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Remuera is a suburb in Auckland, New Zealand. It is located four kilometres southeast of the city centre. Remuera is characterised by many large houses, often Edwardian era or mid 20th century. A prime example of a "leafy" suburb, Remuera is noted for its quiet tree-lined streets. The suburb has numerous green spaces, most obvious of which is Ōhinerau / Mount Hobson – a volcanic cone with views from the top overlooking Waitematā Harbour and Rangitoto Island.
The suburb extends from Hobson Bay and the Ōrākei Basin on the Waitematā Harbour to the north and east, to the main thoroughfare of State Highway 1 in the southwest. It is surrounded by the suburbs of Ōrākei, Meadowbank, Saint Johns, Mount Wellington, Ellerslie, Greenlane, Epsom, Newmarket and Parnell. Remuera has been home to many well-known New Zealanders, including the late Edmund Hillary and the race car driver Bruce McLaren. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
John Logan Campbell describes early 19th century Remuera in his book Poenamo:
The suburb is named after a pā (fortification) named Remuwera, on Ōhinerau / Mount Hobson. Retrieved 2013-30-09. Remu-wera literally translates to "burnt edge of kilt", commemorating the occasion where a chieftainess of Hauraki was allegedly captured and consumed.The Reed Dictionary of New Zealand Place Names, Reed Books, 2002 Although the most common definition in reference literature, the accuracy of this definition has been described as "highly doubtful".The AA Concise Dictionary of New Zealand Place Names, Moa Beckett Publishers Limited, 1994
Around 1741, Te Wai-o-Hua iwi was driven away by the Ngāti Whātua and Te Taoū iwi. Later, these iwi merged with Te Roroa and Te Uri-o-Hau into Ngāti Whātua-o-Ōrākei, which is the main iwi on the Tāmaki isthmus. Retrieved 10 January 2013. In May 1844 one of the largest Māori feasts ever held in New Zealand took place in Remuera. It was organised by the Waikato iwi and about 4000 Māori and many Pākehā (Europeans) were present. The festivities lasted for a week and large amounts of food and drinks were served: 11,000 baskets of potatoes, 9,000 sharks, 100 pigs, and large amounts of tea, tobacco and sugar. Governor Robert FitzRoy visited the festivities on 11 May 1844 when a haka was performed by 1,600 Māori, armed with guns and tomahawks. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
When the European settlers wanted to buy the land on the Tāmaki isthmus from the Māori, they first declined. But in 1851, Henry Tacy Kemp, an interpreter to the Land Claims Commissioners, bought 700 acres for £5000. Subsequently, more plots of land were sold and put up for public auction. The land was suitable for pasture land and as the town of Auckland was some distance away people did not really start to build houses (as opposed to farmhouses) until the 1860s. One of the early farmer-settlers who bought land at Remuera was Archibald Clark, who became Auckland's first mayor in 1851. Remuera was known as the garden suburb. Remuera was popular with the bourgeoisie as it provided much larger sections than other parts of Auckland. Many grand homes were built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. By the 1960s smaller sections started being developed.
Smaller suburban houses began appearing in the area nearest Newmarket and began to spread along Remuera Road. The first shops opened in 1890 at the intersection with Victoria Avenue. Railway stations at Newmarket and Market Road encouraged residents to commute to town. Likewise one of the most important routes for the electric tram system created in 1902 was to the Remuera shops, with an extension to the bottom of Victoria Avenue. One of the first businesses was Len Keys' grocery store on the Clonbern Road corner, which currently houses a café.
Remuera Road initially began as an unsealed cart track leading from Newmarket to Tāmaki. By the 1860s, the Remuera Road Board was formed to help administer the area surrounding the road, by organising roads, drainage, water and power, and the Remuera District School was established in 1873. In the early 1900s the Auckland electric tramway service began servicing Remuera Road, which led to the district doubling in population between 1901 and 1911 to over 5,000 residents. By the 1910s, ratepayers in the area opposed the Remuera area being administered separately to Auckland. The Remuera Ratepayers Association organised a petition in 1912, which included 791 ratepayers (over 50%) signing to join with the adjacent Auckland City, against the Remuera Road Board's wishes. A commission of inquiry was appointed, which recommended amalgamation. Again the Road Board declined and it was only after the Department of Internal Affairs intervened that the Road Board gave in. The union was ratified in February 1915 and the 2,520 acres of Remuera became part of Auckland. J. Dempsey said that Auckland had received "the brightest jewel in her crown today", although a subsequent report by the city engineer pointed out that Remuera had not been surveyed, it had 60 miles of primitive roading, and lacked proper stormwater drainage, sewerage and other services.
