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59-683: 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 competition, the Wellington Cup , in 1867. The name of the club was changed to the Wellington Racing Club in 1879, to denote its status as Wellington's premier racing club. The next year the totalisator

118-601: A dangerous area of rocky shallows upon which many ships have foundered. Seatoun as a suburb looks out on to Steeple Rock/Te Aroaro-o-Kupe , a large rock at the west of the Wellington Harbour entrance, rising 7 metres (23 ft) above sea level. The traditional Māori name for the Seatoun area is Te Turanga o Kupe . It is where the mythical Polynesian navigator, Kupe , is said to have first set ashore on his voyage to New Zealand, around 1000–1300 BC. Kupe

177-534: A golf course and sports fields), and Wellington Airport. There are also extensive areas of regenerating native bush, pine forest, and remnant farmland, as well as urban gardens. A narrow two-lane road circles the peninsula, providing a picturesque route around the many bays, coves and headlands. At the entrance to Wellington Harbour, the rocks of Barrett Reef lie close to the shore of the peninsula. On 10 April 1968 TEV  Wahine , an inter-island ferry, foundered on Barrett Reef and later capsized near Steeple Rock ,

236-465: A large peninsula on the southeastern side of the city of Wellington , New Zealand. It is located at the entrance to Wellington Harbour , in Wellington's eastern suburbs. According to Māori legend, it was formed when the taniwha Whaitaitai beached as he tried to escape the confines of the harbour. It contains the suburbs of Miramar , Seatoun , Strathmore Park , and Karaka Bays . From above,

295-460: A military base, was built to protect the entrance to Wellington Harbour. This followed construction of a two-gun battery on the top of the ridge at Point Dorset in 1908. It would operate for almost a century before being closed in 1991 and largely demolished in 1998. What remained was used in 1999 as the set for the town of ‘Bree’ and ‘The Prancing Pony Inn’ for the several night shots in The Lord of

354-468: A number of others, including Pauata, Kopani, Te Rongarua, Puakato, Hungahunga, Koroua and Huatoki, all men. Women slain were Huirua, Te Arahe, Pukurua, Te Koki, Te Rehu, Tangiaru, Hineuhi and Tihitihi. In all some 50 died. Henry Maynard Christie recorded in 1899 that the burned totara palisades were still in the ground. The land of Miramar was held by Te Āti Awa 20 years later when the Treaty of Waitangi

413-429: A pinnacle just off Seatoun. 53 people were killed. The peninsula is exposed to Wellington's prevailing northwest wind and the southerly wind. During southerly storms, big waves and swells batter the peninsula's rocky southern shore. The peninsula's topography, with its high ridges and small bays and coves, provides shelter from the wind in many places. On 15 August 2011, during a prolonged southerly storm, snow fell across

472-760: A population density of 1,805 people per km . Seatoun had a population of 2,319 at the 2018 New Zealand census , an increase of 84 people (3.8%) since the 2013 census , and an increase of 180 people (8.4%) since the 2006 census . There were 819 households, comprising 1,161 males and 1,158 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.0 males per female. The median age was 43.9 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 495 people (21.3%) aged under 15 years, 321 (13.8%) aged 15 to 29, 1,197 (51.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 306 (13.2%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 86.7% European/ Pākehā , 6.2% Māori , 1.2% Pasifika , 10.7% Asian , and 2.6% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas

531-658: A settlement in Forfarshire , Scotland , linked with the family history of James Coutts Crawford , the suburb's founder. Coutts Crawford was amongst the first permanent European settlers in Wellington. He arrived in September 1839 and set up a farm on the Miramar Peninsula . He named his holdings Overtoun and Seatoun, after family holdings of the Crawford family in Scotland. The area between Nevay and Karaka Bay roads and

590-492: Is a brick wall lining Ira street. The streets of Miramar plain were lined with red bricks as curbing. Some still remain in south Miramar streets. Miramar Borough amalgamated with Wellington City on 31 January 1921. Rongotai aerodrome opened in 1929. This was in approximately the same location as Burger King Miramar is today. New Zealand's first state house was built at 7 Fife Lane Miramar. Prime Minister Michael Joseph Savage and several cabinet ministers helped to carry in

