Cooks Beach

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}} {{Use New Zealand English|date=September 2022}} {{Infobox settlement | name = Cooks Beach (Pukaki) | native_name = | native_name_lang =  | settlement_type = | image_skyline = Cook's Bay near Whitianga, New Zealand.jpg | image_alt = | image_caption = Cooks Bay | image_flag = | flag_alt = | image_seal = | seal_alt = | image_shield = | shield_alt = | etymology = | nickname = | motto = | mapframe = yes | mapframe-zoom = 12 | map_alt = | map_caption = | pushpin_map = | pushpin_label_position = | pushpin_map_alt = | pushpin_map_caption = | coordinates = {{coord|-36.838|175.739|display=title,inline}} | coor_pinpoint = | coordinates_footnotes = | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = [[New Zealand]] | subdivision_type1 = Region | subdivision_name1 = [[Waikato]] | subdivision_type2 = District | subdivision_name2 = [[Thames-Coromandel District]] | subdivision_type3 = Ward | subdivision_name3 = Mercury Bay ward | subdivision_type4 = Community Board | subdivision_name4 = Mercury Bay Community | leader_title = Council | leader_name = [[Thames-Coromandel District Council]] | leader_title1 = Regional council | leader_name1 = [[Waikato Regional Council]] | leader_title2 = [[Mayor of Thames-Coromandel]] | leader_name2 = {{NZ officeholder data|Thames-Coromandel District Mayor|y}} | leader_title3 = [[Coromandel (New Zealand electorate)|Coromandel MP]] | leader_name3 = {{NZ officeholder data|Coromandel MP|y}} | leader_title4 = [[Hauraki-Waikato|Hauraki-Waikato MP]] | leader_name4 = {{NZ officeholder data|Hauraki-Waikato MP|y}} | seat_type = Electorates | seat = {{ubl|[[Coromandel (New Zealand electorate)|Coromandel]]|[[Hauraki-Waikato]] (Māori)}} | established_title = | established_date = | founder = | government_footnotes = | leader_party = | unit_pref = Metric   | area_footnotes = <ref name="Area"/> | area_total_km2 = 2.69 | population_total = {{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Cooks Beach-Ferry Landing|y}} | population_as_of = {{NZ population data 2023 SA2|||y}} | population_footnotes = {{NZ population data 2023 SA2||||y}} | population_density_km2 = auto | population_demonym = | timezone1 = | utc_offset1 = | timezone1_DST = | utc_offset1_DST = | postal_code_type = | postal_code = | area_code_type = | area_code = | iso_code = | website =  | footnotes = }}

'''Cooks Beach (Pukaki)''' is a town on a three-kilometre white-sand beach on the [[Coromandel Peninsula]] of New Zealand. To its north is Cooks Bay, and beyond that is [[Mercury Bay]]. To the east is the locality of [[Hahei]] and the tourist attraction of [[Cathedral Cove]]. Roads to the south connect to {{NZSH|25}}. On the northwest, Shakespeare Cliff is a scenic reserve with a lookout point.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tcdc.govt.nz/Global/5_Have%20Your%20Say/Proposed%20District%20Plan%20-%20Variation%201/Unit%2069%20-%20Sheet%2078%20-%20Shakespeare%20Cliff%20Reserve.pdf|title=Shakespeare Cliff Reserve & Headland|publisher=Thames-Coromandel District Council|date=September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hahei.co.nz/cooks-beach.html|title=Cooks Beach|publisher=Hahei Business Association|accessdate=1 October 2020}}</ref>

==History== The harbour is one of the earliest places settled by Māori, with [[Kupe]] landing on the shore in the fourteenth century. [[Arawa (canoe)|Te Arawa]] arrived later bringing a leader called Hei, resulting in the local iwi of [[Ngāti Hei]]. The bay was called Whanganui-o-hei, the great bay of Hei.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tcdc.govt.nz/Global/1_Your%20Council/Community%20Plans/CooksBeachFerryLandingFlaxmillBayCommunityPlanpart_30588.pdf|title=From Kupe to Cook –Drifts of settlement in the Mercury Bay Area|publisher=Thames-Coromandel District Council|first1=Joe|last1=Davis |first2=Peter|last2=Johnston |first3=Dal|last3=Minogue |first4=Kate|last4=Piper|date=September 2006|page=4}}</ref>

