Tītahi Bay

Tītahi Bay
Suburb
Interactive map of Tītahi Bay
CountryNew Zealand
CityPorirua City
Local authorityPorirua City Council
Electoral ward
  • Onepoto General Ward
  • Porirua Māori Ward
Area
 • Land554 ha (1,370 acres)
Population
 (June 2025)
 • Total
6,610
 • Density1,190/km2 (3,090/sq mi)
Whitireia Park
(Tasman Sea)
Tītahi Bay
 Onepoto
Takapūwāhia (Porirua Harbour)

Tītahi Bay, also written Titahi Bay, is a suburb of Porirua in metropolitan Wellington, in the lower North Island of New Zealand. It lies at the foot of a short peninsula on the west coast of the Porirua Harbour, to the north of Porirua city centre.

History

The legendary Polynesian navigator Kupe landed at Komanga Point, 3 kilometres west of Titahi Bay, leaving an anchor stone which today can be seen at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. The area was settled by Māori for many years before the arrival of Europeans, and several pa sites are located nearby. The area was the site of many inter-iwi conflicts, notably in the 1820s, when the area was invaded by the followers of Te Rauparaha.

The first European residents were whalers operating from Korohiwa, between Titahi Bay and Komanga Point.

During World War II, a camp housing US military personnel was built in Titahi Bay.

In December 2010, the name of the suburb was officially changed to Tītahi Bay by the addition of a macron.

Demographics

Tītahi Bay, comprising the statistical areas of Titahi Bay North and Titahi Bay South, covers 5.54 km2 (2.14 sq mi). It had an estimated population of 6,610 as of June 2025, with a population density of 1,193 people per km2. These figures do not include Onepoto, which had a population of 1,980 at that time.

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
20065,679—    
20136,021+0.84%
20186,432+1.33%
20236,453+0.07%
Source:

Tītahi Bay had a population of 6,453 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 21 people (0.3%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 432 people (7.2%) since the 2013 census. There were 3,147 males, 3,291 females, and 15 people of other genders in 2,295 dwellings. 3.3% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. There were 1,374 people (21.3%) aged under 15 years, 1,290 (20.0%) aged 15 to 29, 2,922 (45.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 873 (13.5%) aged 65 or older.

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 64.3% European (Pākehā); 38.4% Māori; 22.1% Pasifika; 8.2% Asian; 1.9% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 1.5% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 95.9%, Māori by 10.5%, Samoan by 4.8%, and other languages by 9.7%. No language could be spoken by 2.6% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.7%. The percentage of people born overseas was 17.2, compared with 28.8% nationally.

Religious affiliations were 30.8% Christian, 1.3% Hindu, 0.8% Islam, 1.7% Māori religious beliefs, 0.7% Buddhist, 0.4% New Age, and 1.4% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 55.2%, and 7.9% of people did not answer the census question.

Of those at least 15 years old, 1,182 (23.3%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 2,664 (52.5%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 1,236 (24.3%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. 597 people (11.8%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 2,676 (52.7%) full-time, 618 (12.2%) part-time, and 207 (4.1%) unemployed.

Individual statistical areas
NameArea
(km2)		PopulationDensity
(per km2)		DwellingsMedian ageMedian
income
Titahi Bay North2.012,7091,3481,00835.5 years$42,900
Titahi Bay South3.533,7441,0611,28734.9 years$42,800
New Zealand38.1 years$41,500

Features

Titahi Bay Beach

Titahi Bay Beach on a cloudy day

Titahi Bay is one kilometre long and forms a bay. The boat sheds at the northern and southern ends of the beach are often featured in photographs of the area.

Titahi Bay Beach houses

Surfing is a popular activity there. Titahi Bay is a beach break that can be surfed on all tides and is generally best during periods of onshore winds. The surf breaks have a vast array of size and skill sets, from the Rocks (1.5–2 m) to the famous Locals (1-2m) to the Fishermans (inside 2-3m, outside 3-5m) mainly all from a northwesterly swell direction. This all changes when the south swell arrives, with different breaks from different swell directions. A surfing club has operated for over 30 years. Two NZ champions originate from the area. The Titahi Bay Surf Life Saving Club is located in the centre of the bay.

The fossilised remains of a forest from the Pleistocene era are located at Titahi Bay and form an intertidal reef. The forest was dominated by podocarps and tree-ferns and dates from the last interglacial period 150,000–70,000 years ago.

Titahi Bay Volunteer Fire Brigade

Titahi Bay scrub fire

Founded in 1945, the Titahi Bay Volunteer Fire Brigade operates an Iveco EuroCargo ML120E Type 2 (Medium Pump) Appliance and currently has 20 volunteer firefighters. The Titahi Bay Volunteer Fire Brigade operates in the Fire and Emergency New Zealand's Fire Region 3.

Porirua Little Theatre

It was founded in 1950 as Titahi Bay Little Theatre by Ellinore Ginn, in the recreation hall used by US Marines encamped at Titahi Bay during World War II.

Transport

Bus route 210 runs between Titahi Bay and Porirua Railway Station. Bus route 220 runs between Titahi Bay and Ascot Park.

Education

Titahi Bay School is a state primary school for Year 1 to 6 students, with a roll of 368. It opened in 1953 on the site of a World War II US Marine base.

Titahi Bay North School is a state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of 123. It started as a side school for Titahi Bay School in 1957, and became a separate school in 1958.

Ngāti Toa School is a state primary school for Year 1 to 6 students with a roll of 129. It opened in 1955.

St Pius X School is a state-integrated Catholic primary school for Year 1 to 6 students, with a roll of 16. It opened in 1954. It is scheduled to be closed at the end of the 2026 school year.

