43-642: The Poor Knights Islands ( Māori : Tawhiti Rahi) are a group of islands off the east coast of the Northland Region of the North Island of New Zealand . They lie 50 kilometres (31 mi) to the northeast of Whangārei , and 22 kilometres (14 mi) offshore halfway between Bream Head and Cape Brett . Uninhabited since the 1820s, they are a nature reserve and popular underwater diving spot, with boat tours typically departing from Tutukaka . The Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve surrounds
86-403: A breeding population of about 200,000 pairs of Buller's shearwaters . The islands contain rock arches and sea caves, including Rikoriko Cave, the largest sea cave by volume in the southern hemisphere, with a cavern measuring 221,494 cubic metres (7,822,000 cu ft) and an opening large enough for small tour boats to enter. Rikoriko Cave measures 130 by 80 metres (430 by 260 ft), with
129-528: A ceiling height of 35 metres (115 ft) and extends 26 metres (85 ft) deep below water. Tawhiti Rahi contains the Northern Arch, Middle Arch, and Maomao Arch, the latter being a popular diving location. Aorangaia Island's east–west rock arch resembles a long tunnel, while the aptly named Archway Island is bisected by two rock arches, with the larger Cathedral Arch about 40 metres (130 ft) tall. The islands were earlier inhabited by Māori of
172-611: A feature of the Northland landscape. For this reason wood and paper manufacturing industries also make a large contribution to the region's economy. The railway system, which once ran as far north as Donnellys Crossing , has been historically important for the transport of timber via Dargaville to Auckland. Northland is a favourite tourist destination, especially to the Bay of Islands and the historic town of Kerikeri. Diving and fishing are also popular visitor activities, especially around
215-485: A loose association known as the Muriwhenua . Approximately one third of the region's population are Māori; the majority of the remainder is of European lineage. Compared to the rest of the country, Pacific Islanders are under-represented in Northland. Although most of the region's European population are British (as is true with the rest of the country), certain other ethnicities are represented as well. These include
258-481: A nature reserve and a permit is required to land or tie boats up. Permits are usually granted only for scientific research. A notable native plant of the islands is the spectacularly flowering Poor Knights lily , which has become a popular garden plant. Feral pigs , which had roamed Aorangi since the departure of Māori in the 1820s, were exterminated in 1936. The islands have been identified as an Important Bird Area , by BirdLife International because they are home to
301-539: A sizeable Croatian community from the Dargaville area north, particularly around Kaitaia . Northland is New Zealand's least urbanised region, with 50% of the population of 204,800 living in urban areas. Whangārei is the largest urban area of Northland, with a population of 56,800 (June 2024). The region's population is largely concentrated along the east coast, due to the west coast being more ragged and less suitable for urbanisation. According to Māori legend,
344-533: Is dotted with bays and peninsulas. Several large natural harbours are found on this coast, from Parengarenga close to the region's northern tip, then Whangaroa Harbour , and past the famous Bay of Islands down to Whangārei Harbour, on the shores of which is situated the largest population centre. Numerous islands dot this coast, notably the Cavalli Islands , the Hen and Chicken Islands , Aorangaia Island and
387-476: Is the northernmost of New Zealand's 16 local government regions . New Zealanders sometimes refer to it as the Winterless North because of its mild climate all throughout the year. The major population centre is the city of Whangārei , and the largest town is Kerikeri . At the 2018 New Zealand census , Northland recorded a population growth spurt of 18.1% since the previous 2013 census , placing it as
430-736: The 2013 census . There were 95,697 males, 97,776 females and 528 people of other genders in 71,778 dwellings. 2.4% of people identified as LGBTIQ+ . The median age was 43.2 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 38,067 people (19.6%) aged under 15 years, 29,856 (15.4%) aged 15 to 29, 83,790 (43.2%) aged 30 to 64, and 42,288 (21.8%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 73.0% European ( Pākehā ); 37.4% Māori ; 4.9% Pasifika ; 4.8% Asian ; 0.7% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.3% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English
473-616: The Far North District . Whangarei City, Whangarei County, and Hikurangi Town Councils became the Whangarei District , with Dargaville Borough and Otamatea County becoming the Kaipara District . The Northland Regional Council became a tier of local government above these territorial authorities. A proposal to merge the three district councils and the regional council into a unitary authority to be known as
