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Waikaretu

Coordinates: 37°32′28″S 174°49′45″E / 37.54120°S 174.82918°E / -37.54120; 174.82918
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Waikaretu
Waikāretu
Hamlet
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Interactive map of Waikaretu
Coordinates: 37°32′28″S 174°49′45″E / 37.54120°S 174.82918°E / -37.54120; 174.82918
CountryNew Zealand
RegionWaikato
DistrictWaikato District
Wards
  • Western Districts General Ward
  • Tai Raro Takiwaa Maaori Ward
CommunityRural-Port Waikato Community
Electorates
Government
 • Territorial AuthorityWaikato District Council
 • Regional councilWaikato Regional Council
 • Mayor of WaikatoAksel Bech[3]
 • Port Waikato MPAndrew Bayly[4]
 • Hauraki-Waikato MPHana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke[5]
Area
[1]
 • Total
133.50 km2 (51.54 sq mi)
Population
 (2023)[2]
 • Total
120
 • Density0.90/km2 (2.3/sq mi)

Waikaretu (Māori: Waikāretu) is a rural community and caving area in the Waikato District and Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located 49 kilometres south-west of Tuakau.[6]

A local farmstay also provides guided horse treks.[7]

Waikāretu translates as "waters of the kāretu grass"; wai means water; and kāretu is a sweet-scented grass.[8]

History

20th century

The current Waikaretu settlement was established with the opening of a local school in 1924.[9]

The Waikaretu War Memorial Hall was built in 1952. It has no Roll of Honour, but includes a plaque commemorating those who served in both World War I and World War II.[10]

21st century

By the 2010s the area featured several dairy farms, including the third-generation Whitford farm.[11]

In 2016, the Overseas Investment Office granted a Chinese company, Weihai Station, approval to buy 595 hectares of coastal land.[12] Part of the land will be used for a lodge and training facility, with the rest continuing to operate as a sheep and beef farm.[13] The company gave Waikaretu School $25,000 in grants between 2016 and 2020.[14]

Also in 2016, a secretive group began tunneling into the side of road searching for the skeletons of a mythical race of pre-Polynesian giants.[15] They called off the search in February 2020, after iwi, academics and the landowner raised concerns about the dig.[16]

Nikau Cave

The area features the 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) long Nikau Cave, named after nīkau forest,[17] with limestone pillars, stalactites and stalagmites.[6] The caves contain many thousands of glow-worms which visitors can observe up close.[18] Ninety minute guided adventure tours are available, which are often wet and muddy.[19] There is a visitor cafe, and there are several accommodation options nearby.[20] A British analysis of TripAdvisor reviews in 2020 identified the cave as one of New Zealand's best secret tourist spots.[21][22]

Philip and Anne Woodward moved to the area in 1978,[18] purchasing a 204 hectare sheep and dairy farm that included Nikau Cave. They opened the cave to the public in 1994, after their farming lease on a neighbouring 242 hectare block ended and they could no longer make enough money from farming and shearing services.[22][23] The cave has been formed in Waimai Limestone,[18] which is about 28m years old, hard, flaggy, glauconitic, pebbly[24] and over 90% formed of calcium carbonate.[25] There is also a path beside Waikaretu Stream, through QEII protected areas of bush, from near the cave to the foot of a waterfall.[26]

Demographics

Waikaretu is in an SA1 statistical area which covers 133.50 km2 (51.54 sq mi).[1] The SA1 area is part of the larger Port Waikato-Waikaretu statistical area.[27]

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
2006111—    
2013129+2.17%
2018141+1.79%
2023120−3.17%
Source: [28][2]

7011061 had a population of 120 in the 2023 New Zealand census, a decrease of 21 people (−14.9%) since the 2018 census, and a decrease of 9 people (−7.0%) since the 2013 census. There were 63 males, 60 females and 3 people of other genders in 42 dwellings.[29] 2.5% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 35.5 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 21 people (17.5%) aged under 15 years, 27 (22.5%) aged 15 to 29, 54 (45.0%) aged 30 to 64, and 15 (12.5%) aged 65 or older.[2]

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 77.5% European (Pākehā), 47.5% Māori, 2.5% Pasifika, and 5.0% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 100.0%, and Māori language by 12.5%. No language could be spoken by 2.5% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 2.5%. The percentage of people born overseas was 5.0, compared with 28.8% nationally.[2]

