Hataitai

Hataitai
Basic information
Local authority	Wellington City
Population	4,584 (2006 )
Facilities
Surrounds
North	Oriental Bay, Roseneath
South	Evans Bay, Kilbirnie
Southwest	Newtown
West	Mount Cook
Northwest	Mount Victoria

Hataitai is an inner-city suburb of Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, 3.5 kilometres southeast of the city centre. The suburb extends over the southeastern flank of Mount Victoria and down a valley between the Town Belt and a ridge along the shoreline of Evans Bay. Hataitai is bounded by Hepara Street, Grafton Road and the suburb of Roseneath in the north, Wellington Harbour in the east, Cobham Drive, Wellington Road and Crawford Road in the south, and Alexandra Road in the west.

Hataitai is on important transport links between the central city and Wellington International Airport, to the south of Evans Bay on the isthmus at Rongotai. It is at the eastern end of the Mount Victoria Tunnel and the bus-only Hataitai Tunnel, built in 1907 for trams, making Hataitai a popular place to live.

Origin of name

The area that is now Hataitai was known to the earliest European pioneers as "Jenkins Estate". Hataitai was given its name by the syndicate which cut it up for building in 1901 and is a derivation of Whataitai which was the ancient Maori name for what is now Miramar. The ridge of the hill was thought to have been the petrified remains of the great taniwha (sea monster) Whataitai, one of the two creatures who helped form the harbour of Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington Harbour). When one taniwha broke through the rock that separated the then lake from Cook Strait, the waters rushed out, leaving Whataitai stranded on rocks. An earthquake later lifted the monster's body into the hills below Tangi Te Keo (Mount Victoria).

Settlement

Colonial settlement of the area dates from 1841, with land used mainly for farming and grazing. Robert Jenkins acquired in this part an estate of a hundred acres of hill pasture. In order to reach it he made a road up Mount Victoria an, fenced in much of it and used it for breeding horses. Population was minimal until the late 19th century. When the area was cut up for building in 1901 the new suburb was advertised by the cutting of gigantic letters in the turf of the town side of Mount Victoria.

Many of the street in Hataitai are named after native trees: Hinau Street, Konini Street, Matai Road, Rata Road, Rewa Road etc.

Significant development took place from the early 20th century into the 1950s, spurred by improved access. The population increased slightly between 2001 and 2006, a result of new dwellings being added to the area.

In the early days the area was part of Kilbirnie in the Evans Bay district - so the school opened in 1884 was called Kilbirnie School. In 1901 the Hataitai Land Company was formed to sell sections on the hillsides north from Waitoa Road, and the area became known as Hataitai.

Amenities

A small shopping village is centred on Moxham Avenue and Waitoa Road, and consists of a superette, dairy, tavern, liquor store, bakery, pharmacy, hair salons, beauty salons, interior decor shop, bathroom design shop, laundrette and a good range of restaurants, cafes and fast-food outlets. In 2011 Wellington City Council added Hataitai Village shops to its District Plan list of heritage buildings. The heritage listings mean the buildings are recognised and protected for their heritage value and any major changes to the outside of listed buildings, or demolition of them, would require resource consent. The Victorian precinct is an essential part of Wellington's fabric.

The suburb has two state primary schools, Kilbirnie School (years 1 - 6) and Hataitai School (years 1 - 8), a playcentre and two kindergartens. Sports facilities include the Badminton Hall on Ruahine Street and Hataitai Park on the Town Belt. Hataitai Park has a velodrome, tennis courts and rugby fields. Other community facilities include a community centre and bowling club, both of which offer venues for community activities, a medical centre, three churches (All Saints Anglican, Hataitai Methodist, Latter-day Saints) and the Treasure Grove and Waipapa Road Play Areas. In addition, the Alexandra Road Play area is accessible from Hepara Street, with a 180 degree view from Wellington Harbour's Eastbourne to Lyall Bay in the South and only a short walk to the Mount Victoria summit.

The Hataitai Residents' Association has the purpose of representing the residents of Hataitai on matters of common interest or concern to the Hataitai community.