boundary are as likely to use the phrase "New Zealand stops at the Bombay Hills". See also the term Jafa
Jafa
Jafa is a slang term for a resident of Auckland, New Zealand. It is the acronym for Just Another Fucking Aucklander or used as a insult to Aucklanders...
for Aucklanders, and North of Watford for a similar cultural border concept in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Location
The hills are located 40 kilometres (24.9 mi) southeast of Auckland, close to the town of PukekohePukekohe
Pukekohe is a town in the Auckland Region of the North Island of New Zealand. Located at the southern edge of the Auckland Region, it is approximately 50 kilometres south of Auckland City, between the southern shore of the Manukau Harbour and the mouth of the Waikato River. The hills of Pukekohe...
. State Highway 1 here reaches its highest point between Auckland and Tirau
Tirau
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 . Tirau is primarily a farming town but in recent years has begun to exploit the income that comes from being on a major road...
in the eastern Waikato
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, 134 kilometres (83.3 mi) to the southeast. Bombay is the nearest settlement to the southern fringe of the Auckland metropolitan area.
Name
The settlement of Bombay and hence the Bombay Hills are directly named after the ship BombayBombay (ship)
Several ships have been named after Bombay :*1742 - Sloop of the Bengal Pilot Service as a non-combatant vessel*1750 - Grab armed cruiser of 32 guns...
, which landed in Auckland and brought settlers to the area, originally called Williamson's Clearing, in 1863. The ship itself was named after the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n city of Bombay
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
(now Mumbai).
Geology
While they may appear to be just a spur of the Hunua RangesHunua Ranges
The Hunua Ranges form a block of hilly country to the southeast of Auckland in New Zealand's North Island. They cover some 250 square kilometres , containing 178 km² of parkland, and rise to 688 metres at Kohukohunui...
, the Bombay Hills are geologically quite distinct, being mainly of volcanic origin. This makes the Bombay Hills an ideal place for farming and growing crops.
Residents
The Bombay Hills has many former athletes as residents including Eric MurrayEric Murray (rower)
Eric Murray is a New Zealand rower. He has won four World Rowing Championships gold medals. The first was as a member of the New Zealand coxless four at 2007 World Rowing Championships. Murray then went on to become a member of the double gold medal-winning coxless pair with fellow coxless four...
(Olympic rower), Katherine Prumm (World Champion motorcyclist) and Andy Dalton
Andy Dalton
Andrew Grant Dalton is an ex-All Blacks rugby union player who captained the side 17 times in tests...
(former All Black captain).