National Park, New Zealand
National Park, officially Waimarino and also known as National Park Village, is a small town on the North Island Central Plateau in New Zealand. Formerly known as National Park Village, it is the highest urban township in New Zealand, at 825 metres.
Toponymy
The Waimarino railway station was established in 1908 and two years later the Town of Waimarino was surveyed around the station; however, it was not until 1925 that it developed into a proper town. In 1925 the railway station's name was changed due to confusion with the Waimarino electorate and Waimarino County and to capitalise on the station's proximity to the Tongariro National Park. Eventually the name National Park started to be applied to the town and eventually overtook the name Waimarino. As other national parks were established in New Zealand mail and freight was incorrectly sent to the National Park railway station and town, this led to a formal proposal in 1957 to change the station's name and a 1959 proposal to change the name of the town, but both of these suggestions were rejected. The board proposed in 1968 to change the name of the town to Waimarino but this was rejected to fierce opposition from locals. In 2023 a proposal was put forward to the board to change the name to Waimarino, the proposal had more supports than opposes but the majority of residents of the town opposed the change. In 2024 the name was officially changed from National Park to Waimarino.National Park is a village on the western edge of Tongariro National Park in the central North Island.
History
The opening of the Main Trunk line in 1908 created a vast opportunity to log and mill the large trees in the native forests, with 30 saw mills and associated bush tramways established in the National Park area alone. With the arrival of caterpillar tractors in the 1930s the extraction process was accelerated with National Park station having one of the greatest throughputs of timber in New Zealand. Today Tongariro Timber is the last surviving mill operating at National Park.In the 1960s, National Park became the railhead for all the heavy equipment and machinery for the Tongariro Power Scheme development with local pumice roads substantially upgraded to take the heavy traffic.
Geography
Setting
The town is located just outside the boundary of Tongariro National Park, New Zealand's first national park. It is sited next to the North Island Main Trunk railway line and close to the junction of State Highways 4 and 47, halfway between Ohakune and Taumarunui and 45 kilometres southwest of the southern shore of Lake Taupō. It is 20 minutes drive to the country's biggest skifields, Whakapapa and 50 minutes drive to Tūroa on the slopes of the active volcano, Mount Ruapehu. To the west is Whanganui National Park.Climate
Under the Köppen-Geiger climate classification, National Park has an oceanic climate. February is the warmest month, with an averagetemperature of 14.8 °C, while July is the coldest month with an average temperature of 4.5 °C. Due to an altitude of 822 metres, winters are cold, and generally winter afternoons stay below 10 °C. Frosts are common from May to September, although they can occur during the warmer months. Snow is also a common occurrence in the colder months, sometimes accumulating for several days on end. The summer temperatures are moderate due to the altitude of the village, resulting in cool nights and mild to warm days. The mountains around the village are popular for hiking and mountain biking during the summer. The summer afternoon temperatures often exceed 20 °C, and sometimes reaching 25 °C. The wettest month is July, with 225 mm of precipitation, while February is the driest, with an average of 115 mm, making the climate of National Park lean towards a cool-summer Mediterranean climate. Overall, the year-round average temperature is 9.6 °C.
Governance
The town is administered by the Ruapehu District Council. The Ōwhango-National Park Community Board comprises five elected community representatives and one appointed councillor from the Ruapehu District Council. On a national level, National Park is part of the general electorate and the Māori electorate.Demographics
National Park is described by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement. It covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2. It is part of the larger National Park statistical area.National Park had a population of 240 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 27 people since the 2018 census, and an increase of 66 people since the 2013 census. There were 120 males and 117 females in 168 dwellings. 3.8% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 38.4 years. There were 39 people aged under 15 years, 51 aged 15 to 29, 120 aged 30 to 64, and 30 aged 65 or older.
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 73.8% European ; 30.0% Māori; 3.8% Pasifika; 7.5% Asian; 1.2% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders ; and 2.5% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 97.5%, Māori by 6.2%, and other languages by 16.2%. No language could be spoken by 1.2%. The percentage of people born overseas was 30.0, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 28.8% Christian, 1.2% Hindu, 2.5% Māori religious beliefs, 1.2% Buddhist, 2.5% New Age, and 1.2% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 57.5%, and 6.2% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 42 people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 96 had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 63 people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $34,700, compared with $41,500 nationally. 9 people earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 114 full-time, 30 part-time, and 6 unemployed.
National Park statistical area
National Park statistical area, which also includes Ōwhango and Raurimu, covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2.National Park had a population of 1,131 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 81 people since the 2018 census, and an increase of 66 people since the 2013 census. There were 579 males, 549 females, and 3 people of other genders in 609 dwellings. 2.7% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 43.4 years. There were 204 people aged under 15 years, 177 aged 15 to 29, 543 aged 30 to 64, and 207 aged 65 or older.
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 83.3% European ; 23.6% Māori; 1.9% Pasifika; 2.7% Asian; 0.5% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders ; and 3.7% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 97.9%, Māori by 5.8%, Samoan by 0.3%, and other languages by 8.0%. No language could be spoken by 1.6%. New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.3%. The percentage of people born overseas was 15.6, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 26.0% Christian, 0.3% Hindu, 3.7% Māori religious beliefs, 0.3% Buddhist, 1.1% New Age, and 1.3% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 58.4%, and 9.3% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 156 people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 516 had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 246 people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $36,800, compared with $41,500 nationally. 51 people earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 477 full-time, 159 part-time, and 18 unemployed.