Oratia

*classe="mw-headline" id="Geschichte">Geschichte[edit]>>

The Oratia is a New Zealand borough of the former Waitakere City district of Auckland. Situated about 16 km southwest of Auckland CBD (Central Business District), it is situated on the east side of the Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area. 2 ] It is a relatively tranquil municipality that connects the metropolis of Auckland with the rugged woods and sandy shores of W-Auckland.

Oratia has a total of 3,432 inhabitants, as of the 2013 census[3]. The first settlement of Oratia was in the 1860' s, with 160,000 square meters of property made available to new migrants. The cemetery of Oratia has tombs from 1867. In 1879 Thomas Parr (after whom the Parrs Park is named ) was a fruit-growing and horticulturalist and founded a horticultural business named Albion Vale on the West Coast Road.

Today a listed building, the building has been returned to its former state after many years of use as "The Town and Country Roadhouse", which in the 1940' was regarded as one of the best in Auckland. 5] The small Oratia Folk Museum[6] borders on Albion Vale.

Oratia Valley was populated by Daemmatian immigrants in the early 1900s and early 1939. This made Oratia known as the Auckland' s orchard and vineyard. There was a great feeling of solidarity that still exists today, although some of the old homes have left the area.

Much of Oratia's streets are called after the 18th century Oratia family, e.g. Parker, Carter, Shaw, Parr. Much of the pristine fruit gardens have now vanished, and although they are still relatively thinly settled in comparison to most towns in Auckland, Oratia has become a municipality with many shops and houses.

In spite of its small dimensions, Oratia has a number of amenities: 8 ] A number of rarer crops are cultivated here, many of which originate from South America and now form a scarce genetic family. The Oratia Nursery tree nursery[9] is known for its crop protection and is one of the first indigenous tree nurseries in New Zealand.

Oratia author Gilian Painter has written a series of works on cuisine. The Oratia District School[14], founded in 1882, provides elementary schooling ((1-6 years) for the area. 15 ] It is used by Oratia and a watershed up to the Piha and Karekare coastline. Photos of Oratia in the Auckland Libraries collection.