Parakai, New Zealand

Parakai is a township in the North Island of New Zealand. It is sited 43 kilometres (27 miles) northwest of Auckland, close to the southern extremity of the Kaipara Harbour. Helensville is about 3 km (2 miles) to the south-east, and Waioneke is 22 km (14 miles) to the north-west.The population of Parakai and its surrounds was 1,371 in the 2006 Census, an increase of 189 from 2001.Parakai is noted for its hot springs with geothermal mineral water occurring naturally. There is a complex of mineral pools and recreational activities.The main population of Parakai sits in the vicinity of Parkhurst Rd, the main road leading out to South Head. South Head incorporates a significant agricultural, dairy farming, sheep farming and deer farming community. Closer to the town centre is the Fordyce farming community which is mostly agricultural.The small Maori village situated at Haranui Marae is 6 km north of Parakai and is an integral part of the Parakai community.A major attraction of Parakai is West Auckland Airport, which has a 7xx runway, of which 760m is sealed. Hangarage, maintenance, fuel and other services are available to visiting or local aviators and Skydiving draws people from all over the greater Auckland area. A wide range of light aviation activity has been carried out from the airport since the 1960s, and it is available for General Aviation use.