Upper Hutt (
MāoriMāori or te reo Māori commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Maori people, where it has is the status of an official language...
: Orongomai) is a satellite-town of
Wellington CityWellington City Council is a territorial authority in the Wellington region of New Zealand. Wellington city extends as far north as Linden, and includes the rural areas of Makara and Ohariu. It is New Zealand's sixth-largest city, behind the Auckland cities and Christchurch.Wellington attained...
. It is
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...
's smallest city by population, the second largest by land area. It is part of
Greater WellingtonThe Wellington region of New Zealand occupies the southern end of the North Island.-Governance:The official Wellington Region, as administered by the Wellington Regional Council covers the conurbation around the capital city, Wellington, and the cities of Lower Hutt, Porirua, and Upper Hutt, each...
.
Geography
The city is 30 km north-east of Wellington, and is centred on the upper (northern) valley of the
Hutt Riverthumb|300px|The Hutt River looking downstream.The Hutt River flows through the southern North Island of New Zealand...
, which flows north-east to south-west on its way to
WellingtonWellington is the capital of New Zealand, at the southwestern tip of the North Island between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range. The Wellington urban area is the major population centre of the southern North Island and is New Zealand's third most populous urban area with residents. There are ...
harbour. The
Hutt ValleyThe Hutt Valley is the large area of fairly flat land in the Hutt River valley in the Wellington region of New Zealand. Like the river that flows through it, it takes its name from Sir William Hutt, a director of the New Zealand Company in early colonial New Zealand.The river flows roughly along...
widens briefly into a 2500-m-wide floodplain between the Rimutaka and Akatarawa Ranges before constricting nine kilometres further downstream at the Taita Gorge, which separates Upper Hutt from its neighbour,
Lower HuttLower Hutt is a city in the Wellington region of New Zealand. Its council has adopted the name Hutt City Council, but neither the New Zealand Geographic Board nor the Local Government Act recognise the name Hutt City. This alternative name can lead to confusion, as there are two cities in the...
. The city's main urban area is on this plain. A smaller flood plain lies upstream, above the Kaitoke Gorge, but there is little development on it.
Upper Hutt City Council administers the city and the surrounding rural areas, parks and reserves. This area covers 540 km², the second-largest area covered by a city council in New Zealand, after
DunedinDunedin , , is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the region of Otago. It has the largest council boundary area of any New Zealand city, and is the hub of the fifth-largest urban area...
. New Zealand local authorities with a large land area are usually termed districts, but Upper Hutt maintains its status as a city largely because of its high degree of urbanisation.
Upper Hutt extends to the top of the Rimutaka saddle to the north-east and into the
Akatarawa ValleyThe Akatarawa Valley is a valley in the Tararua Range of New Zealand's North Island. It provides a link from the upper reaches of the Hutt Valley to Waikanae on the Kapiti Coast through rugged hill country. The valley is lowly populated and contains the localities of Reikorangi and Cloustonville...
and rough hill-country of the Akatarawa ranges to the north and north-west, almost reaching the
Kapiti CoastThe Kapiti Coast is the name of the section of the coast of the south-western North Island of New Zealand that is north of Wellington and opposite Kapiti Island. It falls under the jurisdiction of the Wellington Regional Council...
close to
PaekakarikiPaekakariki is a town in the Kapiti Coast District in the south-western North Island of New Zealand. It is 22 km north of Porirua and 45 km north-east of Wellington, the nation's capital city.Paekakariki's population at the 2001 New Zealand census was 1731...
.
People
The main urban area of the city has a population of including people who live in the sparsely-populated regions beyond the upper Hutt Valley plain.
Suburbs
The main suburbs of Upper Hutt, from north-east to south-west, include:
- Te Marua
Te Marua is the most northern urban suburb of Upper Hutt. The usual resident population in the 2006 census was 1,068; for reasons of location and distance from the city, the area is often classified as rural. Te Marua is well known for its Plateau Reserve where remnants of the old Rimutaka...