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#1732787667144516-477: The Hokianga Harbour. These kauri forests are also home to Te Raupua at 781 metres (2,562 ft), the highest point in the region. Northland has many endemic plant and invertebrate species such as the endangered snail pūpū harakeke ( Placostylus ambagiosus ), stick insects and the Northland green tree gecko ( Naultinus grayii ). The western coast is dominated by several long straight beaches,
559-511: The Ngāti Wai and Ngati-Toki tribes who grew crops and fished the surrounding sea. The tribe traded with other Maori. A chief of the tribe named Tatua led his warriors on a fighting expedition to the Hauraki Gulf with Ngā Puhi chief Hongi Hika in the early 1820s. While they were away, a slave named Paha escaped the islands and travelled to Hokianga where he told Waikato , a chief of
602-596: The Poor Knights Islands . The northernmost points of the North Island mainland lie at the top of Northland. These include several points often confused in the public mind as being the country's northernmost points: Cape Maria van Diemen , Spirits Bay , Cape Reinga , and North Cape . The northernmost point of the North Island is actually the Surville Cliffs , close to North Cape although
645-579: The Trewartha climate classification , with warm humid summers and mild wet winters. Due to its latitude and low elevation, Northland has the country's highest average annual temperature. However, as with other parts of New Zealand, climate conditions are variable. In summer, temperatures range from 22 °C to 26 °C, occasionally rising above 30 °C. In winter, maximum temperatures vary between 13 °C and 19 °C, while minima vary between 6 °C and 11 °C. Ground frosts are rare due to
688-616: The Bay of Islands and the Poor Knights Islands . Northland was formerly home to New Zealand's only oil refinery, located in Marsden Point , a town, close to Whangārei across the harbour. New Zealand's natural fuel resources in Taranaki account for a little under half of the refinery's intake, with the rest coming predominantly from the Middle East. The nearby Marsden A thermal power station originally utilised heavy oil from
731-684: The Bay of Islands, Russell , formerly known as Kororareka, was the first permanent European settlement and Kerikeri contains many historic buildings, including the Stone Store , New Zealand's oldest extant building. The nearby settlement of Waitangi was of even more significance, as the signing place of New Zealand's founding document, the Treaty of Waitangi between the Māori tribes and the British Crown, on 6 February 1840. Between 1870 and 1920,
774-613: The Hikutu tribe, that the islands had been left undefended. As Waikato had been offended by Tatua some years previous when he was refused pigs he had come to trade for, so he and his warriors set out on three large canoes to attack the islands. They arrived at the islands one night in December 1823 and soon overpowered the islanders in the absence of their warriors. Many islanders jumped off the high cliffs to avoid being taken as slaves. Tatua's wife Oneho and daughter were captured and taken to
817-455: The North Island of New Zealand was an enormous fish, caught by the demigod Māui . For this reason, Northland is sometimes referred to as "The tail of the fish", Te Hiku o Te Ika . Northland iwi claim that Kupe made landfall at the Hokianga (although others claim this was at Taipa) in the northwest of Northland, and thus the region claims that it was the birthplace of New Zealand. Some of
860-655: The Northland Council was rejected by the Local Government Commission in June 2015. Northland Region covers 12,507.14 km (4,829.03 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 204,800 as of June 2024, with a population density of 16 people per km . Northland Region had a population of 194,007 in the 2023 New Zealand census , an increase of 14,931 people (8.3%) since the 2018 census , and an increase of 42,318 people (27.9%) since
903-424: The census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 20,514 (13.2%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 87,414 (56.1%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 41,562 (26.7%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $ 33,100, compared with $ 41,500 nationally. 11,367 people (7.3%) earned over $ 100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15
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#1732787667144946-546: The earliest eruptions of the Coromandel Volcanic Zone, between 10 and 9.5 million years ago. The Poor Knights Islands vulcanism represents an early period for the Coromandel Volcanic Zone, as changes in tectonic forces caused the east belt of the Northland Arc (23 to 16 million years ago) to begin moving southwards, and eventually forming the modern Taupō Volcanic Zone . The islands are protected as
