Royal Oak, New Zealand facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Royal Oak
|
|
|---|---|
|
Suburb
|
|
Pharmacy at today's Royal Oak Roundabout in 1910
|
|
 Royal Oak
Location in New Zealand
|
|
| Country | New Zealand |
| Local authority | Auckland |
| Electoral ward |
|
| Local board |
|
| Area | |
| • Land | 145 ha (358 acre) |
| Population
(June 2023)
|
|
| • Total | 5,830 |
  Royal Oak, New Zealand  |
||
Royal Oak is a small suburb in New Zealand's largest city of Auckland. It is located between the suburbs of Epsom (to the north) and Onehunga (to the south).
Royal Oak is managed by the Auckland Council, which is the local government for the area.
The Story of Royal Oak
Royal Oak gets its name from an old hotel called the Royal Oak Hotel. This hotel used to be right on the Royal Oak Roundabout. The name "Royal Oak" itself comes from a famous tree. This was a tree that King Charles II hid in to escape capture during a battle long ago.
In the middle of the Royal Oak Roundabout, there used to be a special monument. It was called the Seddon Memorial. This memorial was designed by John Park, a local architect who was also the mayor of Onehunga twice. The structure was built to remember Prime Minister Seddon. He passed away suddenly in 1906 while still in office. Richard John Seddon (1845–1906) was very popular. There are several monuments to him across New Zealand.
The Royal Oak Monument looked like a Gothic Market Cross. It was also a tram shelter, a gas lamp, and a drinking fountain all in one.
By the mid-1900s, people decided the memorial was getting in the way of traffic. So, it was removed in September and October 1947. The Royal Oak roundabout used to connect six roads. However, one of these roads has been closed off in recent years.
Royal Oak was also home to New Zealand's very first Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant. It opened in 1971. You can still find it on the Manukau Road side of the Royal Oak Roundabout today.
The Royal Oak Mall was made much bigger in the 1980s. It became a very important shopping area for the community.
Boyd Zoo: A Wild Past
Royal Oak was once home to the Boyd Zoo. This was one of the earliest zoos in New Zealand. It was opened in 1912 by a local businessman named John James Boyd. He later became the mayor of Onehunga.
The zoo had many animals, from 600 to 2000 different ones. These included lions, bears, wolves, flamingos, and other exotic animals. Sadly, many of the animals were kept in poor conditions. There was even a place on site where stray animals like horses and cats were killed to feed the zoo animals.
There's a well-known story about a lion escaping from the zoo. People often say it wandered around the streets of Onehunga. However, this story isn't quite right. The first time this story appeared was in a newspaper in 1966. The real event was likely a lion cub that got into a field of cows with calves around Christmas 1917. The small cub was pushed into a corner by the cows. It was then caught with a rope and returned to its enclosure. So, it wasn't a wild lion roaming free.
Even though the zoo was popular with visitors, the noise and smell bothered the local people. Mr. Boyd often argued with the local council about how he ran the zoo. Eventually, after trying to sell his animals to the council many times, they finally agreed. In 1922, 11 lions, 6 bears, and 2 wolves were sold to the council for £800. These animals were then moved to the new Auckland Zoo at Western Springs.
The land where Boyd Zoo once stood was later used for other purposes. In 1942, it became a temporary hospital for American Marines. After that, it was turned into Manukau Intermediate School. This school is now known as Royal Oak Intermediate School.
Who Lives in Royal Oak?
Royal Oak covers an area of about 1.45 square kilometers. As of 2023, it has an estimated population of about 5,334 people. This means there are about 3,679 people living in each square kilometer.
At the 2018 New Zealand census, Royal Oak had 5,334 residents. This was an increase of 417 people since the 2013 census. There were 1,881 homes in the area. The population included 2,511 males and 2,823 females. About 14.6% of the people were under 15 years old.
People in Royal Oak come from many different backgrounds:
- 48.8% were European/Pākehā
- 5.6% were Māori
- 8.4% were Pacific peoples
- 42.6% were Asian
- 2.6% were other ethnicities
About 48.4% of the people living in Royal Oak were born overseas. This is higher than the national average of 27.1%.
When it comes to religion, many people in Royal Oak have different beliefs:
- 38.2% said they had no religion
- 41.1% were Christian
- 7.1% were Hindu
- 2.9% were Muslim
- 2.7% were Buddhist
- 2.6% had other religions
About 38.8% of adults (15 years or older) had a university degree or higher qualification. About 50.6% of adults worked full-time.
Schools in Royal Oak
Royal Oak has several schools for students of different ages.
- Royal Oak Intermediate is for students in years 7 and 8. It has about 500 students.
- Royal Oak Primary School is for younger students, from years 1 to 6. It has about 300 students.
- Marcellin College is a Catholic secondary school. It is for older students and has about 600 students.
All these schools welcome both boys and girls. The number of students in these schools is from March 2024.
There are also other secondary schools nearby that students from Royal Oak can attend. These include Epsom Girls' Grammar School, Auckland Grammar School, One Tree Hill College, St Peter's College, and Onehunga High School.