, Akatarawa, Rimutaka, ParkdaleParkdale is a suburb of Upper Hutt, New Zealand. It is located north of Upper Hutt nestled between Birchville, Te Marua, Timberlea and Brown Owl. It is mainly residential houses and a Jehovah's Witnesses church....
, Emerald HillEmerald Hill is a suburb of Upper Hutt, New Zealand. Emerald Hill consists of around 4 or 5 streets off Parkdale. It is more of a housing development, than an official suburb. A bus runs from Petone to Emerald Hill every half an hour on week days....
, BirchvilleBirchville is a suburb of Upper Hutt, New Zealand on the North Island. It lies on the foothills of the Akatarawa Valley in the north of the city. It was developed around 1980 and was known for the number of units erected. The streets are named after gemstones and the main road running roughly...
, TimberleaTimberlea is a suburb of Upper Hutt, located in the lower North Island of New Zealand....
, Brown Owl*The brown owl is the Tawny Owl.*Brown Owl is a title for a group leader in the Brownies*Brown Owl is a suburb of Upper Hutt, New Zealand, named after a historical cafe situated in the area....
, KaitokeKaitoke, part of Upper Hutt City, is a locality in the southern North Island of New Zealand. It is located at the northern end of the Hutt Valley, 45 kilometres northeast of Wellington City and six kilometres from the northern end of the Upper Hutt urban area...
, MāoribankMāoribank is a suburb of Upper Hutt, located in the lower North Island of New Zealand.Te Āti Awa iwi had a village in Te Hau-Karetu before european settlement....
, EbdentownEbdentown is a suburb of Upper Hutt located in the lower North Island of New Zealand situated about a kilometre from the Upper Hutt city centre....
, Upper Hutt Central, Clouston ParkClouston Park is a suburb of Upper Hutt, located in the lower North Island of New Zealand....
, MangaroaMangaroa is a rural suburb of Upper Hutt situated in the lower North Island of New Zealand. It is home to Mangaroa School, and previously had a railway station....
, MaymornMaymorn is a rural area of Upper Hutt city in the Wellington region of New Zealand. For statistical purposes, Maymorn is counted as part of Te Marua in the New Zealand census. The usual resident 2006 population of this area was 1,068...
, Whitemans ValleyWhitemans Valley founded by the Whiteman family in 1871 is a rural suburb of Upper Hutt located in the lower North Island of New Zealand. Situated roughly 4 kilometers south of the Upper Hutt city centre, the area has a variety of farms, lifestyle blocks and a cafe....
, Tōtara ParkTōtara Park is a suburb of Upper Hutt, New Zealand, and is situated off State Highway 2, and is accessed via the Tōtara Park Bridge which crosses the Hutt River...
, Kingsley HeightsKingsley Heights is a suburb of Upper Hutt, located in the lower North Island of New Zealand. The suburb is on a hill overlooking the city centre....
, EldersleaElderslea is a suburb of Upper Hutt located in the lower North Island of New Zealand, positioned about a kilometre from the Upper Hutt city centre....
, WallacevilleWallaceville is a suburb of Upper Hutt located in the lower North Island of New Zealand. It is home to the oldest surviving wooden blockhouse in New Zealand. AgResearch has its National Centre for Biosecurity and Infectious Diseases at Wallaceville....
, Trentham, HeretaungaHeretaunga is a suburb of Upper Hutt located in the lower North Island of New Zealand. The suburb takes its name from a Hawkes Bay district that early european settlers in the Hutt Valley used to name the nearby Hutt River.-References:...
, SilverstreamSilverstream is a suburb of Upper Hutt in the lower North Island of New Zealand. It is at the southern end of the city close to the Taita Gorge, which separates Upper Hutt from Lower Hutt. Schools in Silverstream are Silverstream Kindergarten, Silverstream Christian School, Silverstream School and...
and PinehavenPinehaven is a suburb of Upper Hutt City in the lower North Island of New Zealand. It is at the southern end of the city, tucked into the hills east of Silverstream. Pinehaven is a beautiful valley centred around a large reserve and beautiful piece of native bush...
