Tapora
Encyclopedia
Locating Tapora
Tapora is a locality on the Okahukura Peninsula, which is on the eastern side of the Kaipara HarbourKaipara Harbour
Kaipara Harbour is a large enclosed harbour estuary complex on the north western side of the North Island of New Zealand. The northern part of the harbour is administered by the Kaipara District and the southern part is administered by the Rodney District...
in 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...
. It is part of the Rodney District
Rodney District
The Rodney District of New Zealand was a local government area in the northernmost part in New Zealand's Auckland Region, created in 1989 from the amalgamation of Helensville Borough and Rodney County. The seat of the district council is at Orewa, and the district includes Kawau Island to the...
. Wellsford
Wellsford
Wellsford is a town in the northern North Island of New Zealand. The town is the northernmost major settlement in the Auckland Region, and is 114 kilometres northwest of Auckland City.....
lies to the east.
Early History of Tapora
Early history of Maori tells how the Western shores of Okahukura once extended to the entrance of the Kaipara Harbour as sand dunes with two channels into the harbour instead of one, as it is now. This portion of land that was more or less sand dunes was known as Tapora, and was inhabited by the Maori. Great storms gradually caused the sand dunes to drift away, allowing the sea to encroach, leaving only sand bars in the harbour where there was once a Whare or large temple on the original sand dunes.For ten generations the land of Okahukura remained in the possession of Ngati Whatua. For more than ten years after the Government had purchased the neighbouring land known as Albertland
Albertland
Albertland is an area north of Auckland, New Zealand five miles North of Wellsford and site of the last organised immigration from Britain.-Immigration plans:...
the peninsula was occupied by the Ngati Whatua tribe.
About the year 1876 T. E. FitzGerald purchased the land from Ngati Whatua which included the Okahukura point and 24000 acres (97.1 km²) of land. FitzGerald built his first homestead around 1880 on a ridge overlooking Oruawharo River. Here he built a jetty for small boats for access when there was sufficient high tide but, there was a main landing point in deeper water for any tide. Due to the high number of Kauri trees, FitzGerald leased the rights of this land to Gum-diggers. Due to old age FitzGerald had to retire and terminate his twenty years of occupancy at Okahukura.
Following FitzGerald's retirement A. H. Walker leased this land for two and a half years and dramatically improved the landscape by re-fencing and sowing grass. T.C. Williams now leased the land with W. Williams taking over management. For the next ten years Williams and his workers spent many days cutting and burning down bush to allow for sowing grasslands, while opening gumfields and a store at one of FitzGerald's old homes. In the year 1910 Williams was in the process of transferring the management of the block to C. Kemp, when he accidentally fatally shot himself. Kemp took over management of Okahukura, continuing with the development of boundary fences. Nearer the end of 1910 Okahukura was sold to Messrs Bowron and Smith of Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
. Kemp was still manager of the Okahukura property and split the property up, selling sections to others and developed roads for access into the new sections as well as communications through a telephone line. The land changed ownership numerous times between World War One and World War Two.
Recent history of Tapora
During World War Two the United States Marines set up camp on 'the run' (Sea View) and used the greater area for target practice. The New Zealand Government then took over Okahukura to use as a soldier rehabilitation settlement in April 1945. The name Okahukura was then changed to Tapora to avoid confusion with another Okahukura elsewhere in New Zealand.The Minister of 'Land and Returned Services' Association brokered a pact to develop the Okahukura peninsula for returned servicemen through ballots. A community to be called Tapora was planned with a shop, school, church and workers' houses (only the school and a few houses were constructed). The ballots for the Returned Services' Association were created in 1947 and Tapora turned into a dairy farming settlement.
Tapora is now a thriving community with productive dairy farms, a primary school, community hall and golf course.
Education
Tapora School is a coeducational full primary (years 1-8) school with a decile ratingSocio-Economic Decile
Decile, 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 6 and a roll of 36.