Tōtara Park
Tōtara Park | |
|---|---|
California Drive in Tōtara Park, built extra wide to keep houses away from the Wellington Fault that runs under it. | |
| Coordinates: 41°06′29″S 175°05′06″E / 41.108°S 175.085°E | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Wellington Region |
| Territorial authority | Upper Hutt |
| Electorates | |
| Government | |
| • Territorial Authority | Upper Hutt City Council |
| • Regional council | Greater Wellington Regional Council |
| • Mayor of Upper Hutt | Wayne Guppy |
| • Remutaka MP | Chris Hipkins |
| • Ikaroa-Rāwhiti MP | Cushla Tangaere-Manuel |
| Area | |
• Total | 1.72 km2 (0.66 sq mi) |
| Population (June 2024) | |
• Total | 2,890 |
| • Density | 1,700/km2 (4,400/sq mi) |
Tōtara Park is a suburb of Upper Hutt, New Zealand, located 2 km northeast of the city centre. It is accessed via the Tōtara Park Bridge which crosses the Hutt River, connecting it to State Highway 2 and the main Upper Hutt urban area. It was popular in the 1970s and 1980s for families moving into the Upper Hutt area.
Most of the streets in Tōtara Park are named after states, towns and cities of the United States, with the main road running through the suburb being California Drive.
Tōtara Park is built on alluvial gravel. The Wellington Fault runs through the suburb—one section of California Drive straddles the fault, and the road lanes are built on either side of the fault with a large central reservation between them. This was designed so houses would be offset at least 20 metres from the fault, hopefully limiting damage if the fault were to rupture.
The Māori names for this area are Te Hau-karetu and for the Hutt River itself; Heretaunga, and Awa Kaiangi. In December 2019, the approved official geographic name of the suburb was gazetted as "Tōtara Park".