Motueka, The Tasman District, South Island, New Zealand

🇳🇿 Motueka is a town in the South Island of New Zealand, close to the mouth of the Motueka River on the western shore of Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere. It is the second largest in the Tasman Region.

The surrounding district has a number of apple, pear and kiwifruit orchards, as well as growing a variety of specialised crops such as hops. The area formerly served as the main centre of tobacco growing in New Zealand until the early 1980s. A number of small vineyards have also been developed.

Nearby beaches (such as Kaiteriteri and Mārahau) are very popular with holidaymakers, and the area around Motueka has one of the country's highest annual sunshine-hour indices. Riwaka lies 4.8 km north of Motueka via State Highway 60 and Nelson is 41.7 km to the east of Motueka via State Highway 60 and State Highway 6.

Motueka, as one of the nearest towns to the Abel Tasman and Kahurangi National Parks, has become the base of many tourism ventures, as well as in Nelson Lakes National Park, and in other recreational areas. Extensive limestone cave systems (including Harwoods Hole in the Tākaka Hill area north of Motueka) attract cavers and rock climbers. Sea kayaking, tramping and canyoning now attract many thousands of visitors each year.

Many artists live in the area around Motueka, especially potters and reggae musicians. The Riverside Community, in nearby Lower Moutere, is a pacifist intentional community. Founded in the 1940s, it is New Zealand's oldest cooperative living community.

History The first known European visitor to the coast near Motueka in 1827 was French explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville, of the French corvette Astrolabe. He explored and described much of the Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere shore line. Three ships carrying the New Zealand Company's Nelson expedition, led by Captain Arthur Wakefield, anchored at Astrolabe Roads, north of Kaiteriteri Beach—about 16 km (10 mi) due north of Motueka—in October 1841. Kaiteriteri was selected as a site for the first settlement but was later abandoned in favour of Nelson Haven.

The exceptional fertility of the soil and the suitability of the surrounding land for small farm settlement were the main reasons for the establishment of the second town of the Nelson settlement at Motueka in 1842. There was trade between Nelson and Motueka in vegetables and timber in the 1840s. In 1850, Motueka had "a church, various tradespeople, a general store, a doctor, a clergyman, a magistrate and a constable". Motueka was described as "the village was laid out in small sections in the middle of a splendid bush, and had some good open land all around on which the farms were situated” in the 1850s. A significant flood hit Motueka in 1877 with the majority of buildings in the High Street being flooded.

During the period, 1853 to 1876, Motueka was administrated as part of the Nelson Province.

Motueka was created as a borough in 1900 with the first meeting of the Motueka Borough Council being held on 17 January 1900.The population at that time was 900 people with 182 ratepayers and 183 dwellings. The post office building was opened in 1902 by Sir Joseph Ward.

Motueka war memorial, Motueka The Motueka war memorial was unveiled in 1922. It commemorates the 32 soldiers who died in WWI from the Motueka district. A plaque on the war memorial was unveiled in 1957 to commemorate the 35 soldiers who died in WWII from the Motueka district.

Geography Motueka is situated on the small Motueka Plain near the Motueka River which enters Tasman Bay about 4 km north of the town. To the west of the valley the land rises steeply to the Arthur and Pikiruna Ranges, and to the south the flat is broken by the gently rolling Moutere Hills.

The source of the Pearse River near Motueka is the deepest known cold-water cave in the world.

Motueka district museum The Motueka district museum is located in the former Motueka district high school buildings (built 1913) at 140 High Street. The museum includes exhibitions on local history.

Library The Motueka library is located at 32 Wallace Street. It was rebuilt in 2022 and cost just over $4.92 million. It is over twice the size of the previous library on Pah St.

Saltwater pool Motueka is home to a saltwater pool which is located on the Motueka foreshore. It was originally built after a sighting of a shark in the 1920s. Originally a wire cage, in 1938, it was rebuilt as a pool and then upgraded in 1950 and 1992.

