Hikuai is a small community on the
Tairua RiverThe Tairua River is located on the Coromandel Peninsula in the North Island of New Zealand.It flows north and then northeast for a total of 35 kilometres from its source in the Coromandel Range to the west of Whangamata, passing through the town of Hikuai before reaching the Pacific Ocean at Tairua...
towards the base of the
Coromandel PeninsulaThe Coromandel Peninsula lies in the North Island of New Zealand. It is part of the Waikato region and extends 85 kilometres north from the western end of the Bay of Plenty, forming a natural barrier to protect the Hauraki Gulf and the Firth of Thames in the west from the Pacific Ocean to the...
in the
North IslandThe North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
of
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud...
. It lies 40 kilometres north of
WaihiWaihi is a town in Hauraki District in the North Island of New Zealand, especially notable for its history as a gold mine town. It had a population of 4,524 at the 2001 census....
and 10 kilometres southwest of
TairuaThe town of Tairua is on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula in the North Island of New Zealand. It lies at the mouth of the Tairua River on its north bank and on the small Paku Peninsula...
, close to the junction of
State Highways 25 and 25AThe New Zealand State Highway network is the major national highway network in New Zealand. Just under 100 roads in both the North and South Islands are State Highways...
, the latter of which is a winding road cutting across the steep
Coromandel Rangeright|thumb|250px|A true-colour image showing Auckland city , the Hauraki Gulf and the Coromandel Peninsula . The scene was acquired by NASA's Terra satellite, on October 23, 2002.The Coromandel Range is a ridge of rugged hills running the length of the Coromandel Peninsula in the...
of hills. It is a tourist hot spot in days such as New Zealand Labour Weekend, The Christmas Holidays and especially when
TairuaThe town of Tairua is on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula in the North Island of New Zealand. It lies at the mouth of the Tairua River on its north bank and on the small Paku Peninsula...
and
PauanuiThe town of Pauanui meaning Big Paua in Maori is on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula in the North Island of New Zealand. It lies at the mouth of the Tairua River on its south bank, directly opposite the larger town of Tairua. The population was 741 in the 2006 Census, an increase of 42...
are busy.
It is prone to heavy precipitation and floods (accelerated by the nearby Tairua River) which occasionally causes impassibility.
Hikuai is a small community on the
Tairua RiverThe Tairua River is located on the Coromandel Peninsula in the North Island of New Zealand.It flows north and then northeast for a total of 35 kilometres from its source in the Coromandel Range to the west of Whangamata, passing through the town of Hikuai before reaching the Pacific Ocean at Tairua...
towards the base of the
Coromandel PeninsulaThe Coromandel Peninsula lies in the North Island of New Zealand. It is part of the Waikato region and extends 85 kilometres north from the western end of the Bay of Plenty, forming a natural barrier to protect the Hauraki Gulf and the Firth of Thames in the west from the Pacific Ocean to the...
in the
North IslandThe North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
of
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud...
. It lies 40 kilometres north of
WaihiWaihi is a town in Hauraki District in the North Island of New Zealand, especially notable for its history as a gold mine town. It had a population of 4,524 at the 2001 census....
and 10 kilometres southwest of
TairuaThe town of Tairua is on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula in the North Island of New Zealand. It lies at the mouth of the Tairua River on its north bank and on the small Paku Peninsula...
, close to the junction of
State Highways 25 and 25AThe New Zealand State Highway network is the major national highway network in New Zealand. Just under 100 roads in both the North and South Islands are State Highways...
, the latter of which is a winding road cutting across the steep
Coromandel Rangeright|thumb|250px|A true-colour image showing Auckland city , the Hauraki Gulf and the Coromandel Peninsula . The scene was acquired by NASA's Terra satellite, on October 23, 2002.The Coromandel Range is a ridge of rugged hills running the length of the Coromandel Peninsula in the...
of hills. It is a tourist hot spot in days such as New Zealand Labour Weekend, The Christmas Holidays and especially when
TairuaThe town of Tairua is on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula in the North Island of New Zealand. It lies at the mouth of the Tairua River on its north bank and on the small Paku Peninsula...
and
PauanuiThe town of Pauanui meaning Big Paua in Maori is on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula in the North Island of New Zealand. It lies at the mouth of the Tairua River on its south bank, directly opposite the larger town of Tairua. The population was 741 in the 2006 Census, an increase of 42...
are busy.
It is prone to heavy precipitation and floods (accelerated by the nearby Tairua River) which occasionally causes impassibility. The cellphone and electricity coverage is patchy but is intact. It has a large colonial and gold mining history making it a special place to explore. Various adventure operators exist and they provide an interesting glance at history and lifestyle.
The population of the Hikuai statistical district was 3,252 in the 2006 Census, an increase of 171 from 2001. The statistical district covers the entire southern half of the Coromandel Peninsula apart from
ThamesThames is a town at the southwestern end of the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand's North Island. It is located on the Firth of Thames close to the mouth of the Waihou River, at . The town is the seat of the Thames-Coromandel District Council.The town was initially built during a gold rush,...
,
Te PuruTe Puru is a locality on the western side of the Coromandel Peninsula of New Zealand. State Highway 25 runs through it. Tapu lies about 7 km to the north, and Thames is about 12 km to the south. The Te Puru Stream and about 18 tributaries drain a steep hilly 23 km² area of the...
,
TairuaThe town of Tairua is on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula in the North Island of New Zealand. It lies at the mouth of the Tairua River on its north bank and on the small Paku Peninsula...
and
WhangamataThe town of Whangamata is sited on the southeast coast of the Coromandel Peninsula in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located 30 kilometres north of Waihi, to the north of the western extremity of the Bay of Plenty....
, not just the Hikuai locality.
Education
Hikuai School is a coeducational full primary (years 1-8) school with a
decile ratingDecile, Socio-Economic Decile or Socio-Economic Decile Band is a widely used measure in education in New Zealand used to target funding and support to more needy schools....
of 9 and a roll of 81. The school was built on the present site in 1897.
External links