[[James Cook]] visited the area in November 1769, and chose the eastern end of Cooks Beach to set up his instruments to observe the [[transit of Mercury]]. He named the bay [[Mercury Bay]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nzhistory.govt.nz/captain-cook-observes-transit-of-mercury|title=Cook observes transit of Mercury|publisher=Ministry for Culture and Heritage|date=14 September 2020}}</ref> A granite monument later set up to honour him was washed into the sea by a storm and erosion in 2018, but replaced in time for the 250th anniversary the following year.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/111200154/captain-james-cook-monument-to-be-reinstalled-in-time-for-250th-commemoration|title=Captain James Cook monument to be re-installed in time for 250th commemoration|publisher=Stuff|date=12 March 2019}}</ref>

In 1837, [[Ranulph Dacre]] and Gordon Browne purchased almost all the land of Cooks Beach, which became known as Dacre's Grant. A timber mill and a flax mill were established, and up to 30 families settled to farm, collect [[kauri gum]], and fish. Plans to subdivide the land in the 1920s were postponed due to the [[Great Depression]] until after [[World War II]]. Farming moved into the hills, which had previously been unsuitable due to low phosphate levels, but [[aerial topdressing]] made the land economic.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tcdc.govt.nz/Global/1_Your%20Council/Community%20Plans/CooksBeachFerryLandingFlaxmillBayCommunityPlanpart_30588.pdf|title=A short history of Dacre's Grant from the early 1800s to today|publisher=Thames-Coromandel District Council|first=Toby|last=Morcom|date=September 2006|pages=5–6}}</ref>

==Ferry Landing== About 2.5 km northwest of the centre of Cooks Beach is Ferry Landing, a smaller settlement on Whakapenui Point between Maramaratotara Bay and Whitianga Harbour. This was the site of a [[Ngāti Hei]] [[pā]], which was sacked by [[Ngāi Te Rangi]] in the mid 18th century. Cook was impressed by the ruins when visited on 11 November 1769.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/coromandel/places/whitianga-area/whitianga-rock/|title=Whitianga Rock|publisher=Department of Conservation|accessdate=1 October 2020}}</ref>

A passenger ferry runs on a ten-minute schedule between Ferry Landing and [[Whitianga]] during the day. The ferry has operated since 1895.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.whitiangaferry.co.nz/history/|title=History|publisher=Whitianga Ferry|accessdate=1 October 2020}}</ref>

==Demographics== Stats NZ describes Cooks Beach-Ferry Landing as a rural settlement, which covers {{Convert|2.69|km2||abbr=on}}.<ref name="Area">{{Cite web|title=Stats NZ Geographic Data Service|url=https://datafinder.stats.govt.nz/data/|at=Urban Rural 2023 (generalised)|access-date=24 February 2025}}</ref> It had an estimated population of {{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Cooks Beach-Ferry Landing|y}} as of {{NZ population data 2023 SA2|||y|y||,}} with a population density of {{Decimals|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Cooks Beach-Ferry Landing|y}}|R}}/2.69|0}} people per km<sup>2</sup>.

