Location Dargaville is built along the edge of the wide Northern Wairoa River, two and a half hours drive north-west of Auckland. Maori settlements and marae (meeting places) have been scattered around the area for hundreds of years. The town’s population is approximately 4,250, with a further 8,000 in the surrounding district. About 25 percent of the population is Maori and much community consultation is carried out on marae, or meeting houses, with several trusts and community groups established to look after the specific needs of the local population. The town is well-catered for with services, banks and shops, and Anglican, Baptist, Catholic, Presbyterian and Methodist churches all represented. There is a local kindergarten, choice of primary schools, intermediate and high school (Dargaville High School). Locals and visitors enjoy the new 65 seat cinema, as well as rugby, tennis, bowls, badminton and golf and swimming in the 50 metre public pool, which is open in the summer months. See more of the region here.
