Titirangi

Titirangi is a suburb in the Waitakere Ward of the city of Auckland in northern New Zealand. It is an affluent, residential suburb located 13 kilometres to the southwest of the Auckland city centre, at the southern end of the Waitakere Ranges. In Māori language "Titirangi" means "long streaks of cloud in the sky", but this is often given as "fringe of heaven".

The population was 3,330 in the 2006 Census, an increase of 93 from 2001.

It is characterised by houses built within the native bush of the Waitakere Ranges. Many are of unusual design or are raised on poles to avoid the damp. The Waitakere Ranges lie on the west coast in the path of the prevailing winds from the Tasman and consequently attract a high rainfall. The native bush is home to many native birds, such as the fantail, tui, kererū or "wood pigeon", morepork and white-eye. The landscape of Titirangi ranges from Titirangi Beach on the Manukau Harbour to 400 metre high parts of the Waitakere Ranges.

For a long time the area had a reputation for bohemianism. A number of well known New Zealand musicians, artists, writers and potters currently live or have lived in the area, including singer/songwriter Tim Finn (who wrote the song "I Hope I Never" there), actress Alma Evans-Freake, author Maurice Shadbolt, painter Colin McCahon (whose house is preserved as a museum), photographer Brian Brake, poet John Caselberg and potter Len Castle. An active local theatre, community art gallery and radio station are based in historic Lopdell House. Located next door Te Uru Waitakere Contemporary Gallery is West Auckland's Regional Art Gallery, a great place to explore New Zealand art. Many short walks or tramps in the Waitakeres start from Titirangi, and maps and advice can be found at the nearby Arataki Visitor Centre

New Zealand

New Zealand (/njuːˈziːlənd/ new-ZEE-lənd, Māori: Aotearoa [aɔˈtɛaɾɔa]) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The country geographically comprises two main landmasses – that of the North Island, or Te Ika-a-Māui, and the South Island, or Te Waipounamu – and numerous smaller islands. New Zealand is situated some 1,500 kilometres (900 mi) east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and roughly 1,000 kilometres (600 mi) south of the Pacific island areas of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. Because of its remoteness, it was one of the last lands to be settled by humans. During its long isolation, New Zealand developed a distinctive biodiversity of animal, fungal and plant life. The country's varied topography and its sharp mountain peaks, such as the Southern Alps, owe much to the tectonic uplift of land and volcanic eruptions. New Zealand's capital city is Wellington, while its most populous city is Auckland.

Somewhere between 1250 and 1300 CE, Polynesians settled in the islands that were to become New Zealand, and developed a distinctive Māori culture. In 1642, Abel Tasman, a Dutch explorer, became the first European to sight New Zealand. In 1840, representatives of the British Crown and Māori Chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi, making New Zealand a British colony. Today, the majority of New Zealand's population of 4.5 million is of European descent; the indigenous Māori are the largest minority, followed by Asians and Pacific Islanders. Reflecting this, New Zealand's culture is mainly derived from Māori and early British settlers, with recent broadening arising from increased immigration. The official languages are English, Māori and New Zealand Sign Language, with English predominant.