Takapuna

Suburb in Auckland, New Zealand

Takapuna
Suburb
Takapuna Beach with Takapuna visible in the background
Coordinates: 36°47′13″S 174°46′19″E / 36.787°S 174.772°E / -36.787; 174.772
Country	New Zealand
City	Auckland
Local authority	Auckland Council
Electoral ward	North Shore ward
Local board	Devonport-Takapuna Local Board
Established	1847
Area [1]
• Land	455 ha (1,124 acres)
Population  (June 2024)[2]
• Total	12,470
Postcode(s)	0622
Busway stations	Smales Farm busway station
Hospitals	North Shore Hospital

Wairau Valley	Milford	(Hauraki Gulf)
Hillcrest	Takapuna	(Hauraki Gulf)
Northcote	(Shoal Bay)	Hauraki

Takapuna is a suburb located on the North Shore of Auckland, New Zealand. The suburb is an isthmus between Shoal Bay, arm of the Waitematā Harbour, and the Hauraki Gulf. Lake Pupuke, a volcanic maar and one of the oldest features of the Auckland volcanic field, is a freshwater lake located in the suburb.

Takapuna was settled by Tāmaki Māori in the 13th or 14th centuries, who utilised the resources of Lake Pupuke, and a pōhutukawa grove called Te Uru Tapu. The grove still exists to this day and was an important location for funeral ceremonies.^[3] In 1847, the first European farmers settled at Takapuna, and the Crown gifted land at Takapuna to Ngāpuhi chief Eruera Maihi Patuone in order to create a protective barrier for Auckland. Jean-Baptiste Pompallier established St Mary's College at Takapuna in 1849.

The area became a popular tourist destination for wealthy families of Auckland in the 1880s, when many large summer residences were being constructed on the shores of Lake Pupuke. By the early 20th century, Takapuna Beach had grown in importance for tourists. The suburb developed in the 1910s due to a private tramway, and by the 1930s gradually became a commercial centre for the North Shore. Takapuna grew in importance after the opening of the Auckland Harbour Bridge in 1959, becoming the administrative centre for the North Shore.