Religious affiliations were 22.5% Christian, and 2.5% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 70.0%, and 7.5% of people did not answer the census question.[2]

Of those at least 15 years old, 15 (15.2%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 60 (60.6%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 21 (21.2%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $36,100, compared with $41,500 nationally. 6 people (6.1%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 51 (51.5%) people were employed full-time, 18 (18.2%) were part-time, and 6 (6.1%) were unemployed.[2]

Education

Waikaretu School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students,[30][31] with a roll of 20 as of July 2026.[32] The school opened in 1924.[30]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Stats NZ Geographic Data Service". Statistical Area 1 2023 (generalised). Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer. 7011061. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  3. ↑ "Mayor and councillors". Waikato District Council. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
  4. ↑ "Port Waikato - Official Result". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  5. ↑ "Hauraki-Waikato – Official Result". New Zealand Electoral Commission. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Swarbrick, Nancy (11 June 2015). "Waikato places". Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Ministry for Culture and Heritage.
  7. ↑ "Wild west weekend in Waikaretu Valley". Australian Provincial Newspapers. The New Zealand Herald. 15 June 2003.
  8. ↑ "Waikaretu". nzhistory.govt.nz. Ministry for Culture and Heritage.
  9. ↑ Blomfield, Bruce (1999). Waikaretu Celebrates 75 Years. Waikaretu.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  10. ↑ "Waikāretu war memorial hall". nzhistory.govt.nz. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. 17 February 2017.
  11. ↑ Chivers, Luke (25 January 2019). "Sheep farming: it's in our nature". Global HQ. Farmers Weekly.
  12. ↑ Anthony, John (6 January 2016). "Chinese company Weihai Station to buy large farm west of Auckland". Stuff. Waikato Times.
  13. ↑ Reid, Catherin. "Case 201420087 – Weihai Station Limited". linz.govt.nz. Land Information New Zealand.
  14. ↑ "School Charter – Waikaretu School" (PDF). waikaretu.school.nz. Waikaretu School. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 November 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  15. ↑ Strongman, Susan (14 February 2020). "Concerns over secret search for giants' bones near Huntly". Radio New Zealand. rnz.co.nz.
  16. ↑ Strongman, Susan (17 February 2020). "Giant skeleton searchers call off dig". Radio New Zealand. rnz.co.nz.
  17. ↑ "Nikau Cave". QEII National Trust. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Smith, G.K. (2023). "Nikau Cave on New Zealand’s North Island". ACKMA Journal 133, 5–10. http://www.ackma.org/journal/133/Nikau%20Cave%20on%20New%20Zealands%20North%20Island%20-%20Garry%20K.%20Smith.pdf
  19. ↑ Ell, Sarah (2 September 2017). "Into the deep caves". New Zealand Media and Entertainment. Weekend Magazine.
  20. ↑ "Nikau Cave and Cafe". nikaucave.co.nz. Nikau Cave & Cafe – New Zealand Glowworm Cave.
  21. ↑ "Tourist data points to little-known island in Hauraki Gulf as New Zealand's top hidden gem". New Zealand Media and Entertainment. The New Zealand Herald. 9 January 2020.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Sabin, Brook (8 January 2020). "New Zealand's best secret spots revealed". Stuff. Stuff Travel.
  23. ↑ "An underground fantasyland". Stuff. Stuff Travel. 5 January 2017.
  24. ↑ Peter J.J. Kamp, Kirsty A. Vincent and Michael J.S. Tayler (2015). "Cenozoic sedimentary and volcanic rocks of New Zealand". University of Waikato.
  25. ↑ Tony Christie, Bruce Thompson and Bob Brathwaite. "Mineral Commodity Report 21 - Limestone, marble and dolomite" (PDF). Crown Minerals.
  26. ↑ "Waikaretu Bush & Waterfall Walk". Nikau Cave & Cafe. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  27. ↑ 2018 Census place summary: Port Waikato-Waikaretu
  28. ↑ "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. 7011061.
  29. ↑ "Totals by topic for dwellings, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 "Official School Website". waikaretu.school.nz.
  31. ↑ "Ministry of Education School Profile". educationcounts.govt.nz. Ministry of Education.
  32. ↑ "Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office. Archived from the original on 1 February 2019. Retrieved 10 March 2020.

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