Tairua
Tairua | |
|---|---|
Tairua from Paku Hill | |
| Coordinates: 37°00′23″S 175°50′56″E / 37.00639°S 175.84889°E | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Waikato |
| Territorial authority | Thames-Coromandel District |
| Named | around 1800 |
| Founded by | Hongi Hika |
| Named after | Tairua translates to Two Tides |
| Electorates |
|
| Government | |
| • Council | Thames-Coromandel District Council |
| • Regional council | Waikato Regional Council |
| • Mayor of Thames-Coromandel | Len Salt |
| • Coromandel MP | Scott Simpson |
| • Hauraki-Waikato MP | Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke |
| Area | |
• City | 4.17 km2 (1.61 sq mi) |
| • Urban | 5.45 km2 (2.10 sq mi) |
| Population (June 2024) | |
• City | 1,479 |
| • Urban | 1,660 |
| • Urban density | 300/km2 (790/sq mi) |
| • District | 32,400 |
| Time zone | UTC+12:00 |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+13:00 (NZDT) |
| Postcode(s) | 3508 |
| Area code | 07 |
| Local iwi | Ngāti Hei |
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Tairua is a beachside town located on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula in the North Island of New Zealand in the Thames-Coromandel District. It is located 150 kilometres (93 miles) east of Auckland and 125 kilometers (78 miles) north of Tauranga. It lies at the mouth of the Tairua River on its north bank and on the small Paku Peninsula. As the 2023 census, the town had a permanent population of 1,630. Tairua is a Māori name which translates literally as tai: tides, rua: two.
Directly opposite Tairua on the south bank of the river's estuary is the smaller settlement of Pauanui. The two settlements are 30 kilometres east of Thames although the town has closer connections with the sea side resort town Whangamatā. Several islands lie off the mouth of the river, notably Slipper Island to the southeast and the Aldermen Islands 20 kilometres to the east. Mount Paku is an extinct volcano that lies by Tairua Harbour. It was thought to have formed the Alderman Islands.