Waikuku

Waikuku Beach

Waikuku is a small township in the Canterbury Region of New Zealand, about 35 minutes north of Christchurch. It had a population of 900 people at the time of the 2013 Census,^[1] most of whom live in on the coast at Waikuku Beach. The sandy beach and pine forests are popular with surfers, swimmers, campers and horse-riders, and the large estuary of the Ashley River hosts many species of birds.^[2]

Just south of Waikuku, on Preeces Road, are the remains of the Kaiapoi Pa, an important trading centre for Ngāi Tahu in the 18th century.

Education

Waikuku presently has no schools. The town previously has one full primary (Year 1-8) school, Waikuku School, which opened in 1872.^[3] The school outgrew its site in the late 2000s and early 2010s, and in April 2014 was relocated to a new site in Pegasus Town and renamed Pegasus Bay School.

Primary school students today are zoned for Pegasus Bay School; secondary school students are zoned for Kaiapoi High School in Kaiapoi.

References

1. Census Data "Quick Stats about Waikuku" Check |url= value (help). Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
2. "Ashley-Rakahuri". Ashley-Rakahuri Rivercare Group. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
3. "Waikuku". Cyclopedia of New Zealand. New Zealand Electronic Text Collection. Retrieved 12 April 2013.

Bibliography

• "Waikuku and Waikuku Beach, Canterbury, New Zealand - Information". Archived from the original on 2007-08-19. Retrieved 2013-04-12.