.
Developments in the area include Mount Marua, Marua Downs, Waitoka Estate, and
Riverstone TerracesRiverstone Terraces is a suburb of Upper Hutt in the Hutt Valley of New Zealand's North Island, perched on a hill above the Hutt River. An exit off State Highway 2 provides the only access to Riverstone....
. A development called The Lanes was proposed but never completed.
History
Upper Hutt is in an area originally known as Orongomai, and that of the river was Heretaunga (today the name of a suburb of Upper Hutt). The first residents of the area were
MāoriThe Māori are the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand . The group probably arrived in southwestern Polynesia in several waves at some time before 1300...
of the Ngai Tara
iwiIn New Zealand society, iwi form the largest everyday social units in Māori populations. The word iwi means "people" or "folk"; in many contexts it may mean "tribe" or "clan", and sometimes a larger grouping of tribes...
. Various other iwi controlled the area in the years before 1840, and by the time the first colonial settlers arrived the area was part of the Te Atiawa
roheRohe is a word used by the Māori of New Zealand to describe the territory or boundaries of tribal groups. In traditional times, rohe were defined according to prominent geographical features, including mountains, rivers, and lakes. This is generally the case today as well....
. Orongomai Marae is to the south of the modern city centre.
Richard BartonRichard Barton was the first European resident of Trentham, Upper Hutt, in New Zealand. He established the native bush reserve, Barton's Bush. He was buried in Upper Hutt at St John's Anglican Church cemetery....
, who settled at Trentham in 1841 in the area now known as
Barton's BushBarton's Bush, in Trentham Memorial Park, is the largest remaining area of lowland mixed podocarp/broadleaf forest in the Hutt Valley of New Zealand. Named after Richard Barton who settled in the area in 1841, it was his desire that this section of the native forest should remain whilst the city...
, was the first European resident. Barton subsequently subdivided his land and set aside a large area that was turned into parkland. James Brown settled in the area that became the Upper Hutt town in 1848.
The railway line from Wellington reached Upper Hutt on 1 February 1876. The line was extended to
KaitokeKaitoke, part of Upper Hutt City, is a locality in the southern North Island of New Zealand. It is located at the northern end of the Hutt Valley, 45 kilometres northeast of Wellington City and six kilometres from the northern end of the Upper Hutt urban area...
at the top end of the valley over the next two years, reaching there on 1 January 1878. The line continued over the Rimutaka Ranges to
FeatherstonFeatherston is a town in the south of the Wellington Region region of New Zealand. It lies in the Wairarapa, just north of the Rimutaka Tunnel, in the South Wairarapa District. The population was 2,340 in the 2006 Census....
in the Wairarapa as a Fell Railway, opening on 12 October 1878.
Upper Hutt was originally part of Hutt County, which was constituted in 1877. The Town Board was proclaimed on 24 April 1908. Upper Hutt became a Borough on 26 February 1926 and a City on 2 May 1966.
The northern parts of Hutt County's Rimutaka Riding were included in the city on 1 April 1973. This expansion produced the second-largest land area of any New Zealand city. The area administered by the Heretaunga-Pinehaven District Community Council was added when the Hutt County Council was abolished on 1 November 1988. On 1 November 1989 the Heretaunga-Pinehaven District Community Council was abolished producing the city in its current form.
Towards the end of the 1980s significant travel delays were being experienced with road access to Upper Hutt. With central government reluctant to fund any road improvements in the area, Upper Hutt City Council commissioned the construction of a high-speed bypass that became known as the River Road. The road promptly ran at full capacity and, after several serious accidents that were a legacy of its origins, it was enlarged and re-engineered to cope with the growing traffic volume. As the name implies, River Road runs alongside the river from Taita Gorge in the south to Māoribank in the North.