The 1920s and 1930s saw increased development of Remuera, with commercial precincts such as the Avenue Buildings, Coles Building, Hellaby Building and the Skeltons Building allowing the area to act as a commercial hub. The first mile of Remuera Road was concreted in 1921, and the existing tram line was doubled in 1924, followed by an extension of the service to Meadowbank. Auckland City Council embarked on a series of improvements for the new area. One of its first acts was to provide a free public library for the area in 1915, later replaced by the current building in 1926. In 1919 however local residents were incensed by the council's building of public toilets at the Remuera shops that they demanded be torn down.
In 1927 the Remuera rugby league club reformed after initially forming in 1914 when former All Black and Kiwi, George A. Gillett coached the club. A year later in 1928, the Tudor Theatre cinema and dance hall opened, becoming a central part of Remuera social life for decades. The theatre closed in 1973, and after demolition the location became the Tudor Mall in 1980. In 1930, the electric tramway was extended from Remuera to Meadowbank.
In more recent history, the infamous Bassett Road machine gun murders took place in Remuera on 7 December 1963. Two men were shot with a .45 calibre Reising submachine gun at 115 Bassett Road and word quickly spread about a "Chicago-style" gang murder. Two suspects were sentenced to life imprisonment. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
Remuera had a population of 26,709 in the 2023 New Zealand census, a decrease of 543 people (−2.0%) since the 2018 census, and a decrease of 6 people (−0.0%) since the 2013 census. There were 12,894 males, 13,725 females and 90 people of other genders in 9,477 dwellings. 3.5% of people identified as LGBTQ. The median age was 40.7 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 4,356 people (16.3%) aged under 15 years, 5,754 (21.5%) aged 15 to 29, 11,811 (44.2%) aged 30 to 64, and 4,791 (17.9%) aged 65 or older.
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 63.2% European (Pākehā); 4.3% Māori; 2.5% Pasifika; 34.5% Asian; 2.6% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 1.6% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 94.8%, Māori language by 0.7%, Samoan by 0.3%, and other languages by 31.3%. No language could be spoken by 1.3% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.3%. The percentage of people born overseas was 41.6, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 33.8% Christian, 2.5% Hindu, 1.1% Islam, 0.1% Māori religious beliefs, 2.5% Buddhist, 0.2% New Age, 0.6% Jewish, and 1.2% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 53.0%, and 5.2% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 11,769 (52.7%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 7,296 (32.6%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 3,294 (14.7%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $57,400, compared with $41,500 nationally. 6,045 people (27.0%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 11,472 (51.3%) people were employed full-time, 3,168 (14.2%) were part-time, and 429 (1.9%) were unemployed.
| +Individual statistical areas |
| $54,400 |
| $57,900 |
| $59,100 |
| $58,800 |
| $53,400 |
| $59,300 |
| $61,600 |
| $57,000 |
| $56,300 |
Other special buildings in Remuera are the Remuera Railway Station and Signal Box. These were built in 1907–1908 and the station is the best preserved in Auckland. Whilst the other stations were regularly modernised, Remuera's has been kept almost in its original state and is still used for suburban passenger trains. Retrieved 2013-27-09.
The road itself is wide with large trees lining the berm. The buildings on Arney Road are from the 19th, 20th, and 21st century with seven of these having registration with Heritage New Zealand. Notable buildings along Arney Road include: 9 Arney Road, a large Edwardian home; 11 Arney Road, a category 1 building designed in the Arts and Crafts style; 27 Arney Road, a category 2 building designed in the Arts and Crafts style; 43 Arney Road, St Ann's is a category 2 English country cottage; 51 Arney Road, a neo-Georgian home; 91 Arney Road, Vernon Brown House, a category 1 building and former home of Vernon Brown; 30 Arney Road, Stansfield House, category 2 Arts and Crafts home; 34 Arney Road, Court House, a category 2 neo-Georgian residence; 85 Arney Road, Cox House, category 2 Arts and Crafts house.
