Country New Zealand District Rodney District Local time Wednesday 6:44 PM | Region Auckland Region Population 390 (2006) | |
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Weather 21°C, Wind S at 13 km/h, 58% Humidity Points of interest Goat Island, Glass Bottom Boat Ltd, Cape Rodney‑Okakari Point Mar, Goat Island Marine Discovery | ||
Leigh is a small coastal community in the north of the Auckland Region of New Zealand. It lies on the west side of Omaha Cove, a small inlet within Omaha Bay to the south of Cape Rodney. It is 13 km from Matakana, 21 km from Warkworth and approximately 92 km north of Auckland City. It is most noted for being the nearest town to Cape Rodney-Okakari Point Marine Reserve surrounding Goat Island. The reserve, the first of its type in New Zealand, is also the location for the University of Auckland's Marine Laboratory.
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Map of Leigh, New Zealand
The population was 390 in the 2006 Census, a decrease of 33 from 2001.
Recreation
The Leigh district provides several venues for rugby, golf, touch rugby, soccer and other sports. The Rodney district's rugby team, the "Rodney Rams", is based at Whangateau with clubrooms at Whangateau Reserve. The reserve is also used for local touch rugby tournaments.
There are a number of beaches close to Leigh including Goat Island, Mathesons Bay, Whangateau, Pakiri and Omaha. There are also numerous fishing spots and seafood hunting areas. Goat Island Marine Reserve provides several organised features including scenic marine observations, glass-bottom boat trips and scuba-diving; fishing is strictly prohibited.
"Daniel's Reef" is the most well known surfing spot in the Leigh area.
Newspapers
The Leigh community newspaper is the Leigh Rag. The Mahurangi Matters and Rodney Times newspapers are also delivered in the area.
Education
Leigh School is the local primary school. It is a coeducational contributing primary (years 1-6) school with a decile rating of 5 and a roll of 62. The adjacent Leigh Community Preschool accepts children from age 6 months to 5 years. The two schools work together to provide a seamless, minimally stressful transition for children entering school. A number of children living in Leigh attend the much larger Matakana Primary, 10 km distant. Homeschooling is also popular in the Leigh area.
High school students are served by Mahurangi College in Warkworth and Rodney College in Wellsford. There are no intermediate schools in the Greater Warkworth District, therefore The Ministry of Education has referred intermediate students to the nearby colleges.
Festivals and events
The Leigh Carnival is a fundraiser for the school and is held every Easter Sunday on the Leigh School field. The Leigh Volunteer Fire Brigade hosts an annual fishing competition.
Industry
Leigh is primarily a fishing village. It exports fresh fish both nationally and internationally.