Upper Hutt is in the bed of an ancient river flood plain and as such was prone to flooding. In the 1970s and 1980s, a stop bank was built alongside the eastern side of the river from northern Upper Hutt to the mouth of the
Hutt Riverthumb|300px|The Hutt River looking downstream.The Hutt River flows through the southern North Island of New Zealand...
in
Lower HuttLower Hutt is a city in the Wellington region of New Zealand. Its council has adopted the name Hutt City Council, but neither the New Zealand Geographic Board nor the Local Government Act recognise the name Hutt City. This alternative name can lead to confusion, as there are two cities in the...
to prevent further flooding.
Railway
Upper Hutt is on the
Hutt Valley|}The Hutt Valley Line is the marketing name of the electrified train service operated by Tranz Metro on behalf of Metlink on the section of the Wairarapa Line railway between Wellington and Upper Hutt.- Construction :...
Railway Lines, with half-hourly daytime electric services operated by
Tranz MetroTranz Metro is the suburban rail operator in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. It is a subsidiary of KiwiRail, and a member of the Greater Wellington Regional Council's Metlink public transport network....
, which reach
Lower HuttLower Hutt is a city in the Wellington region of New Zealand. Its council has adopted the name Hutt City Council, but neither the New Zealand Geographic Board nor the Local Government Act recognise the name Hutt City. This alternative name can lead to confusion, as there are two cities in the...
in around 20 minutes and
WellingtonWellington is the capital of New Zealand, at the southwestern tip of the North Island between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range. The Wellington urban area is the major population centre of the southern North Island and is New Zealand's third most populous urban area with residents. There are ...
in around 45 minutes. Many
commutersCommuting is regular travel between one's place of residence and place of work or full time study. Institutions that have few dormitories or near-campus student housing are called commuter schools in the United States....
, however, still use their cars.
The railroad continues beyond Upper Hutt to
MastertonMasterton is a town and local government district in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. It is the largest town in the Wairarapa, a region separated from Wellington by the Rimutaka ranges...
, becoming the
Wairarapa Line|}The Wairarapa Line is a secondary railway line in the south-east of the North Island of New Zealand, connecting the capital city of Wellington with the Wairarapa region. The line ends at Woodville, where it joins the Palmerston North - Gisborne Line...
, but without the suburban electrification. Masterton is about an hour away by morning and afternoon diesel trains. There are services five times a day each way Monday to Thursday, six on Friday, and twice a day each way on Saturday, Sunday, and public holidays. A notable feature of this section of railway is the
Rimutaka TunnelThe Rimutaka Tunnel is a railway tunnel through New Zealand's Rimutaka Ranges, between Maymorn, near Upper Hutt, and Featherston, on the Wairarapa Line....
, the second-longest railway tunnel in New Zealand, which replaced the
Rimutaka Incline|}The Rimutaka Incline was a , gauge railway line on an average grade of 1 in 15 between Summit and Cross Creek stations on the original Wairarapa Line in the Wairarapa district of New Zealand...
.
Rimutaka Incline
To assist with the 1 in 15 grade of the
Rimutaka Incline|}The Rimutaka Incline was a , gauge railway line on an average grade of 1 in 15 between Summit and Cross Creek stations on the original Wairarapa Line in the Wairarapa district of New Zealand...
on the Featherston side of the range,
Fell enginesThe Fell system uses a raised centre rail between the two running rails on steeply-graded railway lines to provide extra traction and braking, or braking alone. Trains are propelled by wheels or braked by shoes pressed horizontally onto the centre rail, as well as by means of the normal running...
that used a raised centre rail to haul trains up the steep grade were employed. The less steep 1 in 40 grades between Upper Hutt and the small settlement and shunting yard at Summit could be managed by ordinary steam locomotives. The only other rolling stock able to traverse the incline unaided were small bus-like Wairarapa railcars, colloquially known as "
Tin Hares".
