Hikuai
Hikuai is a small community on the Tairua River near the base of the Coromandel Peninsula in the North Island of New Zealand. It lies north of Waihi and southwest of Tairua, close to the junction of State Highways 25 and 25A, the latter of which is a winding road cutting across the steep Coromandel Range of hills. It is a tourist hot spot at times such as New Zealand Labour Day weekend, the Christmas and New Year holiday, and especially when Tairua and Pauanui are busy.
It is prone to heavy precipitation and floods 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.
Demographics
Hikuai statistical area covers an area of the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula which surrounds but does not include Tairua and Pauanui. It has an area of and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2.Hikuai statistical area had a population of 270 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 33 people since the 2018 census, and an increase of 51 people since the 2013 census. There were 135 males and 135 females in 90 dwellings. 4.4% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 45.5 years. There were 51 people aged under 15 years, 27 aged 15 to 29, 141 aged 30 to 64, and 51 aged 65 or older.
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 94.4% European ; 18.9% Māori; 3.3% Pasifika; 1.1% Asian; and 2.2% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders. English was spoken by 97.8%, Māori language by 5.6%, and other languages by 7.8%. No language could be spoken by 1.1%. The percentage of people born overseas was 13.3, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 22.2% Christian, 2.2% Māori religious beliefs, and 1.1% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 63.3%, and 8.9% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 42 people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 123 had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 51 people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $37,400, compared with $41,500 nationally. 15 people earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 105 people were employed full-time, 42 were part-time, and 3 were unemployed.