Papakura is a southern suburb of Auckland, in northern New Zealand. It is located on the shores of the Pahurehure Inlet, approximately 32 kilometres south of the Auckland CBD. It is under the authority of the Auckland Council. Papakura is a Māori word believed to have originated from papa, meaning earth or flat (abbreviation of Papatūānuku) and kura meaning red, reflecting the rich, fertile soil upon which the community was founded. History A village was established at Papakura in the late 1840s by a small group of settler families who sought to farm in the area. Among these early settlers was George Cole, a Welsh immigrant whose legacy in the town has been preserved through Coles Crescent, one of the major thoroughfares in the town centre. The tract of land that was initially purchased was subdivided in 1853, with the street layout that was built initially remaining largely in place today. In 1862, construction of the Great South Road, from Auckland to the Waikato, commenced. The road passed through Papakura and was constructed during the New Zealand Wars to transport supplies to the colonial militias and British Army forces fighting in the Invasion of the Waikato. It was guarded by armed constabulary and was a designated military road. It remains the primary north-south thoroughfare through Papakura and part of the road forms the main street of the Papakura town centre. In 1875, Papakura railway station opened, linking the town to Auckland to the north and Hamilton to the south. In 1882, the Papakura Town District was established, for many years the only such district within what is now the southern portion of the Auckland urban area. In spite of this, the town was not particularly developed, and by 1914 had a population of just 700. In the latter 19th century, Papakura was an important location for the kauri gum trade. Papakura township was adjacent to the large Ardmore Gumfield (also known as the Papakura Gumfield), which stretched from Manurewa to Clevedon. By the 1900s, the gumfields started being converted into farmland and orchards. In 1911, the first controlled powered flight in New Zealand took place in Papakura. The flight took place inside a single paddock within the racecourse of the now-defunct Papakura Racing Club. The flight was piloted by Vivian Walsh and was carried out in a Howard Wright 1910 Biplane, the parts for which were imported from England in