{{Historical populations|2006|315|2013|348|2018|459|2023|555|percentages=pagr|align=left|source=<ref name="Census 2018">{{NZ census 2018|Cooks Beach-Ferry Landing (167300)|cooks-beach-ferry-landing|Cooks Beach-Ferry Landing}}</ref><ref name="Census 2023"/>}} [[File:CookCairnCooksBeach.JPG|thumb|A cairn on Shakespeare Cliff commemorating Cook's observation of the transit of Mercury]] [[File:Whitianga Ferry.jpg|thumb|A Whitianga ferry]] Cooks Beach-Ferry Landing had a population of 555 in the [[2023 New Zealand census]], an increase of 96 people (20.9%) since the [[2018 New Zealand census|2018 census]], and an increase of 207 people (59.5%) since the [[2013 New Zealand census|2013 census]]. There were 279 males, 276 females and 3 people of [[non-binary gender|other genders]] in 276 dwellings.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://explore.data.stats.govt.nz/vis?fs[0]=2023%20Census%2C0%7CTotals%20by%20topic%23CAT_TOTALS_BY_TOPIC%23&pg=0&fc=Variable%20codes&bp=true&snb=9&df[ds]=ds-nsiws-disseminate&df[id]=CEN23_TBT_005&df[ag]=STATSNZ&df[vs]=1.0&dq=doTotal%2Bdo1.1136.2023&ly[rw]=CEN23_TBT_DWD_003|publisher=Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer|access-date=3 October 2024|title=Totals by topic for dwellings, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses}}</ref> 1.6% of people identified as [[LGBTQ|LGBTIQ+]]. The median age was 59.0 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 69 people (12.4%) aged under 15 years, 39 (7.0%) aged 15 to 29, 246 (44.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 204 (36.8%) aged 65 or older.<ref name="Census 2023"/>

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 94.1% [[European New Zealanders|European]] ([[Pākehā]]); 11.4% [[Māori people|Māori]]; 2.2% [[Pasifika New Zealanders|Pasifika]]; 2.2% [[Asian New Zealanders|Asian]]; 0.5% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 3.8% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 98.9%, Māori language by 1.1%, and other languages by 4.3%. No language could be spoken by 0.5% (e.g. too young to talk). The percentage of people born overseas was 17.8, compared with 28.8% nationally.<ref name="Census 2023"/>

Religious affiliations were 29.7% [[Christianity in New Zealand|Christian]], 0.5% [[Islam in New Zealand|Islam]], 0.5% [[Māori religious beliefs]], 0.5% [[New Age]], and 1.1% other religions. People who answered that they had [[Irreligion in New Zealand|no religion]] were 59.5%, and 7.6% of people did not answer the census question.<ref name="Census 2023"/>

Of those at least 15 years old, 108 (22.2%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 285 (58.6%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 99 (20.4%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $33,300, compared with $41,500 nationally. 36 people (7.4%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 174 (35.8%) people were employed full-time, 96 (19.8%) were part-time, and 12 (2.5%) were unemployed.<ref name="Census 2023">{{Cite web|url=https://explore.data.stats.govt.nz/vis?fs[0]=2023%20Census%2C0%7CTotals%20by%20topic%23CAT_TOTALS_BY_TOPIC%23&pg=0&fc=Variable%20codes&bp=true&snb=9&df[ds]=ds-nsiws-disseminate&df[id]=CEN23_TBT_008&df[ag]=STATSNZ&df[vs]=1.0&dq=hq011%2Bhq010%2Bhq009%2Bhq008%2Bhq007%2Bhq006%2Bhq005%2Bhq004%2Bhq003%2Bhq002%2Bhq001%2Bhq000%2Bws1%2Bsp99%2Bra80%2Bra08%2Bra07%2Bra06%2Bra05%2Bra01%2Bra04%2Bra03%2Bra02%2Bra00%2Brb1%2Bls66%2Bls03%2Bls02%2Bls05%2Bls04%2Bls01%2Beg6%2Beg5%2Beg4%2Beg3%2Beg2%2Beg1%2BbiTotal%2Bbi0%2Bbi1%2BasTotalLG%2Bas4%2Bas3%2Bas2%2Bas1%2Bws4%2Bws3%2Bws2%2Bge3%2Bge2%2Bge1%2Brc%2BasMed%2BegTotal%2BlsTotal%2BgeTotal%2BrbTotal%2BraTotal%2BhqTotal%2BibTotal%2Bib7%2Bibmed%2BwsTotal.1136.2013%2B2018%2B2023&to[TIME]=false&ly[rw]=CEN23_TBT_IND_003&ly[cl]=CEN23_YEAR_001|publisher=Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer|access-date=3 October 2024|title=Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses|at=Cooks Beach-Ferry Landing (1136)}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

[[Category:Thames-Coromandel District]]