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Bridge Pa | |
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| Coordinates: 39°38′59″S 176°45′22″E / 39.649738°S 176.756195°E | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Hawke's Bay |
| Territorial authority | Hastings District |
| Ward |
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| Electorates | |
| Government | |
| • Territorial Authority | Hastings District Council |
| • Regional council | Hawke's Bay Regional Council |
| Area | |
• Total | 8.05 km2 (3.11 sq mi) |
| Population (2018 Census)[2] | |
• Total | 618 |
| • Density | 77/km2 (200/sq mi) |
Bridge Pa (sometimes spelled "Bridge Pā") is a rural Māori settlement and surrounding area in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand, located approximately 10 kilometres inland from Hastings. The pā itself comprises a school, a meetinghouse of the LDS Church, two marae (Korongata Marae and a later addition in 1984 of the Mangaroa Marae), a cemetery, a disused quarry, and the 140-year-old historical Homestead of the Kamau family.
Bridge Pa is situated on flat land on the Heretaunga Plains with the major geographical feature of the township being the Karewarewa Stream. Located on the edge of an unconfined aquifer, the surrounding land is free-draining and is used for sheep grazing, horticulture and wine production.
The surrounding area includes Hastings Aerodrome, two golf clubs, a car club, and a Deer Stalkers hall. As well as the main settlement centred on the intersection of Maraekakaho Road and Raukawa Road, a satellite settlement is located on Ngatarawa Road (near the Valentine Road corner) and on State Highway 50 (near the corner with Maraekakaho Road in the shadow of Roy's Hill). A relatively large tract of the surrounding rural area (up to 5 km from the pā) is also classified as "Bridge Pa" by local authorities and the White Pages.
The main road through the town is limited to 50 km/h and traffic is slowed through a variety of traffic calming measures. There is no sewerage. There is metropolitan style water reticulation. Wastewater is treated via individual homeowner septic tanks.
The rural setting experiences between -3 °C frosts in winter (usually clearing to clear crisp days) to 40 °C heat in late summer. Bridge Pa is approximately 20 km from the coast, and with the central North Island mountain ranges of the Ruahines and Kawekas to intercept the prevailing westerly winds, the region enjoys a Mediterranean climate with around 2350 sunshine hours per annum and very low humidity.