Last updated October 2026
Kaitoke is a rural locality in the Whanganui District, in farming and coastal dune country south of the city. It lies on the State Highway 3 side of Whanganui, with local roads such as Kaitoke Road and Concord Line running through the area.
The locality is known for Kaitoke School and for Lake Wiritoa, a coastal dune lake a short drive from the city centre. This is not the Kaitoke at the head of the Hutt Valley, and it is not the hot springs track on Aotea / Great Barrier Island. Daily life here is rural: paddocks, scattered houses, a long-established school, and a lake used for swimming and boating.
Official Locality Facts
- Population (2023 Census)
- About 650, up 21% since 2018
- Land area
- 36.74 km²
- Location
- 6.6 km south-east of central Whanganui
- Council
- Whanganui District Council
- Ward or local board
- Whanganui General Ward (and the Whanganui Māori Ward for voters on the Māori roll). Rural advocacy also runs through the Kaitoke subdivision of the Whanganui Rural Community Board, which elects two members.
- Getting there
- By car on State Highway 3 south from central Whanganui, then local roads. Lake Wiritoa, on Kaitoke Road, is a 10-minute drive from the centre. Kaitoke School is on Concord Line, about 5 kilometres from the city edge. The council does not list a bus, train or ferry service for the locality.
- Schools
- Kaitoke School, a state co-educational full primary (Years 1 to 8) on Concord Line. The Education Review Office lists it as Kaitoke School (Wanganui).
- Nearby landmarks
- Lake Wiritoa; Kaitoke School; the former Kaitoke Hall site on State Highway 3 between Whanganui and Turakina (the hall has been demolished).
Who Lives in Kaitoke
About 650 residents in 110 households. From the 2023 Census, with the New Zealand figure alongside for comparison.
In Kaitoke
Places and businesses inside the official Kaitoke boundary.
Places
About Kaitoke
Kaitoke is open farmland and dune country, not a township with a main street. Houses and farms are spread along local roads south of Whanganui, and most daily services are back in the city. The council gives the address of Lake Wiritoa as Kaitoke Road, Kaitoke 4572, which is the postal locality used for this area.
Māori occupation is recorded in the Whanganui District Plan heritage schedule. That schedule lists a kāinga recorded as Kaitoke, along with midden and other archaeological sites in the wider southern district.
A translation of the name for this particular locality, and a single iwi affiliation, are not set out in the council sources checked for this guide, so those details are left out here.
European settlement left a working landscape. The same schedule records the Milburn mill, established at Kaitoke in 1862. It began as a flour mill driven by a water wheel, fed by a water race from a large dam, and later operated as a flax mill.
Schooling followed almost at once. Kaitoke School says it began in 1863 as a small whare with a dirt floor, and that it has stood on four sites, including the front room of a local farmhouse. The school marked 150 years in 2013.
The locality is still a school community more than a village centre. The school describes a quiet rural setting, with a pool on site, and says it belongs to the Whanganui East Rural Schools Cluster.
The old spelling Wanganui still appears in the Education Review Office name for the school, and in the name of the Wanganui Water Ski Club, which holds the licence to use Lake Wiritoa.
Getting Around
State Highway 3 is the main route in, running south from Whanganui toward Turakina and Bulls. From the highway, Kaitoke Road leads to Lake Wiritoa, and Concord Line leads to the school.
A private vehicle is the practical way to get around. These are working rural roads, so watch for farm traffic, and take care where local roads meet the highway.
Getting Outdoors
The standout public place in Kaitoke is Lake Wiritoa, a coastal dune lake set among 5 hectares of park-like grounds. Whanganui District Council maintains the small grass areas.
Fish and Game New Zealand is responsible for the lake, and the Wanganui Water Ski Club holds the licence to use it. The council describes the lake as a place for swimming, jet-skiing, boating, canoeing and picnics.
The council has no jurisdiction over rules on the water and points users to Maritime New Zealand guidelines. The speed limit to remember is 5 knots within 200 metres of the shore, within 200 metres of a boat showing a diver’s flag, within 50 metres of another boat, within 50 metres of a swimmer, and whenever anyone has part of their body outside the rails of a power boat.
Check the Land Air Water Aotearoa page for Lake Wiritoa, and the Horizons Regional Council safe swim spots map, before swimming. This page is a guide to the locality, not a swimming or boating manual.
History and Heritage
Beside the mill and the kāinga record, the district plan schedule notes pits, midden, ditch-and-bank fences and a Second World War concrete pillbox in the wider southern district. These are archaeological sites, not visitor attractions, and many are on private land. Do not disturb them.
A more recent loss is the Kaitoke Hall. The Whanganui Chronicle reported that the New Zealand Transport Agency demolished the hall, which stood on State Highway 3 between Turakina and Whanganui, after safety concerns that included a car crashing into the building in 2018. Do not look for a community hall at that roadside site.
Near Kaitoke
Just outside Kaitoke, within 10 km of its centre, nearest first.
Places
Businesses
Where to Learn More
Whanganui District Council: Lake Wiritoa: Council page for the dune lake on Kaitoke Road, including access, management and boating rules.
Whanganui Rural Community Board: How the rural board, including the Kaitoke subdivision, represents rural communities in the district.
Kaitoke School: history: The school’s own account of its start in 1863 and its later sites.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Kaitoke in relation to Whanganui?
Kaitoke is a rural locality in the Whanganui District, south of the city on the State Highway 3 side. Lake Wiritoa, on Kaitoke Road, is a 10-minute drive from central Whanganui. Kaitoke School, on Concord Line, is about 5 kilometres from the edge of the city.
Is this the same Kaitoke as the one near Upper Hutt?
No. Kaitoke near Upper Hutt is a different locality, at the northern end of the Hutt Valley. The name is also used for Kaitoke Hot Springs on Aotea / Great Barrier Island. This page is about the Whanganui District locality.
How do I get to Kaitoke?
Drive south from central Whanganui on State Highway 3, then take local roads such as Kaitoke Road or Concord Line. The council does not list a public bus, train or ferry service for the locality.
Is there a school in Kaitoke?
Yes. Kaitoke School is a state co-educational full primary for Years 1 to 8 on Concord Line. The school says it began in 1863 and has occupied four sites.
What is there to do outdoors?
Lake Wiritoa is the main public spot: a coastal dune lake used for swimming, boating, canoeing, jet-skiing and picnics. Check water-quality advice on Land Air Water Aotearoa and the Horizons safe swim map before you swim, and follow the speed rules on the water.
Is the Kaitoke Hall still there?
No. The Whanganui Chronicle reported that the New Zealand Transport Agency demolished the hall on State Highway 3 between Turakina and Whanganui after safety concerns, including a crash into the building in 2018.
Who represents Kaitoke?
District councillors are elected from the Whanganui General Ward and the Whanganui Māori Ward. Rural advocacy also runs through the Kaitoke subdivision of the Whanganui Rural Community Board, which elects two members. That subdivision is a wider rural electoral area, not only this locality.
Is there local shopping?
No shopping centre in the locality is listed by the council. Shops, health services and secondary schools are in Whanganui. This guide does not cover house prices.
Spotted something incorrect on this page? Let us know.
Explore Whanganui only lists suburbs officially recognised by Land Information New Zealand (LINZ), and Kaitoke is one of them. Suburb boundary: LINZ, CC BY 4.0.