Castor Bay | |
|---|---|
 Castor Bay beach | |
 | |
| Coordinates:36°45′43″S174°45′58″E / 36.762°S 174.766°E /-36.762; 174.766 | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| City | Auckland |
| Local authority | Auckland Council |
| Electoral ward | North Shore ward |
| Local board | Devonport-Takapuna Local Board |
| Area | |
| • Land | 144 ha (356 acres) |
| Population (June 2024)[2] | |
• Total | 4,650 |
| Postcode(s) | 0620[3] |
| Sunnynook | Campbells Bay | (Hauraki Gulf) |
| Forrest Hill |   Castor Bay  | (Hauraki Gulf) |
| Forrest Hill | Milford | (Hauraki Gulf) |
Castor Bay is a bay and suburb of theNorth Shore, located inAuckland which is in theNorth Island ofNew Zealand. Located betweenMilford andCampbells Bay, it is part of theEast Coast Bays. To the east lies the islands ofRangitoto andMotutapu, which are easily visible from land. The suburb is in the North Shore ward, one of the thirteen administrative divisions ofAuckland Council.
The bay itself is quite small and is well sheltered by an artificial breakwater that extends from the northern edge of the bay, running towards the south. A small bark and grass area with several largepōhutukawa trees offering shelter complements the beachfront and an extended coastline stretches out to the north towards Campbells Bay.
Castor Bay is located on the east coast of theNorth Shore, betweenCampbells Bay andMilford.[4] The bay to the east shares the same name as the suburb, and looks out towardsRangitoto.[5] The point to the east of Castor Bay is called Rahopara Point,[6] and the river at the southern border of the suburb is called Wairau Creek.[7]
The land is primarily formed from clay andWaitemata sandstone, which can be seen in the cliffs along the coast.[8] Prior to human settlement, the inland Castor Bay area was primarily a northern broadleaf podocarp forest, dominated bykauri,tōtara,mataī,miro,kauri andkahikatea trees.Pōhutukawa trees were a major feature of the coastline.[9][10]
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Māori settlement of theAuckland Region began around the 13th or 14th centuries.[11][12] The North Shore was settled byTāmaki Māori, including people descended from theTainui migratory canoe and ancestors of figures such as Taikehu and Peretū.[13] Many of the Tāmaki Māori people of the North Shore identified asNgā Oho.[14] While the poor soils in the area hindered dense settlement,[8] traditional resources in the area included fish, shellfish and marine birds.[15]
The warrior Maki migrated from theKāwhia Harbour to his ancestral home in theAuckland Region, likely sometime in the 17th century. Maki conquered and unified many the Tāmaki Māori tribes asTe Kawerau ā Maki, including those of the North Shore.[16][17] After Maki's death, his sons settled different areas of his lands, creating newhapū. His younger son Maraeariki settled theNorth Shore andHibiscus Coast, who based himself at the head of theŌrewa River. Maraeariki's daughter Kahu succeeded him, and she is the namesake of the North Shore,Te Whenua Roa o Kahu ("The Greater Lands of Kahu").[18][19] Many of the iwi of the North Shore, includingNgāti Manuhiri, Ngāti Maraeariki, Ngāti Kahu, Ngāti Poataniwha,Ngāi Tai Ki Tāmaki andNgāti Whātua, can trace their lineage to Kahu.[19][20]
The northern headland of Castor Bay is the site of an oldMāoripā, Rahopara, also known as Te Rahopara o Peretū.[21] Archaeological studies have dated an earth oven at the site to between the mid-15th and mid-16th centuries,[22] and generations ofTāmaki Māori adapted the defenses of the pā over time.[21] The name of the pā is associated with Peretū,[21] an ancestor of theNgāi Tai ki Tāmaki people,[23] and the pā was known as a defensive stronghold of Te Kawerau ā Maki.[24] Traditional histories recountTe Patukirikiri ancestor Kapetaua sacking the pā in the 17th century, as revenge for being marooned at Te Toka-o-Kapetaua (Bean Rock).[21][25] A second pā known as Wairoa Pā was located further south, at the headland overlooking the mouth of the Wairau Creek.[26]
By the 18th century, theMarutūāhu iwiNgāti Paoa had expanded their influence to include the islands of theHauraki Gulf and the North Shore.[27] After periods of conflict, peace had been reached by the 1790s.[28] The earliest contact with Europeans began in the late 18th century, which caused many Tāmaki Māori to die ofrewharewha, respiratory diseases.[29] During the early 1820s, most Māori of the North Shore fled for theWaikato orNorthland due to the threat of war parties during theMusket Wars. Most people had returned by the late 1820s and 1830s.[12][27][30]