649-501: Is also said to have named the foreshore Kirikiritatangi , after the rattling and rumbling caused by the waves disturbing gravel on the beach. The first settlement of the surrounding area was by Māori, led by the semi-mythical explorer Tara, or more fully Tara-Ika i Nohu, who also gave his name to what's now Wellington (as Te Whanganui a Tara , or The Harbour of Tara) and the iwi Ngāi Tara. Tara settled Matiu/Soames Island around 1100-1300 AD with an estimated 200 people. The group

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708-511: Is formed from one of the Wahine's anchor and chains, with each link in the chain representing the victims of the tragedy. The area also contains replica ship ventilators and visible to the east is Steeple Rock, only a few hundred metres from shore, where the Wahine capsized and sank. Seatoun statistical area, which also includes Breaker Bay , covers 1.33 km (0.51 sq mi). It had an estimated population of 2,400 as of June 2024, with

767-418: Is rocky, with many coves, steep cliffs, and small pinnacles and caves, but there are also sweeping and sandy beaches, notably at Breaker Bay , Worser Bay , Scorching Bay, Moa Point and Tarakena Bay. A high ridge running on an approximate north–south axis forms the spine of the peninsula, with high points Mount Crawford in the north and Beacon Hill in the south. The peninsula has a large area of low-lying land,

826-600: Is still there north of the 'Wellington' sign on Shelly Bay Road. James Coutts Crawford named his house "Miramar" which is Spanish for "sea view". When the farmland was purchased by the City Council in 1901 to be sold for housing, the land was named as "Miramar Estate" which lead to the suburb retaining the name "Miramar". New Zealand's first permanent racecourse was created in 1847 in Miramar: The Wellington Independent published

885-552: Is that Heberley, as a pilot, was known for always stating that the weather was getting ‘worser and worser’. The first school in the district was opened in 1897 in the Church Hall in Beach Road, with a roll of sixteen students. Seatoun School was established in 1921, separated from Worser Bay to accommodate growing demand. European settlement properly began in Seatoun around 1899, although still constrained at that point by

944-508: Is the site of the Oruaiti pa, famous in Māori history. Favourite picnic resort is Breaker Bay, a few minutes walk from here.” By 1926, Seatoun was still in need of investment. Residents complained about open drains, said the streets had not been maintained since they were built and pointed out a third of the houses in were without proper roads or footpaths. The settlement's first church service

1003-519: The Waikanae river , excluding Wellington City). The rates levied by the county in 1902 rose from ¼ d per £1 of the property's value up to a new rate of 1d per £1 of value. Very little had been spent in Miramar by the county for the previous decade, and locals expressed their anger at the increased rates, resulting in a reduction back to ¾d per £1. A local resident (Mr C.J. Crawford) contested this in

1062-629: The peninsula resembles the shape of a shark. Northwards, it juts into Wellington Harbour (formerly known as Port Nicholson, and in Māori as Te Whanganui-a-Tara , the Great Harbour of Tara). To the south are Cook Strait and the South Pacific Ocean. The suburbs of Kilbirnie , Lyall Bay , Hataitai and Newtown , and the inner city, lie to the west. To the east a narrow stretch of water connects Wellington Harbour with Cook Strait and

1121-479: The 'Wahine Cross', made from wood salvaged from the wreck of the TEV Wahine. The parish was closed in 2013 and the building sold in 2015 to local benefactors who now operate it as a community facility. The Anglican church of St George was established on Ferry Street in 1946, with the current building, containing striking floral stained-glass windows, constructed in 1957. The suburb played an important role in

1180-580: The 1700s, on headland at the entrance to the harbour, in what is now the Oruaiti Reserve. Tradition records that it was built by Te Rerewa of the Rangitane iwi, and that it was once attacked by Māori from Whanganui with some 500 being routed and killed at nearby Worser Bay. The site is site is marked today by a 17-metre long sculpture of a 'waka' (traditional canoe), constructed in 2013. The modern name Seatoun , originally Seatown , comes from

