Last updated October 2026
Kiripaka is a small rural settlement in the Whangārei District, on Ngunguru Road where the route from Whangārei follows the Ngunguru River toward the coast.
The name is a te reo Māori word for flint, quartz and asbestos. The valley was once a coalfield, with steam coal taken out by the river, and that history still shapes how the place is remembered.
Today it is a quiet stretch of houses, lifestyle blocks and farmland rather than a village with its own shop strip, and the Kiripaka War Memorial Bridge is its clearest landmark. It is not a beach settlement: the sand and the harbour at Ngunguru lie further along the same road.
Practical Information
- Getting there
- By car on Ngunguru Road, the sealed route northeast from Whangārei through Tikipunga and Glenbervie, continuing on to Ngunguru. No passenger rail serves the settlement.
- Nearby landmarks
- Kiripaka War Memorial Bridge on Ngunguru Road; the Ngunguru River, which the bridge crosses; a small memorial park at the eastern end of the bridge
About Kiripaka
Kiripaka sits in a river valley on the inland side of the Tutukaka Coast road. Addresses in the settlement are on Ngunguru Road, and the postcode used for the locality is 0173. It reads as open country: scattered houses, paddocks and bush edges, with the river as the main natural feature. There is no verified town centre, shopping strip or school inside the settlement itself.
The place name is ordinary te reo, not a modern coinage. Te Aka Māori Dictionary gives kiripaka as flint or quartz, and also as asbestos. That fits a district later known for stone and coal in the ground, though the name itself is older than the European mines.
European settlement here grew around coal. A mine opened at Kiripaka in 1893 and produced what contemporary reports called first-class steam coal. Coal from the Kiripaka field was exported via the Ngunguru River. A second mine opened across the river in 1899. One mine closed in late 1904 because it was no longer profitable.
The remaining mine closed in 1912 after miners took a day off in support of the Waihi miners’ strike, reopened at the end of 1914, and did not start producing coal again until August 1915.
After industrial disputes and flooding, it closed permanently in June 1921. Fire clay was extracted from 1923, and there was some further coal mining later in that decade.
The public memorial to the next generation of local service is the bridge. On 17 January 1948, A. J. Murdoch, then MP for Marsden, opened the concrete Kiripaka War Memorial Bridge across the Ngunguru River. Local subscriptions paid for it, and it was handed to Whangarei County Council at the ceremony.
A tablet set into a parapet column listed three men killed in the Second World War and 15 who served. In 1994 the parapet was removed for safety and the tablet was moved to a purpose-built plinth in a small park at the eastern end of the bridge.
For someone thinking of living here, Kiripaka is country on a commuter road, not a self-contained suburb. Daily shops, schools and most services are elsewhere along Ngunguru Road or back in Whangārei.
Local history is still actively kept: Whangārei District Council notes that Kiripaka history material, with cemetery records for the wider coast, can be viewed in the Northland Room at Whangārei Central Library.
History and Heritage
Kiripaka’s recorded European story is short and industrial, then quietly rural. The coal years left a township memory of houses, boarding houses, a store and a school, but those buildings are not a preserved streetscape you can walk today. What remains in public view is the river crossing and the war memorial.
The bridge is both a working road bridge and a memorial. The tablet is no longer in the parapet. It stands in the small park beside the eastern end, which is the place to stop if you want to read the roll. The inscription is a local Second World War roll of honour, not a First World War memorial.
Council holds further Kiripaka history in the Northland Room at Whangārei Central Library. Those items are for use in the library and are not available for loan. That is the best starting point if you are researching a family connection to the mines or the memorial names.
Getting Around
Ngunguru Road is the only practical way in and out. From Whangārei it runs through Tikipunga, then Glenbervie, before it reaches Kiripaka and continues to Ngunguru. The settlement is a pause on that road, not a turn-off with its own street grid.
Do not confuse the settlement with Kiripaka Road. Kiripaka Road is a suburban road in Tikipunga, closer to the city, and council projects there (including work near Boundary Road and Otuihau, Whangārei Falls) are about Tikipunga, not this locality. If a map pin lands on Kiripaka Road in Tikipunga, you are in the wrong place.
There is no verified passenger rail, and this guide has not confirmed a public bus stop in the settlement. Plan to drive. The road is also the way to the coast, so weekend traffic toward Ngunguru can be heavier than the quiet valley suggests.
Getting Outdoors
The outdoors here is the river valley and the drive, not a managed reserve with a track network. The landmark stop is the memorial park beside the bridge.
The Ngunguru River is a rural waterway at this point, not a council swimming beach, and this guide does not recommend entering it. Check LAWA before you treat any reach as swimmable, and keep clear of the bridge approaches, which are a live road.
For a beach, harbour edge or coastal walk, continue along Ngunguru Road to Ngunguru and the Tutukaka Coast. Those places are separate from Kiripaka and have their own access, tides and facilities.
Where to Learn More
NZHistory: Kiripaka War Memorial Bridge: official account of the 1948 opening, the roll of honour, and the move of the tablet to the park beside the bridge.
Te Aka Māori Dictionary: kiripaka: the dictionary meanings of the name, including flint, quartz and asbestos.
Wikipedia: Kiripaka: a short cited summary of the locality and the Kiripaka coal mines, useful alongside the library’s Northland Room holdings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Kiripaka?
Kiripaka is a rural settlement in the Whangārei District, on Ngunguru Road on the way from Whangārei to Ngunguru.
What does the name Kiripaka mean?
In te reo Māori, kiripaka means flint or quartz, and it is also a word for asbestos.
Is Kiripaka on the coast?
No. It sits inland beside the Ngunguru River. The beach and harbour at Ngunguru are further along Ngunguru Road.
How do I get there from Whangārei?
Drive out on Ngunguru Road through Tikipunga and Glenbervie. The settlement is on that road before you reach Ngunguru. Go by car; passenger rail does not serve it.
Is Kiripaka the same place as Kiripaka Road?
No. Kiripaka Road is in Tikipunga, closer to the city. The settlement of Kiripaka is further out, on Ngunguru Road.
What is the Kiripaka War Memorial Bridge?
It is the concrete bridge over the Ngunguru River on Ngunguru Road. It opened on 17 January 1948 as a Second World War memorial, paid for by local subscriptions and handed to Whangarei County Council. The tablet, listing three men killed and 15 who served, now stands on a plinth in a small park at the eastern end of the bridge. It was moved there in 1994 after the parapet was removed for safety.
Was there a coal mine at Kiripaka?
Yes. A mine opened in 1893 and produced steam coal that was exported via the Ngunguru River. A second mine opened across the river in 1899. Closures, a dispute linked to the Waihi strike, flooding and further industrial trouble followed, and the mine closed permanently in June 1921. Fire clay was taken from 1923, with some further coal mining later in that decade.
Are there shops or a school in Kiripaka?
There is no verified shopping centre or school in the settlement. Shops and schools are further along Ngunguru Road or back in Whangārei. Check the Ministry of Education for the current zone before you rely on a particular school.
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