Waiatarua
Waiatarua is a small settlement near the top of the Waitākere Ranges in West Auckland, close to the junction of Scenic Drive, West Coast Road and Piha Road to Piha and runs east until the junction of Scenic Drive and Mountain Road. Surrounded by native bush in the Centennial Memorial Park and the water catchment area, Waiatarua is over 300 metres above sea level and some houses are over 400 metres above sea level. Waiatarua means “song of two waters”, possibly referring to the ability to see both the wild
west coast, and the still, sparkling waters of the Manukau and Waitemata harbours from certain points in the area.
History
The area is within the traditional rohe of Te Kawerau ā Maki, an iwi that traces their ancestry to some of the earliest inhabitants of the Auckland Region. The name Waiatarua originally referred to the upper reaches of the Big [Muddy Creek |Big Muddy Creek] and Nihotupu Stream, likely referencing the dual view of both the Waitematā and Manukau Harbours. During early European settlement, the area was interchangeably referred to as Waiatarua or Nihotupu. Waiatarua became the more popular name due to Scenic Drive resident Frederick Judson. Afterwards, the name Waiatarua was applied to a larger area.Rose Hellaby House is a historic building transformed into a museum. Large Kauri trees were milled in Waiatarua at Mander and Bradley's Mill close to Upper Nihotupu reservoir. At the turn of the century, holidaymakers would travel by coach from Glen Eden to stay at the Waiatarua guest house.
Demographics
The Waiatarua statistical area, which extends northeast of the settlement, covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2.Waiatarua had a population of 2,307 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 3 people since the 2018 census, and an increase of 99 people since the 2013 census. There were 1,170 males, 1,122 females and 15 people of other genders in 768 dwellings. 4.0% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 42.8 years. There were 414 people aged under 15 years, 363 aged 15 to 29, 1,143 aged 30 to 64, and 387 aged 65 or older.
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 86.0% European ; 13.7% Māori; 5.9% Pasifika; 8.2% Asian; 2.0% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders ; and 2.2% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 96.9%, Māori language by 2.3%, Samoan by 1.7%, and other languages by 12.7%. No language could be spoken by 1.8%. New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.9%. The percentage of people born overseas was 25.4, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 25.1% Christian, 1.4% Hindu, 1.0% Islam, 0.4% Māori religious beliefs, 0.7% Buddhist, 0.4% New Age, 0.1% Jewish, and 0.9% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 63.5%, and 6.8% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 537 people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 996 had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 354 people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $47,500, compared with $41,500 nationally. 348 people earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,002 people were employed full-time, 294 were part-time, and 36 were unemployed.