Golf course The Motueka golf club was awarded the Holden New Zealand golf club of the year in 2018. It is located on Harbour Road in Motueka.

Motueka recreation centre The Motueka recreation centre includes a stadium, climbing wall, a fitness lounge, a theatre facility, games room, a skating rink and netball courts. It is operated by Sport Tasman and is located at 40 Old Wharf Road. The climbing wall was refurbished in 2016.

Economy Horticulture is the main industry in the area surrounding Motueka, and the town benefits directly from this. Some of the main crops are apples, beer hops and kiwifruit. Sheep and cattle farming also contribute to the local economy.

Due to the seasonal growth of many crops, the town's population increases greatly with seasonal workers, especially during late summer and early autumn for the apple 'pick'.

At the height of tobacco production, Motueka was home to two tobacco factories. One owned by Australian company WD & HO Wills Holdings and the other by Rothmans International. The tobacco industry has ceased to exist in the area in the early 1980s, when the New Zealand government removed the requirement for some New Zealand grown tobacco to be included in locally produced cigarettes.

Major employers in Motueka include: • Genia (formally MLC Group), operates a timber processing facility that specialises in cut-to-length componentry, small end section and specialised timber mouldings. • Nelson Aviation College trains pilots for the aviation industry. • Prolam has manufacturing facilities in Lower Moutere and Riwaka (previously Prime Pine) that produce glulam beams, i beams, LVL timber, posts, wood flooring, timber retaining walls and mid floors. • Talley's Group was established in 1936 by Ivan Peter Talijancich. One of the town's largest employers, the company's Port Motueka site incorporates the Group Head Office, the Seafood Division and the Dairy Division. The Vegetable Division began operations in 1978 at Motueka, but has since been relocated to Blenheim and Ashburton. Seafood processing contributed $46.5 million (10.9%) to the local economy in 2021. • CJ Industries is a construction and landscaping company.

New Zealand Energy Limited is a Motueka-based company that operates small hydroelectric power stations in Haast, Fox, Ōpunake and Raetihi.

Newspaper There are two local newspapers in Motueka: The Guardian Motueka, out every Wednesday and The Tasman Leader, out every Thursday. The "Motueka Star" was established in August 1901, and was a six-page newspaper, published twice weekly.

Media: Radio The area has a local radio station, Fresh FM, which also broadcasts to Blenheim, Nelson, Tākaka and Tasman.

Transport: Road Motueka is served by State Highway 60 which runs 114.5 km (71.1 mi) from Collingwood in Golden Bay / Mohua to State Highway 6 near Richmond.

The former State Highway 61, now known as the Motueka Valley Highway, connects State Highway 60 at Motueka to State Highway 6 at Kohatu Junction near Tapawera.

Transport: Sea Port Motueka, 3 km (2 mi) south-east of Motueka, on a tidal lagoon of some 1,000 hectares (2,500 acres), provides sheltered berthage for coastal vessels and is the Gateway to the Abel Tasman National Park.

Transport: Air The Motueka Aerodrome is 3 km (2 mi) west of the town centre and serves as a base for the Motueka Aero Club and the Nelson Aviation College. In 1984, Motueka Air started scheduled passenger flights from Motueka to Wellington, New Zealand using a Piper Aztec aircraft. Within a couple of years the Motueka Air network had grown to include Nelson, Wellington and Palmerston North using additional Piper Chieftains. In 1988, Motueka Air was renamed Air Nelson and relocated to Nelson Airport.

Marae Te Āwhina Marae is located in Motueka. It is a marae (meeting ground) for Ngāti Rārua, and Te Atiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui, and includes the Turangāpeke wharenui (meeting house).

Festivals Motueka hosts the Kaiteriteri Carnival and Motueka Festival of Lights.

Mountain biking Motueka sits on the Tasman's Great Taste Trail which is a mountain bike trail connecting the towns of Nelson, Wakefield, Richmond, Motueka and Kaiteriteri.

Teams • Golden Bay-Motueka Rugby Union • Tasman Rugby Union