1239-510: The Club leased part of its former properties to Hutt International Boys' School . 41°8′21.50″S 175°2′43.84″E  /  41.1393056°S 175.0455111°E  / -41.1393056; 175.0455111 This article about a sports venue in New Zealand is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Miramar Peninsula Te Motu Kairangi / Miramar Peninsula is

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1298-449: The Miramar flats, and a smaller area of flat land at Seatoun , both of which are mainly covered in residential housing. The peninsula is largely urbanized, with large suburbs of Miramar , Maupuia , Strathmore and Seatoun , and narrow strips of houses along the coast at Breaker Bay, Karaka Bay and Moa Point . The urban area is a mix of suburban housing, retail outlets, schools, light and service industries, recreation grounds (such as

1357-520: The N.W. winds, I resolved to put into this place, if I found it practicable, or to anchor in the bay which lies before it ……… At one o'clock we reached the entrance of the inlet, just as the tide of ebb was making out; the wind likewise against us, we anchored in twelve fathoms water, the bottom a fine sand. The easternmost of the Black Rocks, which lie on the larboard side of the entrance of the inlet, bore N. by E. one mile distant; Cape Teerawhitte, or

1416-618: The Rings before final redevelopment as Seatoun Primary School in 2002. In 1917, The New Zealand Index proclaimed Seatoun to be: “A suburb of Wellington, at the Heads. Six miles southeast by daily ferry steamer (8 pence return) or by electric car (tram) from Welington. It is part of the Miramar borough. A favourite seaside resort. No hotel, but good boarding accommodation, stores, tearooms, post and telephone office. One mile from Worser Bay. Electric car opened to Seatoun on December 18, 1907. Nearby

1475-842: The Supreme Court, winning a ruling that "the rate charged must be in accordance with service rendered in each Riding". The anger continued when the Hutt County Council threatened to appeal to the Privy Council. A petition was collected among Miramar residents and presented to the Governor, and on 10 November 1904 the Seatoun Road Board District was constituted as a Borough and proclaimed in the New Zealand Gazette . Mr C.J. Crawford

1534-440: The announcement of the new race course on 2 October 1847 as: "The undersigned, having made arrangement with the proprietor of the land situated between Burnham Water, and Lyall's Bay, for the formation of a Race Course". In the 1880s the "Russian Scare" was gripping the nation, with people fearing an invasion by Russia. New Zealand embarked on building fortifications to defend itself from attack by sea. In an era when naval power

1593-439: The fact that the area was accessible only by boat. A tunnel was constructed between 1906-1907, linking the settlement to nearby Strathmore Park and Miramar. This enabled the expansion of the suburb by connecting it to the city centre by electric tram. The historian John Struthers established that the population of Seatoun was less than 1,000 at the time. In 1911, shortly after the suburb became accessible by tunnel, Fort Dorset,

1652-523: The following Captain Cook anchored off the coast near Miramar on his first visit to New Zealand, and mapped much of the coastline but didn't record the harbour entrance. On his second voyage to New Zealand he noted the entrance to Whanganui-a-Tara, and attempted unsuccessfully to enter the harbour. His diary entry reads: November 2, 1773. We discovered on the east side of Cape Teerawhitte a new inlet I had never observed before. Being tired with beating against

1711-697: The furniture of Wellington bus conductor David McGregor and his wife Mary on 18 September 1937. In the 1940s and the Second World War the peninsula was still an important component of an evolving coastal defence system, designed to protect the capital, harbour and hinterland from naval attack. . A lookout post was built at Palmer Head in 1938. In the Second World War, the advent of naval air power made these coastal fortifications largely redundant, because an enemy could carry out aerial attacks, using planes launched from aircraft carriers well beyond

