Whangaparāoa Peninsula

The Kawerau hapū Ngāti Kahu traditionally inhabited the peninsula, prior to the arrival of Europeans. Ngāti Kahu's major focuses of settlement were around Te Haruhi Bay and Army Bay. A waka portage existed between Tindalls Beach and Matakatia, allowing travellers to bypass the Whangaparāoa Peninsula, who otherwise would have needed to travel around the entire peninsula. Whangaparāoa Peninsula was purchased by the government in 1853, after which settlers began developing the land for grazing. ==Geography==

The peninsula is in the northern North Island, close to the base of the North Auckland Peninsula. The Māori language name means "Bay of Whales", and pods of orca and dolphin are regularly spotted in the waters off the peninsula. as defined by Statistics New Zealand. Since 2010, it has been part of the Albany Ward and the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board of the Auckland Region. It is part of the General Electorate of Whangaparāoa. A quickly growing area with new subdivisions being built, it is to be connected to State Highway 1 via a tolled bridge known as Penlink. Auckland's Northern Motorway (State Highway One) was extended to Orewa at the end of the 1990s, reducing journey time into the city and making it more popular for commuters. The under construction Penlink road (including a bridge over the Weiti River from Stanmore Bay to Stillwater) will provide a quicker route between the peninsula and central Auckland. The peninsula stretches east for 11 kilometres into the Hauraki Gulf, to the north of East Coast Bays. In 2020 it was being used to quarantine New Zealanders who left Wuhan, China during the COVID-19 pandemic. Climate Whangaparāoa is a warm temperate oceanic climate (Cfb) on the Köppen Climate Classification System. ==Demographics==

Whangaparāoa covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2. Whangaparāoa had a population of 37,650 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 2,085 people (5.9%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 5,880 people (18.5%) since the 2013 census. There were 18,303 males, 19,215 females and 132 people of other genders in 13,977 dwellings. 2.7% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. There were 7,110 people (18.9%) aged under 15 years, 5,721 (15.2%) aged 15 to 29, 17,313 (46.0%) aged 30 to 64, and 7,506 (19.9%) aged 65 or older. ==Economy==

Whangaparāoa Town Centre and Coast Plaza In the past twenty years the township has developed on the high land above Stanmore Bay, including a shopping centre (Coast Plaza), Coast Plaza has 350 carparks, and is anchored by Countdown. Stanmore Bay Shopping Complex The Stanmore Bay shopping complex opened in 2015, replacing the previous complex. The new centre includes 16 retail spaces and is anchored by New World Manly Village The Manly Village is home to many of the coast's restaurants and shops. Plans were lodged for upgrades to part of the complex in 2017 which would have increased retail spaces and added more apartments but have not progressed. Gulf Harbour Marina, shops and restaurants Opening in the late 1980s the Gulf Harbour Marina is home to a variety of boat maintenance services, and retail. The marina provides for vessels up to 55 metres and has in excess of 1050 berths. ==Sport==

The peninsula is home to the Silverdale Seahawks rugby union and also Hibiscus Coast Raiders rugby league, that are a part of Auckland Rugby League and compete in the Fox Memorial Championship. The peninsula is also home to football (soccer) club Hibiscus Coast AFC, which competes in the Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 2. Whangaparāoa has one open (Whangaparāoa Golf Club) and one closed (as of 20 July 2023) (closed ) golf club (Gulf Harbour Country Club). ==Transportation==

Hibiscus Coast is served by Auckland Transport bus routes operated by AT Metro to destinations including Hibiscus Coast Bus Station and central Auckland. Commuter ferries operated by Auckland Transport and Fullers360 run between Gulf Harbour and central Auckland on week days. Tourism services operate from Auckland City via Gulf Harbour to Tiritiri Matangi Island on select days. ==Education==

• Whangaparāoa College is a co-educational secondary (years 7–13) state school with a roll of 1843 students as of September 2025. It opened in 2005. • Wentworth College is a co-educational secondary (years 7–13) private school with a roll of 458 students as of September 2025. It opened in 2003. They offer the Cambridge curriculum. == Notable people ==

Notable people that were born or live/lived on the Whangaparāoa Peninsula include: • Janet Frame (1924–2004), author. Frame lived at Whangaparāoa adjacent to Shakespear Regional Park in the 1970s. • Russell Coutts (born 1962), international sailing champion. Coutts lives on the Whangaparaoa peninsula, where he is president of the Manly Sailing Club and has started the Russell Coutts Sailing Foundation. • Scott Beard (born 1960s), Detective Inspector with New Zealand Police. Beard is nationally known for leading the investigation of the murder of Grace Millane and other high profile cases. He has lived on the Hibiscus Coast since the mid-1990s. • Stu Duval, artist and writer. Duval lives in Army Bay. ==See also==