Miramar, New Zealand

Miramar
Basic information
Local authority	Wellington City
Date established	1904
Population	8,334 (2006 [1])
Facilities
Surrounds
North	Maupuia
Northeast	Karaka Bay
East	Worser Bay
Southeast	Seatoun
South	Strathmore Park
Southwest	Rongotai
West	Kilbirnie
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Miramar is a suburb of Wellington, New Zealand, south-east of the city centre. It is on the Miramar Peninsula, directly east of the isthmus of Rongotai, the site of Wellington International Airport.

History

'Miramar' means "behold the sea" or "wonderful sea" in Spanish, and was thus named by the first settler on Watt's Peninsula area, resident James Coutts Crawford, who arrived in Wellington in 1840. In 1872 he changed the name of Watt's Peninsula to Miramar as that was the name of a house built for him by his brother-in-law, Major McBarnett. The original Māori name for the area when it was still an island was Te Motu Kairangi (meaning the Mountain eats the Sky). On 18 November 1904 Miramar Borough was formed. ^[2]

In April 1921, Miramar was incorporated into the City of Wellington.

Film

Film director Peter Jackson and his colleagues Richard Taylor (VFX) and Jamie Selkirk (Editor) have built a series of multi-million dollar studios, sound stages, and pre- and post-production (Including Weta Digital - Avatar and Weta Workshop) facilities in Miramar where he filmed The Lord of the Rings trilogy and King Kong. It has been hailed by Mexican film director Guillermo del Toro as "Hollywood the way God intended it". ^[3]

Sport

Miramar is the home of the Oriental Rongotai Football Club (rugby) and the Miramar Rangers (soccer).

Schools

Six primary schools are located in Miramar: Miramar South School (Years 1 - 8), Holy Cross School (Years 1 - 8), Miramar Central School (Years 1 - 6), Worser Bay School (Years 1 - 6), Miramar Christian School (Years 1 - 8) and Miramar North School (Years 1 - 8).

References

1. ^ The population is the aggregate for the census areas of Miramar South (Quickstats about Miramar South) and Miramar North (Quickstats about Miramar North)
2. ^ http://www.wcl.govt.nz/wellington/miramarseatoun.html Wellington City Library
3. ^ Guillermo del Toro Chats with TORN About ‘The Hobbit’ Films! | Hobbit Movie News and Rumors | TheOneRing.net | The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings Movie News and Rumors

Coordinates: 41°19′S 174°49′E / 41.317°S 174.817°E / -41.317; 174.817