By the 1950s the Fell system had become too expensive to operate and was closed on 29 October 1955. To replace it, the
Rimutaka TunnelThe Rimutaka Tunnel is a railway tunnel through New Zealand's Rimutaka Ranges, between Maymorn, near Upper Hutt, and Featherston, on the Wairarapa Line....
had been constructed, opening on 3 November 1955. In conjunction with the tunnel, the laying of a new route, new bridges and substantial realignment, and double-tracking of the rest of the line from Wellington as far as
TrenthamTrentham is the most populous suburb of Upper Hutt, a city in the Wellington region of New Zealand. The suburb is located in a widening of the Hutt Valley, five kilometres to the southwest of the Upper Hutt city centre....
station had occurred by 26 June 1955.
The course of the incline is open to the public as part of the
Rimutaka Rail TrailThe Rimutaka Rail Trail is a walking and cycling track in the North Island of New Zealand. It runs between Maymorn and Cross Creek, and follows of the original route of the Wairarapa Line over the Rimutaka Ranges between the Mangaroa Valley and the Wairarapa, including the world-famous Rimutaka...
.
Sports and recreation
Walking and mountain-biking is popular along the
Hutt Riverthumb|300px|The Hutt River looking downstream.The Hutt River flows through the southern North Island of New Zealand...
and on the tracks in many parks, including Karapoti (focal point of the annual
Karapoti ClassicThe Karapoti Classic is New Zealand's longest running annual mountain bike event, started in 1986 by Paul Kennett. It starts at Karapoti Park off Akatarawa Road, north of Upper Hutt, and heads up the 8 km Karapoti Gorge...
),
KaitokeKaitoke, part of Upper Hutt City, is a locality in the southern North Island of New Zealand. It is located at the northern end of the Hutt Valley, 45 kilometres northeast of Wellington City and six kilometres from the northern end of the Upper Hutt urban area...
, Cannons Point, Tunnel Gully and the
Rimutaka Rail TrailThe Rimutaka Rail Trail is a walking and cycling track in the North Island of New Zealand. It runs between Maymorn and Cross Creek, and follows of the original route of the Wairarapa Line over the Rimutaka Ranges between the Mangaroa Valley and the Wairarapa, including the world-famous Rimutaka...
. Popular team sports include
CricketCricket is a bat-and-ball team sport that is first documented as being played in southern England in the 16th century. By the end of the 18th century, cricket had developed to the point where it had become the national sport of England. The expansion of the British Empire led to cricket being...
,
NetballNetball is a sport in which two teams of seven players try to score points against each other by placing a ball through a raised goal. The sport is popular in Commonwealth countries and is predominantly played by women. Netball shares many similarities with basketball, having been derived from...
,
RugbyRugby football may refer to a number of sports through history descended from a common form of football developed in different areas of the United Kingdom. Today it refers to either rugby league or rugby union.- History :...
,
Rugby leagueRugby league football is a full-contact form of football, played with a prolate spheroid ball by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. Rugby league is one of the two codes of rugby football, the other being rugby union...
, Soccer, and Valley Gridiron American football.
Arts have traditionally struggled in Upper Hutt, with 'Expressions' art centre combating declining interest since opening. Homespun crafts and landscape painting are reliable drawcards however.
Upper Hutt is also home to the biggest junior football club in New Zealand. The club was formed when Tararua Sports Club Inc and Upper Hutt City Soccer merged to create one club. The club now carries both of the old clubs names. The club primarily plays its home games at Awakairangi but also plays at
Harcourt ParkHarcourt Park is a non-profit cottaging corporation in Ontario, Canada, composed of 6,900 acres of land, 18 lakes, and 600 surveyed properties that are individually leased in favour of private ownership...
and Trentham Memorial Park.