Titahi Bay Intermediate is a state intermediate for Year 7 to 8 students, with a roll of 170 as of July 2026. It opened in 1970.

All these schools are co-educational. Rolls are as of July 2026.

Location in films

Many location shots in the 2007 Taika Waititi film Eagle vs Shark originated in Tītahi Bay.

Sports

Sporting organisations in Titahi Bay:

The cliffs along Titahi Bay have a history of rock climbing. Titahi Bay became the most popular rock-climbing spot in the Wellington area in the 1940s.

Climate

Climate data for Titahi Bay (1981–2010)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 21.4
(70.5)		 21.9
(71.4)		 20.2
(68.4)		 17.7
(63.9)		 15.3
(59.5)		 13.2
(55.8)		 12.4
(54.3)		 13.1
(55.6)		 14.7
(58.5)		 16.0
(60.8)		 17.6
(63.7)		 19.8
(67.6)		 16.9
(62.5)
Daily mean °C (°F) 17.8
(64.0)		 17
(63)		 16.3
(61.3)		 13.9
(57.0)		 11.9
(53.4)		 9.8
(49.6)		 8.9
(48.0)		 9.3
(48.7)		 11.1
(52.0)		 12.6
(54.7)		 14.1
(57.4)		 16.3
(61.3)		 13.3
(55.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 14.2
(57.6)		 13.8
(56.8)		 12.4
(54.3)		 10.1
(50.2)		 8.4
(47.1)		 6.3
(43.3)		 5.4
(41.7)		 5.6
(42.1)		 7.5
(45.5)		 9.2
(48.6)		 10.5
(50.9)		 12.8
(55.0)		 9.7
(49.4)
Source: NIWA

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Subnational population estimates - Aotearoa Data Explorer". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
  2. ↑ "The camps - US Forces in New Zealand | NZHistory.net.nz, New Zealand history online". Nzhistory.net.nz. 15 August 2011. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
  3. ↑ "Notice of finaldeterminations to assign or alter geographic names". New Zealand Gazette (173): 4271. 16 December 2010. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  4. ↑ "Stats NZ Geographic Data Service". Statistical Area 2 2023 (generalised). Retrieved 19 January 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer. Titahi Bay North (239100) and Titahi Bay South (239200). Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  6. ↑ "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Tītahi Bay North (239100) and Tītahi Bay South (239200).
  7. ↑ "Totals by topic for dwellings, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  8. ↑ "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer. Titahi Bay North. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  9. ↑ "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer. Titahi Bay South. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  10. ↑ Titahi Bay beach guide Archived October 18, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  11. ↑ Dawe, Iain (June 2014). Regional Plan Review. Schedule J - Significant geological features in the coastal marine area (PDF) (Report). Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  12. ↑ "Titahi Bay Beach Management Plan 2008 - Porirua City Council, New Zealand. We're making our City amazing". Pcc.govt.nz. 31 December 1970. Archived from the original on 14 October 2008. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
  13. ↑ "Titahi Bay Volunteer Fire Brigade". www.111emergency.co.nz. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
  14. ↑ "New Zealand Fire Service - Titahi Bay Volunteer Fire Brigade". New Zealand Fire Service. Archived from the original on 8 February 2013. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
  15. ↑ "New Zealand Fire Service - Region 3". New Zealand Fire Service. Archived from the original on 4 January 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
  16. ↑ Porirua Little Theatre Archived 2008-05-17 at the Wayback Machine
  17. ↑ "Former American Marines Hall". Archived from the original on 8 June 2011. Retrieved 28 May 2008.
  18. ↑ "Route 210 Timetable". Metlink. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
  19. ↑ "Route 220 Timetable". Metlink. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
  20. ↑ "Titahi Bay School Official School Website". titahibay.school.nz.
  21. ↑ "Titahi Bay School Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.
  22. ↑ "Group portrait of staff and students of Titahi Bay School, Porirua". 2003.
  23. ↑ Tilley, Matt (11 April 2024). "US Marines Plaque".
  24. ↑ "Titahi Bay North School Official School Website". titahibaynorth.school.nz.
  25. ↑ "Titahi Bay North School Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.
  26. ↑ "History". Titahi Bay North School. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
  27. ↑ "Ngāti Toa School Official School Website". ngatitoa.school.nz.
  28. ↑ "Ngati Toa School Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.
  29. ↑ "Information for Families" (PDF). Ngāti Toa School. February 2019.
  30. ↑ "St Pius X School Official School Website". saintpius.school.nz.
  31. ↑ "St Pius X School Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.
  32. ↑ "St Pius X School Ministry of Education School Profile". educationcounts.govt.nz. Ministry of Education.
  33. ↑ "St Pius X School History". St Pius X School. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
  34. ↑ "Titahi Bay Intermediate School". www.bayintermediate.school.nz. 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  35. ↑ "Titahi Bay Intermediate Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.
  36. ↑ "Titahi Bay Intermediate Ministry of Education School Profile". educationcounts.govt.nz. Ministry of Education.
  37. ↑ "Welcome". Titahi Bay Intermediate. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
  38. ↑ "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  39. ↑ Zander, Bianca (15 February 2013). "Background | Eagle vs Shark | Film | NZ On Screen". www.nzonscreen.com. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  40. ↑ Titahi Bay Boating Club
  41. ↑ "Titahi Bay Golf Club". Archived from the original on 25 January 2009. Retrieved 28 May 2008.
  42. ↑ "CliFlo -The National Climate Database (Agent number: 3361)". NIWA. Retrieved 14 September 2024.

41°06′S 174°50′E / 41.100°S 174.833°E / -41.100; 174.833