Colville, New Zealand
Colville | |
|---|---|
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Waikato |
| District | Thames-Coromandel District |
Colville is a small town in the north of the Coromandel Peninsula in the North Island of New Zealand. It lies 26 kilometres north of Coromandel and is the northernmost town of any note on the peninsula. Beyond it lies 28 kilometres of rough road leading to the small settlement of Port Jackson, close to the peninsula's northwesternmost point, Cape Colville and 20 km to Port Charles on the northeastern side.
The town is the service and social centre for the area with a co-operatively-owned general store, Postal Delivery Centre, volunteer fire brigade, school, community hall and several houses. Just beyond the town is the beginning of the Te Moehau Range, which forms the bulk of the northern end of the Coromandel Peninsula, and contains valuable ecological areas, including a population of the threatened North Island Brown Kiwi.
Colville the town was named after the cape, which itself was named by Captain James Cook[1] on November 18, 1769, after Rear Admiral Lord Colville, under whom Cook had previously served in the Royal Navy.[2] Colville was also known as Cabbage Bay, thought to be in reference to the cabbage trees in the bay.
Colville township grew following the construction of a General Store with a Motor Garage alongside.[3] This was built by Richard (Dick) Goudie, a local man whose grandparents had settled in Cabbage Bay. Dick Goudie later ran a taxi service from the town, being the first to drive a motor vehicle across the new bridge at Papa Aroha which opened up the northern peninsula from Coromandel. Fossicking for semi-precious stones such as carnelian and kauri gum are popular activities among tourists in the town.[4]
Another member of the Goudie family, John, developed a motor camp a few kilometres north of the town some years later[when?].
The Motukawao Islands lie five kilometres off the coast to the southwest of Colville.
Education
Colville School is a coeducational full primary (years 1-8) school with a decile rating of 4 and a roll of 35.[5]
Notes
References
- Reed, A. W. (2002). The Reed Dictionary of New Zealand Place Names. Auckland: Reed Books. ISBN 0-7900-0761-4.
36°38′S 175°28′E / 36.633°S 175.467°E
 | This Waikato geography article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |