Hastings, New Zealand
Hastings is a town on New Zealand's North Island and with 61,700 inhabitants, the largest city and administrative center of the Hastings District. On a national basis Hastings is ranked 13, and together with Napier 's fifth largest metropolitan area in New Zealand with approximately 120,000 inhabitants.
Geography
The area of the Hastings District is located in the Heretaunga level. Thus, the district is mostly flat with no major geographical features.
The Pacific forms the natural border in the east, in the north- east bordering the area to the Wairoa District, in the northwest and west by the Taupo District, and on the south by the Central Hawke's Bay district. Included between the ocean and the Hastings district of the city district is of Napier.
The city is located about 19 kilometers from the sea.
Climate
Hastings is blessed with a warm, mild and sunny climate. The place may have an average of over 2200 hours of sunshine a year and the annual rainfall is only 800 mm. Hastings is one of the warmest cities in New Zealand and has been with the average January temperature of 26 ° C, the highest throughout New Zealand (compared to 23.5 ° C Alexandra, Christchurch 22.5 ° C). Because the city on the water is not as close as for example, Napier, and the cold sea air has no great influence on the city and the western parts of the district.
In the heat wave of 1973, the national heat record to have been reached 42.4 ° C, but this can not be officially confirmed, as in Hastings, a weather station was installed only in 2003.
History
As of 1867, the Māori leased about 70 km ² in the White Thomas Tanner, who together with other people, called the land of the " 12 Apostles " from 1870 sold for £ 371 per km ² of European immigrants.
The town was founded in the 1850s under the name of Hicksville. The namesake, Francis Hicks, was one of the first settlers of the town. He and his descendants were instrumental part in the construction of the city by land - now already at a price of £ 13,800 / km ² - sold to settlers or freely gave land for the station. To follow the political trends of the time, the family Hicks made it powerful, Hicksville - as well as Napier ( after Charles James Napier ) and Clive (after Robert Clive ) - after a British politician or soldier who is British by the colonial Empire tried to be named. Finally, Hicksville was renamed after Warren Hastings in Hastings.
1874, the railway line was Napier - Hastings inaugurated. 1881 a brewery was opened in Hastings, Hastings what brought together with the growing agriculture, especially wine growing, an economic boom. In 1886 there were already 600 landowners.
1918 died during the influenza pandemic ( Spanish flu ) about 300 people at the Hawke's Bay earthquake of 1931 once again fell victim to 93 people. Almost all buildings destroyed the city - In this - as in most other places in the region.
The present district was only in administrative reforms in 1989 Previously, Hastings -. Napier as today - a separate city district ( City Council).
Population
The district consists of three metropolitan areas that are relatively close to each other: By far the largest city is Hastings himself, the other two villages are Havelock North with just under 10,000 and Flaxmere with about 5000 inhabitants.
Economy
Due to the very warm and relatively dry climate and the vast, flat soil mainly agriculture is favored. This area is dominated orchards, vineyards. An important product of the district is also honey. In Hastings is the company " Heinz- Watties " that sold under the name " Heinz" world, among other tomato sauces and ketchup the New Zealand seat.
The Hastings town center is also popular with tourists, although not as much as that of Napier. Both cities have a historic building in Art Deco style in common, in which the buildings were built after the great earthquake of 1931 again. Due to soaring property prices in the city center but more and more of this 70 years old multi-storey houses, new buildings must give way. In Hastings is with the " Splash Planet " the largest water park in the area, which replaced the turn of the millennium "Fantasy Land".
Sons and daughters of the town
- Barbara Anderson, writer
- Caroline and Georgina Evers - Swindell, Olympic champions in rowing in 2004
- Glen Moss, football goalkeeper
- Mark Paston, football goalkeeper