Opotiki

Opotiki is a town with 4,176 inhabitants in the eastern part of the Bay of Plenty on North Island of New Zealand. It is the administrative seat of the district named after her, while also the single economic center of the Opotiki district.

Opotiki’s main street, with its carved wooden pole, indicates the historical development of the town. The city lies between the estuaries of the Otara River and the Waioeka River, which flow in common in this part of the Bay of Plenty to the Pacific Ocean. The rivers surround the city from the west, north and east.

To the east of the city lies the flood plain of the two rivers, the Opotiki Flats. The nearest town, Whakatane, is about 50 kilometers west of Opotiki. Tourism has slightly developed the Eastland region, a largely forested, mountain landscape with a very long coastline that reaches down to Gisborne to the southeast. The forests of the Urutawa Conservation Area are south of the city at the end of the plain.

History

Origin of the name
The original name of a place where the present Maori town of Opotiki is now located was Pakowhai. The name Opotiki is a contraction of O-Potiki-May-Tawhiti, meaning “the two favorite animals from a distance.” According to legend, Tarawa came with a large fleet and two suspended fish from Hawaiki to the source of Waiotahi Beach and named the place after this. Near this spot, about four kilometers west of Opotiki, there are now two wooden sculptures made by the Whakatohea to honor this place and tell the story.

Settlement by Maori

About 1,300 Polynesians came with a large fleet of canoes. The Mataatua, Tainui and Nukutere tribes settled in the eastern part of the Bay of Plenty. The Te Iwi Whakatohea was formed from them, who settled in the estuary areas of the Otara and Waioeka River and still exist today.

Settlement by Europeans

The first Europeans who came to the vicinity of Opotiki Tauranga were missionaries who went ashore in 1828 at Ohiwa. They left quite quickly after seeing the carnage of a recently concluded battle between two Maori tribes.

The first Pakeha, who landed at Opotiki 11 years later in December 1839, was the missionary John A. Wilson of the Church Missionary Society. In May 1840, the seven chiefs of the region signed The Treaty of Waitangi.

In 1862, the Hauhau, an educated religious movement, was also in the area of Opotiki and supported the political influence of the Kingitanga movement, whose goal was their own Maori Kingdom. Because of his reports on the religious movement, the Anglican missionary Carl Sylvius Volkner was suspected as a spy and was killed in 1865. The government then sent a punitive expedition to Opotiki and confiscated the country after landing soldiers there on September 9, 1865. The land was granted to settlers, who settled in a row and made the surrounding land into farmland.

In 1876, the Whakatane County Council (District Council) was formed, covering approximately the present-day districts of Whakatane and Opotiki. The management of the county was located in Opotiki. In 1882, Opotiki had about 800 inhabitants and was given the status of a Town District and its own administration. In 1900, the county was divided into the Whakatane County and Opotiki County.

In 1973, the Opotiki City Council was put with the Opotiki County Council, which was renamed the Opotiki District Council in the wake of the reforms of 1989.

Edwardian era
The economic development of the town until the twentieth century can be read into it today; there are still some buildings of the Edwardian era. Some old hotels are now restored and are witnesses to the hustle and bustle of the day. The De Luxe Theatre, Rostgard’s Building, and the Court House are among 26 restored buildings, of which a total of 15 are listed on the New Zealand Historic Places Trust.

Transportation

Opotiki is connected via State Highway 2 to Whakatane to the west. The road runs right through town and then runs 150 kilometers to the south and south-east. It runs across Wairata and through the mountains; it is the shortest route to Gisborne. State Highway 35 also connects Opotiki with Gisborne, running 331 kilometers along the east coast connecting the sparsely populated region of East country with the regional administrative and supply centers of Opotiki and Gisborne. The nearest airport is located 55 kilometers west of Whakatane Airport.

Economy

In both the town and the district of Opotiki, agriculture is by far the largest part of the economy. The proportion of jobs in services and administration in the city is also higher than in other districts. Tourism is less important to the economy, but its development is sought.

Hopes for an economic boom for the city are in the proposed port development and planned 3,800 hectare mussel farm, six kilometers off the coast, and the related processing industry. These projects will create approximately 900 jobs that would generate 27million New Zealand dollars in household income, and hence purchasing power, and bring the district an estimated NZ$34 million in revenue. Construction is scheduled for 2010, if the competent Ministry in Wellington gives its final approval and financial support.

Attractions

About eight kilometers south of the city center of Opotiki lays the 4.5-hectare Hukutaia Domain. In addition to the estimated 1,500 species of trees, the park includes a 2,000-year-old Puriri tree (Vitex lucens).

The Maori have buried the bones of their dead in the cavity at the foot of the tree. The park was founded in 1926 by Norman Potts, who was traveling through New Zealand as an amateur botanist. He collected native plants and planted them in the park.