Papamoa or Papamoa Beach is a suburb of Tauranga, located about 11 kilometres from the city centre. It is the largest residential suburb in Tauranga, having a population of 20,091 at the 2013 census. It is bordered to the west by Mount Maunganui, the east by the Kaituna River and to the south by State Highway 2. The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "raised mounds for growing vegetables on the flats" for Papamoa.
History and culture
Papamoa has of white sandy beach stretching from the boundary with Mount Maunganui in the west to the Kaituna River in the east. Widespread settlement of the area did not start until the early 1980s and prior to this Papamoa had been largely a rural area. Once a small and tight knit community, many of Papamoa Beach's sweeping paddocks have been swallowed up by urban development. In subsequent decades, Papamoa is currently one of the fastest growing suburbs of Tauranga, with many different subdivisions developing concurrently on different blocks of land on the fringes of the suburb. It is popular for fishing, surfing, and as a holiday retreat. The local Mangatawa or Tamapahore Marae and its Tamapahore meeting house is a meeting place for the Ngāi Te Rangihapū of Ngā Pōtiki.
Nudity
Papamoa Beach is a clothing-optional beach by custom. New Zealand has no official nude beaches, as public nudity is legal on any beach where it is "known to occur". Sexual activity in public placesis illegal, however, and Papamoa Beach has been the site of a continuing series of complaints about lewd behaviour. Some complainants take care to distinguish between these activities and non-sexual naturism; others do not. In 2012, Papamoa Beach was the location for a skinny dipping world record attempt. On 2 December 2012, 299 people got naked in the water as the nearby Baywatch campsite in Gisborne hosted the event. Despite a cold day, lots of people stripped naked attempting to beat Christchurch's Summer Beach Dip. The record failed as Guinness World Records required all swimmers to be in the water at the same time for a group photo.
Name issues
The suburban area of "Papamoa" as it is commonly referred to today is actually situated at "Papamoa Beach." Strictly geographically speaking, "Papamoa" is actually located closer inland towards the Papamoa Hills, in an area covered by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council. Papamoa can be split into two areas: Papamoa East and Papamoa West. Legally speaking Domain Road separates Papamoa West from Papamoa East, although to many locals Papamoa East starts on the Eastern side of Parton Road. Papamoa East in the 1970s and 1980s used to be seen as more of an alternative place to live, a bit like the Coromandel Peninsula.
Commercial activity
Papamoa Beach has a large shopping area located to the west of Domain Road, containing the Papamoa Plazashopping centre and a number of other retailers, including the Fashion Island Shopping Area. There is a small section of industrial activity located to the east of Parton Road. The construction of the Tauranga Eastern Link, which was completed in 2016, provided many jobs in the area.
Education
is a co-educational state secondary school for Year 7 to 13 students, established in 2011, with a roll of. Papamoa has three co-educational state primary schools for Year 1 to 6 students: Papamoa Primary School, with a roll of ; Golden Sands School, established in 2011, with a roll of ; and Te Okuroa Drive School, opening in 2021. Tahatai Coast School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students established in 1996, with a roll of. Te Akau ki Papamoa Primary School is a co-educational state primary school established in 2000, with a roll of. The school originally took Year 1 to 8, but removed Year 7 and 8 when Papamoa College opened. Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Kura Kokiri is a co-educational Māori language immersion state primary school, with a roll of.
Transport
Public transport in Papamoa Beach solely consists of bus services. The suburb is served by three 'Bay Hopper' routes; Route 30, Route 33, and Route 36.
