Whangapoua

Whangapoua's Māori history dates back to the 13th century. A reserve at Opera Point, east of Whangapoua, contains the remains of the Raukawa pa site. European settlers started arriving in the 1860s, drawn to the area chiefly for kauri milling and gold mining. Today, Whangapoua is spread along behind the beach and consists of about 120 permanent residents, but can swell to over 1000 with holiday residents during the most popular holiday period from late December to February. ==Demographics==

Whangapoua is described by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement. It covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2. Whangapoua is part of the larger Mercury Bay North statistical area. Whangapoua had a population of 84 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 9 people (12.0%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 42 people (100.0%) since the 2013 census. There were 42 males and 39 females in 51 dwellings. 3.6% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 57.9 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 12 people (14.3%) aged under 15 years, 6 (7.1%) aged 15 to 29, 33 (39.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 30 (35.7%) aged 65 or older. ==References==