989-526: The east by the Pacific Ocean. The land is predominantly rolling hill country. Farming and forestry occupy over half of the land and are two of the region's main industries. Although many of the region's kauri forests were felled during the 19th century, some areas still exist where this rare giant grows tall. New Zealand's largest tree, Tāne Mahuta , stands in the Waipoua Forest south of
1032-401: The eroded remnants of a 4-million-year-old rhyolitic volcano that is estimated to have been 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) tall and 25 kilometres (16 mi) in diameter. Spring tide range for the islands is around 2 m (6.56 ft), decreasing to a neap tide of around 1 m (3.28 ft). The deep water around the island results in only moderate tidal currents. These are around
1075-643: The fastest growing region in New Zealand, ahead of other strong growth regions such as the Bay of Plenty Region (2nd with 15%) and Waikato (3rd with 13.5%). The Northland Region occupies the northern 80% (265 kilometres (165 miles)) of the 330 kilometres (210 miles) Northland Peninsula , the southernmost part of which is in the Auckland Region . It is bounded to the west by the Tasman Sea , and to
1118-462: The island. Beaglehole (1955) comments that the origin of the island name is not clear, and speculates that the name could be related to the Poor Knights of Windsor , or that the islands were named for their resemblance to Poor Knight's Pudding , a bread-based dish topped with egg and fried, popular at the time of discovery by Europeans. The chain consists of two large islands (Tawhiti Rahi,
1161-449: The larger at 151.5 ha (374 acres), and Aorangi (101 ha (250 acres)) to the south), and several smaller islands. Aorangaia and Archway Island lie to the southwest of Aorangi Island, and there is also a group of smaller rocky islets between the two main islands, the largest of which is Motu Kapiti Island . Others include Bird and Kaka Rock . To the south, there is a smaller island named Ngoio Rock . The Poor Knights Islands are
1204-662: The mainland where a distant relative recognised the wife and helped the two to escape. Tatua returned to the islands to find a scene of destruction. Only nine or ten people were left on the islands, including his five-year-old son Wehiwehi who had been hidden in a cave during the attack. The islands were declared tapu and Tatua left with the survivors and went to Rawhiti in the Bay of Islands where he unexpectedly found his wife and daughter. Cave dive sites: 35°30′S 174°45′E / 35.500°S 174.750°E / -35.500; 174.750 Northland Region The Northland Region ( Māori : Te Tai Tokerau )
1247-402: The major industry in Northland was kauri gum digging, which by the 1910s was centred around the townships of Ahipara and Houhora . The subnational gross domestic product (GDP) of Northland was estimated at NZ$ 7.86 billion in the year to March 2019, 2.6% of New Zealand's national GDP. The regional GDP per capita was estimated at $ 42,104 in 2019, the lowest of all New Zealand regions. In
1290-536: The most famous of which is the inaccurately-named 88 km stretch of Ninety Mile Beach in the region's far north. The slightly longer Ripiro Beach lies further south. Two large inlets are also located on this coast, the massive Kaipara Harbour in the south, which Northland shares with the Auckland Region, and the convoluted inlets of the Hokianga Harbour. The east coast is more rugged, and
1333-529: The northernmost point of the country is further north, in the Kermadec chain of islands. Cape Reinga and Spirits Bay, however, have a symbolic part to play as the end of the country. In Māori mythology , it is from here that the souls of the dead depart on their journey to the afterlife. The region of Northland has an oceanic climate ( Cfb in the Köppen climate classification ), but a subtropical climate in
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1376-456: The oldest traces of Māori kāinga (fishing villages) can be found here. If the Māori regard the region as the legendary birthplace of the country, there can be no doubt that it was the European starting-point for the modern nation of New Zealand. Traders, whalers and sealers were among the first arrivals, and the gum and timber of the mighty kauri trees brought more colonisers. In
1419-417: The refinery for electricity production, but no longer does so. 35°35′S 173°58′E / 35.58°S 173.97°E / -35.58; 173.97 Ng%C4%81ti Wai Ngātiwai or Ngāti Wai is a Māori iwi of the east coast of the Northland Region of New Zealand . Its historical tribal area or rohe stretched from Cape Brett in the north to Takatū Point on Tawharanui Peninsula in