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In 1841, theCrown purchased the Mahurangi and Omaha blocks; an area that spanned fromTakapuna toTe Ārai. The purchase involved some iwi with customary interests in the area, such as Ngāti Paoa, other Marutūāhu iwi and Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki, but not others, such as Te Kawerau ā Maki or Ngāti Rango.[31][32][20][33] The Crown spent until 1873 rectifying this sale, by making further deals with stakeholders.[32][33]
Castor Bay was originally known as Castor Oil Bay, after an early settler plantedcastor bean trees on the hillsides of the area.[34][35] The name Castor Bay started to be used from the 1910s, and from the mid-1910s the area was subdivided by the Castor Oil Bay Land Company.[36] By the early 20th century, the bay had become a popular destination for daytrippers and holiday makers, and holiday baches were constructed here.[37][34] In the 1920s, the bay became a popular with New Zealand literary figures, after resident Jane Stronach made her bach available to people including poetD'Arcy Cresswell, novelistJane Mander and poetR. A. K. Mason.[34]
DuringWorld War II, theCastor Bay Battery and Camp was built during World War II, to protect theRangitoto Channel.[21] The site was originally purchased by the Army in 1934,[38] and the military buildings were disguised as a state housing project.[34] The site was decommissioned in 1957, and given to the Takapuna City Council in 1966, becoming the JF Kennedy Memorial Park.[38]
After the construction of theAuckland Harbour Bridge in 1959, the area developed further, and the first convenience stores opened in Castor Bay.[34] The Rahopara pā archaeological site was almost destroyed in 1965, as the earthworks were planned to be excavated and used as fill for a marina. Plans for this were cancelled after lobbying by archaeologists and local residents.[21]
Castor Bay covers 1.44 km2 (0.56 sq mi)[1] and had an estimated population of 4,650 as of June 2024,[2] with a population density of 3,229 people per km2.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 4,116 | — |
| 2013 | 4,305 | +0.64% |
| 2018 | 4,509 | +0.93% |
| 2023 | 4,548 | +0.17% |
| Source:[39][40] | ||
Castor Bay had a population of 4,548 in the2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 39 people (0.9%) since the2018 census, and an increase of 243 people (5.6%) since the2013 census. There were 2,232 males, 2,310 females and 9 people ofother genders in 1,629 dwellings.[41] 2.5% of people identified asLGBTIQ+. The median age was 43.1 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 786 people (17.3%) aged under 15 years, 798 (17.5%) aged 15 to 29, 2,175 (47.8%) aged 30 to 64, and 789 (17.3%) aged 65 or older.[40]
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 71.9%European (Pākehā); 4.9%Māori; 1.6%Pasifika; 24.5%Asian; 2.7% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 3.4% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 94.3%, Māori language by 0.7%, Samoan by 0.2%, and other languages by 27.2%. No language could be spoken by 1.4% (e.g. too young to talk).New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.3%. The percentage of people born overseas was 42.3, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 30.1%Christian, 0.7%Hindu, 1.0%Islam, 0.2%Māori religious beliefs, 1.4%Buddhist, 0.3%New Age, 0.2%Jewish, and 1.1% other religions. People who answered that they hadno religion were 60.2%, and 4.9% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 1,650 (43.9%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 1,524 (40.5%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 585 (15.6%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $55,500, compared with $41,500 nationally. 1,029 people (27.4%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,968 (52.3%) people were employed full-time, 540 (14.4%) were part-time, and 69 (1.8%) were unemployed.[40]
| Name | Area (km2) | Population | Density (per km2) | Dwellings | Median age | Median income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castor Bay North | 0.89 | 2,457 | 2,761 | 879 | 43.9 years | $55,300[42] |
| Castor Bay South | 0.56 | 2,094 | 3,739 | 747 | 41.8 years | $55,900[43] |
| New Zealand | 38.1 years | $41,500 |
The localprimary school is Campbells Bay Primary School located on Aberdeen Road, nearby the Pupuke Golf Course. It has a roll of 852 as of November 2024.[44][45] The school opened in 1925.[46]
From 1876 until 1954, the area was administered by theWaitemata County, a large rural county north and west of the city of Auckland.[47] In 1954, Castor Bay was added to theBorough of Takapuna,[48] which became Takapuna City in 1961.[34] In 1989, the city was merged into theNorth Shore City.[49] North Shore City was amalgamated intoAuckland Council in November 2010.[50]
Within the Auckland Council, Castor Bay is a part of theDevonport-Takapuna local government area governed by theDevonport-Takapuna Local Board. It is a part of theNorth Shore ward, which elects two councillors to the Auckland Council.
