Kaiapoi

Kaiapoi is a town in the Canterbury region of the South Island of New Zealand, located close to the mouth of the Waimakariri River, and approximately 17 kilometres north of Christchurch. Kaiapoi is located in the Waimakariri District. In the 2006 census, the population of the town was 10,200, with a further 1,700 residents in the surrounding district. This represents a growth rate of 11% over the previous five years. Kaiapoi suffered extensive damages in the 2010 Canterbury earthquake, rendering many homes uninhabitable and businesses inoperable. Kaiapoi takes its name from the Māori pā (fortified village) which was built just north of the site of the current town around the year 1700 by the Ngāi Tahu chief Turakautahi. Eventually to...