Karekare, New Zealand - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Karekare is a small coastal settlement in northern 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...

, where the Waitakere Ranges

Waitakere Ranges

The Waitakere Ranges are a chain of hills in the Auckland metropolitan area, generally running approximately 25 km from north to south, 25 km west of central Auckland, New Zealand. The maximum elevation within the ranges is 474 m...

descend into a large black sand

Black sand

Black sand is sand that is black in color. One type of black sand is a heavy, glossy, partly magnetic mixture of usually fine sands, found as part of a placer deposit. Another type of black sand, found on beaches near a volcano, consists of tiny fragments of lava.While some beaches are...

surf beach.

Location

It is located 35 kilometres west of Auckland

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...

city centre, south of the larger beach of Piha

Piha

Piha is a northern New Zealand coastal settlement with a population of about 600. It is one of the most popular beaches in the area and a major day-trip destination for Aucklanders throughout the year, although especially so in summer.-Location:...

.

To the south is Whatipu

Whatipu

Whatipu is a remote beach on the west coast of the Auckland Region in the North Island of New Zealand.- Access, Location:The road to it is unsealed, and beach access is poorly signposted from the end of the road....

. To the north is Piha

Piha

. To the East is the Centennial Memorial Park and Water Catchment area, which cover most of the native bush clad Waitakere Ranges

Waitakere Ranges

Appeal

Karekare is a popular destination for Aucklanders in summer. Despite this, the area has retained much of its natural beauty and isolation, and does not get the high number of visitors recorded by its northern neighbour, partly because the road is narrow and only recently sealed. There are surf patrols in summer.

Fame

The settlement was immortalised in song by Crowded House

Crowded House

Crowded House are a rock band, formed in Melbourne, Australia and led by New Zealand singer-songwriter Neil Finn. Finn is the primary songwriter and creative director of the band, having led it through several incarnations, drawing members from New Zealand , Australia and the United States...

on their Together Alone
Together Alone
Together Alone is the fourth studio album by the band Crowded House. It was released in October 1993 and was their first album to feature multi-instrumentalist Mark Hart as a full band member. Unlike the band's first three albums, which were recorded in the US and Australia and produced by Mitchell...

album in 1993, much of which was recorded at Karekare; the well known Dub/Reggae group, Salmonella Dub

Salmonella Dub

Salmonella Dub are a Dub/Drum n Bass/Reggae/Roots band from Kaikoura, New Zealand. They were formed in 1991 by Andrew Penman, David Deakins and Mark Tyler...

, used the name as well on their album Feel the Seasons Change - Live with the NZSO
Feel the Seasons Change - Live with the NZSO
Feel the Seasons Change - Live with the NZSO is the first live album released by the New Zealand Dub band Salmonella Dub. The album was recorded live with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra during their 'Feel The Seasons Change' tour and also included special guests such as Whirimako Black,...

. The location will also be familiar to viewers of the film The Piano
The Piano
The Piano is a 1993 New Zealand drama film about a mute pianist and her daughter, set during the mid-19th century in a rainy, muddy frontier backwater on the west coast of New Zealand. The film was written and directed by Jane Campion, and stars Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Sam Neill, and Anna Paquin...

, which included beach scenes shot at Karekare and Piha.
Also flatland skimboarding is becoming quite popular there.

Safety Information

The rips along this section of coast are very unpredictable and can shift with little warning. They claim many lives despite the efforts of lifeguards. Most of these drownings, however, occur after lifeguards are off duty or after rock fisherman wearing heavy clothing are washed off rocks, out of sight of the lifeguards. Lifeguards advise swimming between the red and yellow flags, during patrol hours.

Education

There is a small community primary school (Lone Kauri School) with approximately 30 students located at Karekare. It is an independently operating branch of Oratia School, under the supervision of a senior teacher. Located further into Auckland are State secondary schools Kelston Boys High School and Kelston Girls High School. Catholic students usually commute by train from Glen Eden

Glen Eden

Glen Eden is the name of:*Glen Eden in Milton, Ontario, Canada*Glen Eden, New Zealand is a suburb of Waitakere city, Auckland...

to Marist College

Marist College, New Zealand

Marist College is a Catholic girls high-school located in Mount Albert, Auckland, New Zealand. It teaches from year 7 through to Year 13 with a curriculum based on Roman Catholicism...

(girls) or St Peter's College

St Peter's College, Auckland

St Peter's College is a Catholic college for year 7 to 13 boys . The school, located in Auckland, is one of the largest Catholic schools in New Zealand and is an integrated school under an integration agreement entered into by the Catholic Bishop of Auckland and the Government of New Zealand in...

(boys).

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.