Franklin District

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the former District in the Northwest Territories, see District of Franklin. For the rail line in the United States, see Franklin District (Norfolk Southern).

Franklin

District	Name	Franklin
	Population	58,932 (2006 census)
	Extent	Papakura to Meremere; Port Waikato to Miranda, Firth of Thames

A true-colour image showing the Auckland area. Franklin is at the lower left of the picture. The scene was acquired by NASA's Terra satellite, on October 23, 2002.

The Franklin District is a municipality to the south of Auckland in the North Island of New Zealand.

[edit] Location

The district is divided between the administrative regions of Auckland, to the north, and Waikato to the south. It is administered from the town of Pukekohe. The district is mainly rural, with local settlements such as Waiuku and Tuakau supporting the farming industry. One industry of note is the New Zealand Steel steel mill at Glenbrook, north of Waiuku.

[edit] Extent

The district is bounded in the north by the start of the Auckland metropolitan area and the waters of the Manukau Harbour. Awhitu Peninsula stretches up the Tasman coast to the mouth of this harbour. Here are located several holiday spots, such as Kariotahi Beach and Matakawau.

To the south, Franklin is bounded by the fertile lowlands of the Waikato Plains. In the east, the land rises to the Hunua Ranges, to the east of which is the coast of the Firth of Thames. In the west is the Tasman Sea. The Waikato River mouth is at Port Waikato in the south of the region. This is renowned as a good place for surfcasting.