1462-503: The region being encircled by the moderating Pacific and Tasman waters, but light frosts do occur infrequently around Dargaville in the lowlands. The hottest months are January and February. In January 2009, excessive sunlight hours and below-average rainfall resulted in the region being declared a drought zone. Typical annual rainfall for the region is 1500–2000 mm but varies at different altitudes. Northland has an average of 2000 sunshine hours annually. Winds are predominantly from
1505-566: The region: Until 1989 Northland was governed by several councils and an earlier Northland Regional Council known as the Northland United Council. (It had been part of Auckland Province from 1853 until government was centralised in 1876. Long after Auckland Province ceased, the region continued to be known as North Auckland.) In 1989, Kaitaia Borough, Mangonui County , Whangaroa County , Bay of Islands County , Hokianga County , and Kaikohe Borough were amalgamated to become
1548-710: The same magnitude as the prevailing shelf currents. In the general vicinity of the islands mean flows are around 0.2 m/s (0.656 ft/s) and run toward the southeast. A remarkable feature of the region is the large internal tides that occur. These are a form of internal wave driven by the local tidal flow forcing the stratification against sloping areas of the shelf face. The surface manifestation of these waves can be seen from space. These waves generate brief highly localised accelerations. Internal wave amplitudes of around 100 m (109 yd) have been observed, generating flow speeds as great as 0.5 m/s (1.64 ft/s). The Poor Knights Islands were created in some of
1591-465: The sea") were often accompanied by a guardian sea-hawk or Tūkaiaia, whereby other tribes would be warned that Ngātiwai were on the move – either at sea or on land. The iwi has become associated with Ngāpuhi. After the time of Te Rangihōkaia, a descendant of Manaia, a number of key marriages cemented the relationship between Ngātiwai and the Kawerau hapū of Ngāti Rehua and Ngāti Manuhiri . During
1634-528: The south and out to Great Barrier Island , the Poor Knights Islands and other offshore islands. Notable descendants of Ngātiwai include brothers Jim , Ian and Winston Peters , artist Shona Rapira Davies , and writer Paula Morris . Ngātiwai trace their ancestry to one of the earliest settlers of Te Tai-tokerau , Manaia , who was, according to legend, transformed into stone, with his family and servant Paekō, atop Mount Manaia beside Whangārei Harbour . His descendant Manaia II, some 14 generations later,
1677-582: The southwest. Occasionally in summer, the region experiences stormy conditions from former cyclones which generally become much weaker once they leave tropical latitudes. The Northland Region has been governed by the present Northland Regional Council since 1989. The seat of the council is in Whangārei . Regional council members represent 8 constituencies: Far North, Bay of Islands-Whangaroa, Mid North, Coastal Central, Coastal South, Whangārei City, Kaipara and Te Raki. There are three territorial authorities in
1720-582: The year to March 2018, primary industries contributed $ 984 million (13.1%) to the regional GDP, goods-producing industries contributed $ 1.59 billion (21.2%), service industries contributed $ 4.30 billion (57.1%), and taxes and duties contributed $ 645 million (8.6%) The region's economy is based on agriculture (notably beef cattle and sheep), fishing, forestry , and horticulture . Northland has 4,423 hectares (10,930 acres) of horticultural land as of 2017. Significant crops include avocadoes , kumara , kiwifruit , citrus fruit and olives . Extensive forests are
1763-557: Was spoken by 97.0%, Māori language by 10.1%, Samoan by 0.4% and other languages by 7.1%. No language could be spoken by 1.9% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.5%. The percentage of people born overseas was 16.9, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 31.2% Christian , 0.7% Hindu , 0.2% Islam , 3.8% Māori religious beliefs , 0.5% Buddhist , 0.5% New Age , 0.1% Jewish , and 1.2% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 54.2%, and 7.8% of people did not answer
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1806-421: Was that 67,788 (43.5%) people were employed full-time, 21,735 (13.9%) were part-time, and 5,469 (3.5%) were unemployed. Māori refer to Northland – and by extension its Māori people – as Te Taitokerau (the northern tide) and Māori language and traditions are strong there. Major tribal groups include Ngāpuhi , Te Aupōuri , Te Rarawa , Ngāti Kahu , Ngāti Kurī and Ngāti Whātua . Several of these tribes form
1849-445: Was the rangatira of Ngāti Manaia established. Following a battle with Ngāpuhi at their pā at Mimiwhāngata, Ngāti Manaia fled out to sea, along the eastern coast, and on to the offshore islands. They became adept seafarers and were known as Ngātiwai-ki-te-moana under the leadership of Te Rangihōkaia and siblings Torematao and Te Rangapū. Known for their ocean traditions and customs and coastal raiding, Ngātiwai ("descendants of
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