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HelensvilleNorth Island - New Zealand
New Zealand facts & history in brief
Helensville
Helensville is a town in the North Island of New Zealand. It is sited 40 kilometres northwest of Auckland, close to the southern extremity of the Kaipara Harbour. State Highway 16 passes through the town, connecting it to Waimauku 16 km to the south, and Kaukapakapa about 12 km to the north-east. Parakai is 2 km to the north-west. The Kaipara River runs through the town and into the Kaipara Harbour to the north. The population was 2532 in the 2006 Census, an increase of 318 from 2001. Helensville is also the name of an electorate seat in the Parliament of New Zealand. The current member for Helensville is John Key for National, the present Prime Minister of New Zealand. Early history The area around Helensville was originally called Te Awaroa, meaning "The long path" or "The long river valley". The first European settlers in the district were Scottish timber millers named McLeod but who had actually come from Nova Scotia to New Zealand. John McLeod built a house which he named "Helen's Villa" in honour of his wife, and the name soon became that of the surrounding settlement. Initial development of the town was around the kauri milling industry, but by the start of the 20th century dairying was becoming of increasing importance. It was also becoming somewhat of a tourist centre, owing to the presence of hot springs 3 km to the west of the town at Parakai. A lot of the early history of Helensville is described in the book "Men Came Voyaging" written by Colleen Sheffield who tragically lost her life in a bus accident before the book was completed. Economy Although it is no longer a forestry or dairy centre, the town is still a tourist attraction, largely because of its many historic buildings, the Hot Springs at Parakai and the Parakai Aerodrome, and its proximity to Auckland. It has also seen positive effects from the nearby wine producing region around Kumeu, 20 km to the south. There are also an increasing number of lifestyle blocks in the area. Education Kaipara College is a secondary (years 9-15) school with a decile rating of 7 and a roll of 650.[4] The school began as Helensville District High School in 1924, and changed its name to Kaipara College in 1959. Helensville Primary School is a full primary (years 1-8) school with a decile rating of 5 and a roll of 336. It was founded in 1877. Tau Te Arohanoa Akoranga is a composite (years 1-12) school with a decile rating of 7 and a roll of 44. It is a private school offering a Christian-based education, operating from the Helensville Rugby Clubrooms. All these schools are coeducational. Helensville also had a Community Education scheme in association with Kaipara College called the Rodney Community Learning Centre serving early school leavers and mature students. This consisted of two small TEC funded sites, one in Helensville and another one in Wellsford. This however closed down at the end of 2005. Transport Rail Helensville is on the North Auckland Line and is the next major station north of Waitakere. The station still features the original wooden building, which has been restored, and has a shunting yard and ONTRACK depot. In June 2007 it was announced suburban rail services are to be extended to Helensville in 2008. Services to the town resumed on 14 July, 2008 after an absence of 28 years.
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