Hahei

The name of the settlement of Hahei is derived from the Māori name for Mercury Bay, Te-Whanganui-A-Hei, or "The Great Bay of Hei". According to tradition, Hei was one of three brothers who arrived in New Zealand with Kupe. With his family he settled in the area of Oahei, which is now Hahei, and they became the ancestors of the Ngati Hei people. However, in 1818 the Ngati Hei people were attacked by the Ngā Puhi tribe, and almost completely wiped out. The remnant of the Ngati Hei people fled, leaving the land vacant.[4]

The valley of Hahei was purchased in the 1870s by Robert Wigmore, who was the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages from 1876 to 1887. Robert Wigmore built the kauri homestead which is still standing today. The burial place of Robert Wigmore and his wife Fanny is marked by a cairn in the Wigmore Historic Reserve, at the end of Hahei Beach Road by the beach.[5]

In 1915 the property was purchased by the brothers Horace and Walter Harsant. The farm primarily supported a dairy herd, but pigs, fruit and crayfish were also part of the produce sold at the nearby store of Coroglen.[6]

Transport at that time was difficult. Heavy and large goods had to be transported by sea, and for an ordinary shopping trip the Harsants would ride on horseback to the river and "coo-ee" loudly for the boatman to ferry them across.[7]

In 1946 Vaughan Harsant bought and lived in the homestead with his young son, and as Hahei began to gain popularity as a camping site, he and his wife Dawn developed the camping ground, and began to subdivide areas of the farm near the beach into residential sections.

Hahei is described by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement. It covers 1.67 km² (0.64 sq mi)[1] and had an estimated population of 300 as of June 2023,[2] with a population density of 180 people per km². Hahei is part of the larger Mercury Bay South statistical area.[8]

Hahei had a population of 234 at the 2018 New Zealand census, unchanged since the 2013 census, and a decrease of 132 people (−36.1%) since the 2006 census. There were 99 households, comprising 114 males and 120 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.95 males per female, with 27 people (11.5%) aged under 15 years, 24 (10.3%) aged 15 to 29, 96 (41.0%) aged 30 to 64, and 87 (37.2%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 97.4% European/Pākehā, 6.4% Māori, and 1.3% Pacific peoples. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 53.8% had no religion, 37.2% were Christian, and 1.3% were Buddhist.

Of those at least 15 years old, 60 (29.0%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 24 (11.6%) people had no formal qualifications. 24 people (11.6%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 72 (34.8%) people were employed full-time, 45 (21.7%) were part-time, and 3 (1.4%) were unemployed.[9]

Hahei Beach dwellings

Hahei is a popular holiday destination, with a white sandy beach and sheltered aspect, resulting in safe sheltered swimming waters. Its resident population is around 300, but in peak holiday periods the population swells to more than 10 times this.[10] On the southern end of the beach is Te Pare Historic Reserve, which was once the site of two Māori pā, Hereheretaura Pā and Hahei Pā.[11]

Hahei is located close to the start of the Cathedral Cove walkway and in the peak has nearly 500,000 day trippers and visitors who come just to visit the Cove. This can lead to congestion and parking issues. The car park at the start of the walkway is closed from 1 Oct to 30 April and visitors are encouraged to park at the village entrance and use a park and ride shuttle bus. Off-peak 1 May to 30 Sept there is pay and display parking at the car park at the start of the walk.

The town centre consists of a boutique brewery/pub, two cafés, a gift shop, a general store with a petrol station and a takeaways bar, a dive shop, a real estate agency and an ice cream and pizza parlour. Other holiday related businesses include kayaking, snorkelling and boat trips to Cathedral Cove and the Marine Reserve.