The Ōrākei Basin, a tidal lagoon popular for water sport activities, is the submerged crater of a volcano. There is a 3 km public walkway around the basin whereby the flora and fauna of the area can be observed at close hand. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
Mount Hobson Domain includes the volcanic cone, previously used as a pā (a defended settlement) by the Māori and in later times as a quarry and pasture land. Ōhinerau / Mount Hobson (143m high) is one of Auckland's better preserved and least modified volcanic cones. Formed some 25,000 years ago, the volcanic hill has a horse-shoe shaped crater opening to the southwest. Terraces and pits are still evident from the Maori occupation. Like the other volcanic hills of the Auckland isthmus, in the 20th century, water reservoirs were built on the summit and the lower southwest side a water reservoir was incorporated into Ōhinerau / Mount Hobson to supply water to the surrounding area. Still evident on the south-east side of the mountain is the concrete base remnant of a WWII medical store for the US Navy Mobile Hospital in nearby Market Rd – a site now occupied by the Dilworth Junior School. As you walk up the path from the entrance, you will soon come to a stone seat – a memorial to Remuera boys who died in WWII. This overlooks a field of jonquils and daffodils which bloom in winter or early spring.
Waiatarua Reserve. To the south of Remuera Road lies Waiatarua Reserve. This is a natural basin, prone to seasonal flooding. On several 19th century maps this was shown as a lake and referred to as 'Lake Remuera', 'Lake St John' or 'Lake Waiatarua' although in reality it was largely an area of swampy ground in which a sheet of shallow water would appear sporadically in the wet season. In 1918, of this land was given to the City Council to create Waiatarua Reserve. As the surrounding farm land was transformed into suburban housing this area became problematic – although in theory the "lake" afforded a picturesque view for the new houses, it was also a breeding ground for mosquitos. Moreover, the basin was composed of a peat-like substance subject to smouldering fires which were difficult to put out. In 1929 a drain was bored through the hill to the south west enabling the water to be drained into the adjacent natural stream which feeds into the nearby Ōrākei Basin; this drainage system is still in place. In 1934, of the park were leased to the Remuera Golf Club and a course was laid out. The clubhouse was completed in 1935. In 1938 a new course was built around the original layout in response to members’ complaints about the course conditions. Retrieved 10 March 2013. In 1968 the Course was redesigned by golf course specialist Harold Babbage and a new Club House built. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
Remuera School, Meadowbank School and Victoria Avenue School are coeducational contributing primary schools (years 1–6) with rolls of , and respectively.
Baradene College of the Sacred Heart is a state integrated Catholic girls' secondary school (years 7–13) with a roll of . St Michael's Catholic School is a coeducational state-integrated contributing primary school (years 1–6) with a roll of .
Mount Hobson Middle School is a private coeducational composite school (years 7–10) with a roll of .
King's School, St Kentigern Primary School and Saint Kentigern Girls' School are private single-sex full primary schools (years 1–8) with rolls of , and respectively.
Kadimah School, a co-educational Jewish primary school (years 0–8) with a roll of 122. Kadimah School Education Counts. July 2023
Rolls are as of
Remuera is a part of the Epsom electorate for the Parliamentary representation.Retrieved 10 March 2013. Local government of Remuera is the responsibility of the Ōrākei Local Board, which also includes the suburbs of Ōrākei, Mission Bay, Kohimarama, Saint Heliers, Glendowie, St Johns, Meadowbank, and Ellerslie. Remuera is also a part of the Ōrākei ward. Prior to it falling under Epsom, Remuera itself was an electorate from 1938 to 1996.
Fifty acres of the park were leased to the Golf Club in 1934 and a course was laid out. In 1938 a new course was built around the original layout in response to members’ complaints about the course conditions. In 1968 the Course was redesigned by golf course specialist Harold Babbage and a new Club House has been built.
During the First War she was commandeered by the British Government. After the war she returned to the UK to New Zealand route, as a sign of the changing times she was now refitted to accommodate two classes of passengers as opposed to her initial layout of First, Second and Steerage. Again commandeered at the outbreak of war in 1939 she was torpedoed in the North Sea in September 1940.
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