Tikipunga

Tikipunga is one of the biggest suburbs in Whangarei, New Zealand. It is in the north-east part of the town and has the landmark Whangarei Falls nearby.

The population was 5,931 in the 2013 Census, an decrease of 183 from 2006.

Whangarei Falls

At Whangarei Falls, the Hātea River drops 26 metres (85 ft) over a basalt lava flow. There are walkways around the falls and along the river. The falls were originally known as Otuihau, and have been a picnic spot since at least the 1890s. In the 1920s, the land was bought by Archibald Clapham (of Clapham's Clocks) to prevent commercial exploitation of the falls. The Whangarei Businessmen's Association raised funds in 1946 to buy the land on behalf of the citizens of the town.

Education

Tikipunga High School is a state coeducational Year 7-13 secondary school on Corks Road, with a roll of 321 students as of November 2015. The school opened in 1971, and its current principal is Alec Solomon.

Tikipunga Primary School is a contributing primary (years 1-6) school with a roll of 212.

North Force

North Force is a football club based in the Whangarei, New Zealand. They compete in the Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 1.

North Force was set up late in 2003 by Kamo & Tikipunga Football clubs so that a combined team could be entered in either the US1 Federation League or the Northern Federations Football League, and to create a pathway for players to compete at the highest possible levels.

Club history

In 2004 North Force entered a Men’s team in the NFSL 2nd Division, coach Paul Cross (National Academy License), Won the league and gained promotion into the 1st Division.

2005 – North Force fielded a Reserve Team. This was coached by Jerome Lutien (UEFA License) with Paul Cross (National Academy License) again coaching the 1st Team. Both teams finished mid table.

2006 – North Force entered a Women’s team in the US1 JVC League 1st Division, coached by Adam Hayne (National Academy License) and won the league and the Knock Out Cup and earned the right to apply for a position in the Women’s Northern League competition in 2007.