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Upper Hutt is a satellite city of Wellington, New Zealand with an urban
population of 35,700 (June 2003). Upper Hutt is located in the upper Hutt Valley on plains between the Rimutaka and Akatarawa ranges, to the northeast of
Wellington.
Upper Hutt City Council administers the city and the surrounding rural areas, parks and reserves. This area has a total
population of 37,800 and covers 540 kmē, the second largest area covered by a city council in New Zealand after Dunedin. New Zealand local authorities with a large land area are
usually termed districts, but Upper Hutt maintains its status as a city largely because of its high degree of urbanisation.
History
Prior to European settlement in the 1840's, Maori occupied various settlements in the
upper Hutt valley.
Richard Barton, who settled at Trentham in 1841, in an area now known as Barton's Bush, is identified as the first European resident. Barton subsequently subdivided his land
and set aside a large area that was turned into parkland. James Brown settled in the area that subsequently became the Upper Hutt
town in 1848.
The railway line from Wellington reached Upper
Hutt on February 1, 1876. The line was
extended to Kaitoke at the top end of the valley over the next 2 years, running that
far from January 1, 1878. The line was
continued over the Rimutaka ranges to Featherston in the Wairarapa, opening on October 12, 1878. A notable feature of the section of railway between Upper Hutt and Featherston was the steep
gradients. To assist with the 1 in 15 grade on the Featherston side of the range, the Rimutaka Incline employed Fell Engines that used a raised friction traction centre rail to haul trains up the steep grade. The less steep
1 in 40 grades between Upper Hutt and the small settlement and shunting yard at Summit
could be managed by ordinary steam locomotives. The only other rolling stock able to traverse the incline unaided were the small
bus-like rail cars, colloquially known as "Tin Hares".
By the 1950s the Fell system had become too expensive to operate and was closed on October 29, 1955. To replace it, the Rimutaka Tunnel had been
constructed, finally opening in 1955. In conjunction with the Tunnel, the laying of a new route, new bridges, and substantial
realignments and double tracking of the rest of the line from Wellington as far as Trentham station had occurred by June 26, 1955. The line was also electrified as far as Upper Hutt Station. Today, Upper Hutt
is served by a regular urban rail service that is a major commuter transport link.
Upper Hutt was originally part of Hutt County, (which was constituted in 1877). The Town Board was proclaimed on April 24, 1908. Upper Hutt became a Borough on
February 26, 1926. It was proclaimed a
City on May 2, 1966. The northern areas of Hutt
County's Rimutaka Riding were included in the City on April 1, 1973. This expansion produced the second largest land area of any New Zealand city. The area administered by the
Heretaunga-Pinehaven District Community Council was added when the Hutt County Council was abolished on November 1, 1988. A year later the
Heretaunga-Pinehaven District Community Council was abolished on November 1,
1989, producing the city in its current form.
Towards the end of the 1980s significant travel delays were being experienced with road access to Upper Hutt. With central
government reluctant to fund any road improvements in the area, Upper Hutt City Council itself commissioned the construction of a
high speed bypass route that became known as River Road. The road promptly ran at full capacity and, after several
serious accidents, that were a legacy of its origins, it was enlarged and re-engineered to cope with the growing traffic
volume.
Upper Hutt is located in the bed of an ancient river flood plain and as such was prone to flooding. In the 1970s and 80s, a
stop bank was built alongside the eastern side of the river from northern Upper Hutt to the mouth of the Hutt River in Lower Hutt to prevent further flooding.
Sports and Recreation
- Wellington Golf
Club at Heretaunga
- Wellington
Racing Club at Trentham
- Walking and Mountain-biking along the Hutt
River and on the tracks in many parks, including Karapoti, Kaitoke, Cannons Point, Tunnel Gulley and the Rimutaka Incline
- Swimming
- Team Sports including Cricket, Rugby, Rugby League, Soccer
Links
Upper Hutt City Council
Website
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