Helensville (New Zealand electorate)

Helensville (Māori: Te Awaroa) is a town in the North Island of New Zealand. It is sited 40 kilometres (25 mi) northwest of Auckland, close to the southern extremity of the Kaipara Harbour. State Highway 16 passes through the town, connecting it to Waimauku 16 kilometres (10 mi) to the south, and Kaukapakapa about 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) to the north-east. Parakai is two kilometres (1.2 mi) to the north-west. The Kaipara River runs through the town and into the Kaipara Harbour to the north. Tāmaki Māori settled the southern Kaipara Harbour in the 13th or 14th centuries, drawn by the marine and forest resources. The upper reaches of the Kaipara River was the location of Te Tōangaroa, a portage where waka could be hauled between the Kaipara Harbour and the Waitematā Harbour. By the 15th century, the area had become home to some of the earliest pā sites in the Auckland Region. By the early 18th century, Ngāti Whātua, who had traditional ties to the area, had re-established themselves along the Kaipara River. Helensville was established as a kauri logging settlement in 1862, developing into a regional centre for the south Kaipara by the 1870s. Helensville became a major centre for the dairy industry between 1911 and the 1980s.

Helensville railway station formerly served the town of Helensville, 60.47 km (37.57 mi) northwest of Auckland Strand, in the North Island of New Zealand. It was a stop on the North Auckland Line, and was the next major station north of Waitākere. Occasionally it was called the Helensville North Railway Station.Though closed in 1987 (reopened from mid-2008 to late 2009), the site still features the 1882 wooden building, which has been restored, and has a shunting yard and KiwiRail Network depot. The platform was modernised in 2007 as part of a trial to reintroduce a commuter train service to Auckland. There is an old steam locomotive (an NZR D class), on loan from MOTAT, at the entrance to the platform from the station car park. It worked on NZR until 1923, at Whakatu freezing works until 1960 and was moved to Helensville in 2000. There is also a model railway and museum at the station and a cafe and shop.As well as the station, three tracks and the engine-turning triangle remain.

Parakai is a town in the North Island of New Zealand, sited 43 kilometres (27 miles) northwest of Auckland, close to the southern extremity of the Kaipara Harbour. Helensville is about 3 km (1.9 mi) to the south-east, and Waioneke is 22 km (14 mi) to the north-west.The surrounding area, particularly to the north and west, consists of dairy farming, sheep farming and deer farming community. West Auckland Airport, a general aviation airfield, is 2 km north of Parakai. It is a popular airfield for parachuting.

West Auckland Airport Parakai (ICAO: NZPI) West Auckland Airport is a general aviation (GA) airport on the North Western edge of Auckland, New Zealand. It is close to the town of Parakai and 2 nautical miles (3.8 km) northwest of Helensville at the southern end of the Kaipara Harbour. The Airport is operated by West Auckland Airport Company Ltd, under 'Airport Authority' status.

The Kaukapakapa River is a river of New Zealand's North Island. It flows west, reaching the southernmost point of the Kaipara Harbour close to the town of Helensville. The small township of Kaukapakapa lies on the banks of the river, some 5 kilometres (3 mi) from its mouth.

The Ourauwhare River is a river of the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It is a tributary of the Kaukapakapa River, which it meets south of Helensville.

The Rodney Power Station was a proposal for a natural gas fired combined cycle power station developed by Genesis Energy Limited. The project was abandoned in 2015.The power station would have been located on a 48 ha site midway between Helensville and Kaukapakapa on State Highway 16, near the Kaipara Harbour, north west of Auckland. The proposed development included substantial upgrade or replacement of the Helensville waste water treatment plant, which the local council would otherwise have to fund. The plant was designed to use high efficiency combined cycle gas turbine technology to meet the increasing demand for electricity in the north Auckland region. The location would also have assisted to ease constraints on HV electricity transmission.In its assessment of Transpower's proposal to upgrade HV transmission to north of Auckland, the Electricity Commission considered that the Rodney power station project provided a generation alternative to transmission.

Woodhill is a locality in the Auckland Region of New Zealand. It is in the Western Ward of the Rodney District. Woodhill is approximately 6 kilometres northwest of Waimauku and 10 km south of Helensville on State Highway 16. The North Auckland Line passes through the area. The Woodhill Forest lies to the west.

The Kaipara River drains the area to the northwest of Auckland, New Zealand. It flows north from the northern foothills of the Waitākere Ranges, meandering past the town of Helensville. It is joined by the Kaukapakapa River in its lower tidal reaches shortly before entering the southern Kaipara Harbour. Other major tributaries are the Ararimu, Ahukuramu, Waimauku and Waipatukahu streams.The area around the river was historically occupied by the Te Taoū hapu of Ngāti Whātua in the lower catchment near present-day Helensville, and by Te Kawerau ā Maki in the upper sections near Kumeū.During European settlement in the latter 19th century, the course of the river was altered to better use the river to float timber for milling at Helensville.The river water is brown, as it is rich in sediments washed in from the soft Miocene to Quaternary sediments within its catchment.

Kaukapakapa is a town in the North Island of New Zealand. It is situated in the Rodney ward of the Auckland Region and is around 50 kilometres (31 miles) northwest of Auckland city. State Highway 16 passes through the town, connecting it to Helensville about 12 km (7.5 miles) to the south-west, and Araparera about 14 km to the north. The North Auckland Line also passes through Kaukapakapa. The Kaukapakapa River flows from the town to the Kaipara Harbour to the west."Kaukapakapa" is a Māori name meaning "to swim with much splashing". The town is commonly known to the locals in its shortened form "Kaukap".

Woodhill Forest (Māori: Te Ngahere o Woodhill) is a commercial exotic (pine) forest located to the northwest of Auckland, New Zealand. The forest covers approx 12,500 hectares of the Te Korowai-o-Te-Tonga Peninsula, from Muriwai in the south to South Head in the north. The forest is a popular location for a number of recreation activities, including horse riding, 4WD and trail biking, mountain biking, paintball, tree climbing adventures (confidence and team building), orienteering and filming; all require purchase of a permit, and walking or dog walking is no longer supported by the owners. Woodhill Forest is a sand-based pine forest, providing all-weather trails and recreation. Woodhill Forest is also notorious as a site where several bodies have been found dumped or buried.

Waikoukou Valley is a locality west of Auckland, in New Zealand. It was formed by Waikoukou Stream, which flows south through the Waitākere Ranges and is joined by Ararimu Stream before joining Kumeū River not far from its junction with Kaipara River. The major roads in the locality are Waikoukou Valley Road, Old North Road, Taylor Road and Peak Road.The Matua vineyard occupies 31.68 ha of land in Waikoukou Valley."Wai" is the Māori word for water, and "koukou" is the morepork, an owl.