1770-501: The gasometer to the golf course were in Rongotai but the name has now drifted south west towards Rongotai College. Likewise a shore point named "Moa point" was subsumed into the southern end of the runway resulting in the name now only being used by to describe remaining houses to the east. Wellington Airport in its current location was opened on 24 October 1959, replacing Rongotai Aerodrome. In early November 2023, Miramar Peninsula

1829-629: The harbour ferry connects with places around Wellington Harbour: Queens Wharf, Days Bay , Petone , and Matiu / Somes Island . A cycle path runs from Miramar to the central city, starting at Burnham Wharf and continuing along Cobham Drive, Evans Bay Parade and Oriental Parade. The peninsula has several sports clubs: Miramar Rangers , a semi-professional football club, founded in 1907; Seatoun AFC , an amateur football club founded in 1909; and Oriental Rongotai Football Club ('Ories'), an amateur rugby club formed in 1888. The Eastern Suburbs Cricket Club, in nearby Kilbirnie, covers junior and senior cricketers on

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1888-413: The hill overlooking Worser Bay . The name of Wellington Harbour " Whanganui-a-Tara " (harbour of Tara) was also named for Tara. Ngai Tahu lived in the peninsula on their long multi-generation migration southwards. They occupied pa already built as well as building their own. Around 1460 AD an earthquake named " Haowhenua " (earth swallower) raised the land, eliminating the shallow channel and joining

1947-448: The hills were "chiefly clothed with the common fern mixed with flax" and: the flat may be said to have been chiefly occupied by water spread over about 200 acres of central area, and the water from it extended up the large swamps both to the north and south, lying, in general, nearly flush with the surface of the swamps. Henry Maynard Christie documented two farms on the peninsula by 1847 which he called "Glandavar" and "Tetcott". Glandavar

2006-500: The island to the mainland. This created a flat plain and freshwater lake in the centre of the peninsula. The lake was first called "Te Rotokura" (red lagoon) and later "Para". When Pākehā settled they named this lagoon "Burnham Water". With the water channel in the east gone following the earthquake more fortifications and defensive pa were needed. Many pā (a village, sometimes also a fortress) and kainga (homes/dwellings) existed over many centuries with many changes, and include

2065-438: The name Te Ure-o-Kupe (Kupe's penis) or Te Aroaro-o-Kupe (Kupe's presence). The area was home in turn to Ngai Tara, Rangitane , Ngati Kahungungu , Ngai Tahu , Mua Upoko , Ngāti Ira , and Te Ati Awa . Other iwi who may have dwelt here include Waitaha, Ngati Mamoe, Ngati Kuia, Ngati Kuru, and Ngati Mutunga. Ngai Tara were the first to settle on the island, and built the first pā, named "Whetu Kairangi" (bountiful stars) on

2124-480: The old hilltop pa site was first called the Township of Overton. Amongst the first people to settle the coastline area at what is now Seatoun was James Heberley. Heberley lived with his family at what became Worser Bay . He became pilot at the request of Colonel William Wakefield , who references him in his book Adventures in New Zealand , piloted the ‘Tory’ into Wellington and drowned at Picton in 1899. The bay

2183-607: The open sea; beyond this channel are the scrubby Eastbourne hills, and the high and forested Ōrongorongo Ranges . From the peninsula's high points, an observer can look north to the Hutt Valley and the Tararua Ranges , or southwest across Cook Strait, to the high peaks of the Inland and Seaward Kaikōura Ranges , which are often snowbound in winter. The peninsula has an area of 800 hectares (2,000 acres). The coastline

2242-407: The peninsula in the late morning, settling in light drifts on trees, streets and fields. Like other parts of Wellington, snowfall at sea level is a very rare occurrence. Notable landmarks include: Cobham Drive is the main road connecting Miramar with the rest of Wellington city. It runs around the north end of Wellington Airport, at Evans Bay . Buses run frequently between Miramar and the city, and

