Coastal suburb at the southern end of East Coast Bays. Lake Pupuke lies 200 m inland from the beach. It is the crater of a 150,000 year-old volcanic eruption, later filled with fresh spring water. In the 19th century small dairy farms were established, while the beach and Lake Pupuke became resorts. Takapuna gained city status after the opening of the Harbour Bridge, and is the commercial and administrative hub of the North Shore.
Meaning of place name
Taka: knoll, or assembly; puna: spring. There are several references to drinking springs where the men of the Tainui canoe quenched their thirst - this was one method of leaving a tohu (token to indicate possession fo the land). The name may have originated in Hawaiki.
