Papakura

Papakura is the name of a municipality and a district in New Zealand's North Island. Now a satellite city of Auckland, it constitutes the southernmost part of the greater Auckland conurbation

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Papakura is located between the Manukau Harbour and the Franklin District, 32km south of the CBD of Auckland city. Prior to the 1989 reorganisation of local government, Papakura had enjoyed city status for a decade.

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Originally a country town astride the Great South Road, and now overtaken by Auckland's urban sprawl, Papakura is where town meets country. It is flanked by the southern reaches of the Manukau Harbour to the west, and farmland to the east. Takanini is the district's vibrant industrial zone. The town centre is a typical retail hub, but rural tranquillity is nearby at the outskirts of town. The nearby Hunua Ranges have a waterfall and forested walking tracks, where wild deer occasionally roam. Papakura has no major river, but water is supplied from reservoirs in the Hunua Ranges' miniature rainforest.

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Residents enjoy convenient access to beaches at Maraetai, Orere Point, and Kawakawa Bay on the Hauraki Gulf, and Clarks Beach on the Manukau Harbour.

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The indigeneous residents are Maori, who built a Pa named "Puke Kiwiriki", at the top of Red Hill. The site has a panoramic view of the approaches to Papakura. The town's name originates from Maori words papa-kura meaning "red earth", reflecting the rich, fertile soil upon which the community was founded.

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Papakura has two high schools, Rosehill College and Papakura High School, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, a high quality athletics track, and rail transport to Auckland City.

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One of the town's favourite sons is Edmund Hillary; although born in Tuakau he was also a one-time beekeeper in Papakura.

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North Island: The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, the other being the South Island....

Conurbation: A conurbation is an urban area comprising a number of cities or towns which, through population growth and expansion, have physically merged to form one continuous built up area. It is thus a polycentric form of agglomeration....

Manukau Harbour: Manukau Harbour is the second largest natural harbour in New Zealand and the sixth largest in the world by area. It is located to the southwest of the Auckland isthmus, and is an arm of the Tasman Sea....