2301-465: The peninsula. Film director Peter Jackson has based his film production empire in Miramar, with studios, sound stages, and pre- and post-production facilities. Weta Workshop , involved in many movies directed by Jackson, such as The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, King Kong , and The Hobbit , is also in Miramar. The Māori name for the area when it was still an island was Te Motu Kairangi (meaning "esteemed" or "precious" island). The island

2360-574: The present day Hutt Valley Line and the Gracefield Branch would have provided better access. In 1903 the Club conceived the idea of building a new course at Trentham. The new Trentham Racecourse held its first meeting on 20 January 1906. It was appropriate that at the first meeting Ropa won the Wellington Cup in 2 min 33 sec, then a New Zealand record for a mile and a half. Three stands were built between 1922 and 1924. In 1994,

2419-429: The range of even the largest shore-based guns. The hill to the west of the Miramar plain was flattened in the 1950s and used to reclaim land from the sea to form the new airport runway. The residential street of Rongotai Tce ran along the hill ridge and was completely removed and all houses demolished. Over the years since the airport was built the suburb names have drifted location. The houses in south west Miramar from

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2478-405: The sinking of the inter-island ferry TEV Wahine in 1968, when the ship foundered off the shoreline. Only the four starboard lifeboats could be launched. One lifeboat was swamped shortly after leaving the sinking ship and its occupants were tossed into the sea. Of the other three, one landed at Eastbourne and two at Seatoun. Churchill Park in Seatoun contains a memorial to the disaster. The memorial

2537-525: The time, what is now the Miramar Peninsula was disconnected to the mainland and existed as a separate island within the harbour, known after the first pā as Te Motu Kairangi (or The Exhaulted Island ). Much of modern Seatoun then emerged, and the island was connected to the land, when lifted from the sea by the Horowhenua earthquake of 1460. A second pā was constructed in the area during

2596-585: The west point of the bay, west, distant about two leagues; and the east point of the bay N. by E. four or five miles. Soon after we had anchored, several of the natives came off in their canoes; two from one shore, and one from the other. It required but little address to get three or four of them on board. These people were extravagantly fond of nails above every other thing. To one man I gave two cocks and two hens, which he received with so much indifference as gave me little hopes he would take proper care of them. We had not been at anchor here above two hours, before

2655-497: The wind veered to N.E., with which we weighed, but the anchor was hardly at the bows before it shifted to south. With this we could but just lead out of the bay. The citadel of Rangitatu was sacked and destroyed in late 1819–1820. The attack was led by Tuwhare the Toa. The first people killed at the pa were working in nearby kumara fields. They included: Te Urahi and Puahu of Ngati Rangi, Te Wawapo of Ngati Ira, Takatua of Ngati Rakai, and

2714-406: Was $ 54,300, compared with $ 31,800 nationally. 774 people (42.4%) earned over $ 70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 963 (52.8%) people were employed full-time, 309 (16.9%) were part-time, and 60 (3.3%) were unemployed. Seatoun School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of 405 as of August 2024. The school

2773-466: Was 30.0, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 54.7% had no religion, 34.8% were Christian , 0.1% had Māori religious beliefs , 2.3% were Hindu , 0.5% were Muslim , 0.6% were Buddhist and 1.8% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 906 (49.7%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 126 (6.9%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income

2832-408: Was based mainly on battleships, Miramar Peninsula's strategic position made it ideal for coastal guns to prevent enemy warships from entering Wellington Harbour. Large coastal artillery fortifications were built at Fort Ballance in 1885, and at Fort Dorset from 1908 In the first years of the 20th century Miramar was still within "Hutt County" (which encompassed the whole Wellington region south of

2891-412: Was broken into two, with one of these establishing a pā , named Te Whetū Kairangi , which takes its name from 'whetū' (meaning star) and 'kairangi' (meaning exalted or high status), overlooking Worser Bay. Much of what now comprises Seatoun did not exist as accessible land when first settled by Māori, which along with defense helps to explain why early pā in the area occupy hillside or hilltop sites. At

2950-488: Was declared pest free. This was the result of 11,000 bait stations, 450 cameras, and the work of 20,000 Miramar residents. This resulted in a 71% increase in birdlife since the project began. Seatoun Seatoun is an eastern suburb of Wellington , the capital city of New Zealand and lies on the east coast of the Miramar Peninsula , close to the entrance to Wellington Harbour ( Port Nicholson ). The suburb sits on an exposed promontory close to Barrett Reef ,

3009-487: Was founded in 1916. It relocated to a new facility on the old Fort Dorset New Zealand Army base in 2002, near the entrance to the Wellington Harbour . St Anthony's School is a co-educational state-integrated Catholic primary school for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of 56. Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Nga Mokopuna is a co-educational state Māori language immersion school for Year 1 to 13 students, with

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3068-462: Was in the north end close under the hills. Tetcott was owned by Francis Molesworth and was in the south east corner of the plain. Christie also mentions that Māori brought eels from Heretaunga ( Hutt River ) and kept them in the lake as a store. The Rotokura/Burnham Waters lake was drained by James Coutts Crawford via a drainage tunnel built in 1847 (and widened in 1859) which was apparently New Zealand's first tunnel. This tunnel through Rongotai ridge

3127-505: Was organized in 1910 in a room at a butcher's shop on Worser Bay. This continued until 1913 when a group of 14 local residents raised funds for the construction of a Presbyterian church on Ventnor Street. That original building now serves as Seatoun Village Hall. It was replaced in 1932 by a new church, St Christopher's, designed by William Fielding , which was opened by the Governor General , Lord Bledisloe . The church contains

3186-438: Was originally called Young’s Bay, after a whaler, George Young, who lived in the area around 1834/5. It became Worser Bay after the nickname of Heberley. There are two origin stories for his nickname ‘Worser’. The first is that the correct spelling of his name was Hebley and that he changed it after sending £50 to pay for a brother to come out from England only to find another unwanted, 'worser', brother sent in his place. The second

3245-400: Was separated from the main island ( Te Ika a Māui ) by a sea channel called Te Awa-a-Taia (the channel of Taia); this was where Kilbirnie is now. The peninsula area later became known as Hataitai or Whataitai. The island of Te Motu Kairangi was first settled as long ago as 950 AD when Kupe the explorer arrived. Kupe first landed near Seatoun , and a large rock near the shore still bears

3304-433: Was signed in 1840. James Coutts Crawford arrived in Wellington in 1839 and purchased five land orders from The New Zealand Company for 1,300 guineas, which included five acres of town land and 5,000 acres of country land, thus he acquired the Miramar peninsula which was then known as "Watt's Peninsula". Crawford established his cattle farm at the north end of the lake and named it "Glendavar". Crawford wrote in 1840 that

3363-642: Was subsequently elected the first Mayor of Miramar Borough Council. Miramar was not yet linked to Wellington city by road. There were three ferries from Miramar, Karaka Bay and Seatoun wharves. Some early accounts mention a land approach by "rough bullock track" over Constable Street hill over the sand isthmus. Miramar plain was entirely surrounded by hills at this time. Miramar Borough amalgamated with Wellington City on 31 January 1921. Miramar Gas Works open in 1907(closed 1972) Shelly bay Naval base opened in 1907 and expanded in World War Two when ownership

3422-454: Was transferred from the navy to the newly formed Air force, and expanded to include wharves for sea planes. Wonderland amusement park opened in Miramar in 1907. It included a Japanese Tea-House, distorting mirrors, a helter-skelter and an artificial lake. The park ran into financial troubles in 1910 and was sold to new owners, then shut permanently in 1912. A brick factory operated on the eastern hills from 1919 to 1968. All that remains now

3481-570: Was used at Hutt Park for the first time. The Hutt Hack Racing Club also held races at Hutt Park. Arguments over the shortcomings of Hutt Park as the racecourse for the capital city came to a head in 1903 when the New Zealand Railways Department refused to improve the transport to the course. It was served by the Hutt Park Railway , which had been opened in 1885, but a new line following a similar alignment to

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