Popular recreation sites include:
- Royal Wellington Golf Club
The Royal Wellington Golf Club, founded in 1895, has one of New Zealand's most beautiful and historic golf courses....
at HeretaungaHeretaunga is a suburb of Upper Hutt located in the lower North Island of New Zealand. The suburb takes its name from a Hawkes Bay district that early european settlers in the Hutt Valley used to name the nearby Hutt River.-References:...
- Te Marua Golf Club at Te Marua
Te Marua is the most northern urban suburb of Upper Hutt. The usual resident population in the 2006 census was 1,068; for reasons of location and distance from the city, the area is often classified as rural. Te Marua is well known for its Plateau Reserve where remnants of the old Rimutaka...
- Wellington Family Speedway at Te Marua
Te Marua is the most northern urban suburb of Upper Hutt. The usual resident population in the 2006 census was 1,068; for reasons of location and distance from the city, the area is often classified as rural. Te Marua is well known for its Plateau Reserve where remnants of the old Rimutaka...
- Wellington Racing Club
The Wellington Racing Club is a racing horse racing club based in Trentham, Wellington, New Zealand.Founded as the Wellington Jockey Club in 1854, the first race meetings held by the club were at Hutt Park in 1854 and at Burnham Water on the Miramar peninsula.The Club first ran its signature...
at TrenthamTrentham is the most populous suburb of Upper Hutt, a city in the Wellington region of New Zealand. The suburb is located in a widening of the Hutt Valley, five kilometres to the southwest of the Upper Hutt city centre....
- Trentham Memorial Park at Trentham
Trentham is the most populous suburb of Upper Hutt, a city in the Wellington region of New Zealand. The suburb is located in a widening of the Hutt Valley, five kilometres to the southwest of the Upper Hutt city centre....
- Upper Hutt Rugby Football Club at Maidstone Park, Upper Hutt
Upper Hutt is a satellite-town of Wellington City. It is New Zealand's smallest city by population, the second largest by land area. It is part of Greater Wellington.-Geography:...
- Rimutaka Rugby Football Club at Maoribank
Māoribank is a suburb of Upper Hutt, located in the lower North Island of New Zealand.Te Āti Awa iwi had a village in Te Hau-Karetu before european settlement....
, Upper HuttUpper Hutt is a satellite-town of Wellington City. It is New Zealand's smallest city by population, the second largest by land area. It is part of Greater Wellington.-Geography:...
- Upper Hutt City Soccer Club at Harcourt Park
Harcourt Park is a non-profit cottaging corporation in Ontario, Canada, composed of 6,900 acres of land, 18 lakes, and 600 surveyed properties that are individually leased in favour of private ownership...
, Upper HuttUpper Hutt is a satellite-town of Wellington City. It is New Zealand's smallest city by population, the second largest by land area. It is part of Greater Wellington.-Geography:...
- Harcourt Park diskgolf couse at Harcourt Park, Upper Hutt
Upper Hutt is a satellite-town of Wellington City. It is New Zealand's smallest city by population, the second largest by land area. It is part of Greater Wellington.-Geography:...
Secondary schools
- Heretaunga College
Heretaunga College is a secondary school located in Upper Hutt, New Zealand. It has approximately 800 male and female students from 3rd form through to 7th Form....
- Hutt International Boys' School
Hutt International Boys' School is a state integrated boys' secondary school in Upper Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand. the Principal is Grahame Duffy, who was appointed to the role in 2001.-Foundation:...
, Trentham
- St. Patrick's College, Silverstream
St Patrick's College is a State Integrated Catholic boys' day and boarding Secondary School located in Silverstream, Upper Hutt, New Zealand. It was established by the Society of Mary in 1931 when the original St Patrick's College, Wellington was intended to be moved to a larger site more suited...
- Upper Hutt College
Upper Hutt College is a state co-educational secondary school in the city of Upper Hutt, in the Wellington region of New Zealand.The school day runs from 8:40 am to 3:15 pm, and students attend five one-hour classes per day...
External links