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Waikaretu
Locality in Waikato, New Zealand From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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]
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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]
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Nikau Cave
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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]
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Demographics
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Waikaretu is in an SA1 statistical area which covers 133.50 km2 (51.54 sq mi).[4] The SA1 area is part of the larger Port Waikato-Waikaretu statistical area.[27]
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.[5]
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.[5]
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.[5]
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.[5]
Education
Waikaretu School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students,[30][31] with a roll of 21 as of July 2025.[32] The school opened in 1924.[30]
See also
References
External links
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