The residents of Matua welcome the opportunity to join the publication Bay Waka and share with the city the colourful history and stories of our suburb.
It was the 1960s when the school opened and took their name from Matua-iwi Pa on the northwestern shores of the peninsula. The bowling club formed soon after and also took the Matua name and so it was that the area
Surrounded for the most part by harbour, estuary and saltmarsh the boundaries are clearly defined though the area to Kulim Park and adjoining Cherrywood blend naturally to be represented by Matua Residents’ Assn. The Association formed in the 1980s and has been involved in a range of activities and developments that are important to our suburb.
The historical centre piece is the Otumoetai Pa site, for centuries the hub of life and trade for Ngai Tamarawaho, a hāpu of Ngati Ranginui that attracted early European to establish the first churches and trading post in the early 1830s. In essence this is the starting place that developed into Tauranga.
The jewel in the crown for many is Fergusson Park, the location of sporting and recreational activities both in the water and on the park that occur from before light to after dark. On the southern side is the saltmarsh known as
Facebook Matua Residents Assn and the twice yearly Matua Moments publication offers historical and current information to keep residents informed and www.matua.org.nz provides the background for all that has and is happening in Matua.
By Richard Kluit, Chairman Matua Residents Association – “I write for this magazine to promote the history and share the activity of the wider Matua community with Tauranga readers.”
