Mangemangeroa Creek is a tidal estuary and stream in the

Auckland Region Auckland () is one of the sixteen regions of New Zealand, which takes its name from the eponymous urban area. The region encompasses the Auckland Metropolitan Area, smaller towns, rural areas, and the islands of the Hauraki Gulf. Containing ...

of New Zealand's

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

. The creek forms a border between metropolitan

East Auckland East Auckland is an area of Auckland, New Zealand, characterised in the popular mind as a socio-economically mixed urban area with a relatively large multi-cultural population. The name "East Auckland" is not an official placename, but is in popul ...

and the rural countryside around Whitford.

Etymology

The name of the creek in

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

means "The Long Valley of the Mangemange Vine", referring to ''

Lygodium articulatum ''Lygodium articulatum'', commonly referred to as mangemange or Bushman's mattress, is a fern endemic to the North Island forests of New Zealand. Mangemange is an Endemism, endemic species and is unique compared to other ferns in the area due to ...

'' (mangemange). The plant was traditionally used by Ngāi Tai to construct fishing nets, ropes, and as a part of burial practices, and is now rare in the area. The name of the creek had various spellings in English in the 19th Century, including Mungaroa and Maungamaungaroa. The name Mangemangeroa was made official in 1991, after consultation with the Ngāi Tai Trust Board.

Geography

The Mangemangeroa Creek is a drowned valley system. The creek begins to the east of

Mission Heights Mission Heights is an eastern suburb of Auckland, New Zealand, comprising Mission Heights North and Mission Heights South. It is located in the wider suburb of Flat Bush. Demographics Mission Heights covers and had an estimated population ...

, and flows northwards. As the creek reaches the Waitematā Harbour, it becomes a tidal estuary. Much of the surrounding land is farmland. Closer to the creek are areas forested with native trees, including

tōtara ''Podocarpus totara'' (; from the Maori-language ; the spelling "totara" is also common in English) is a species of podocarp tree endemic to New Zealand. It grows throughout the North Island and northeastern South Island in lowland, montane and ...

nīkau ''Rhopalostylis sapida'', commonly known as nīkau ( mi, nīkau), is a palm tree endemic to New Zealand, and the only palm native to mainland New Zealand. Etymology is a Māori word; in the closely related Eastern Polynesian languages of the ...

, karaka and

pūriri ''Vitex lucens'', or pūriri, is an evergreen tree endemic to New Zealand. History Pūriri was first collected (by Europeans) at Tolaga Bay by Banks and Solander during Cook's first visit in 1769. The plant was excellently described by Solan ...

. The creek forms the border between the

Howick Howick may refer to: Places *Howick, KwaZulu-Natal, in South Africa **Howick Falls * Howick, Lancashire, a small hamlet (Howick Cross) and former civil parish in England *Howick, New Zealand **Howick Historical Village **Howick (New Zealand electo ...

and

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...

local board areas.

History

Mangemangeroa was one of the locations visited by the '' Tainui'' migratory waka, as the crew explored the eastern bays of the

. The area was settled by Ngāi Tai, a people who descended from Tainui, who settled there for the area's seafood resources, including Spiny dogfish (pioke) found in the estuary. Numerous Ngāi Tai and

Ngāti Pāoa Ngāti Pāoa is a Māori people, Māori ''iwi'' (tribe) that has extensive links to the Hauraki and Waikato tribes of New Zealand. Its traditional lands stretch from the western side of the Hauraki Plains to Auckland. They also settled on Hauraki ...

pā The word pā (; often spelled pa in English) can refer to any Māori village or defensive settlement, but often refers to hillforts – fortified settlements with palisades and defensive terraces – and also to fortified villages. Pā sites o ...

sites, middens and other archaeological sites have been found in the area, most notably Te Mangemangeroa Pā, constructed at the highest point in the valley, to the south of the tidal estuary. Near Broomfields Road is a traditional of stepping stones across the creek. Fish traps were constructed by Ngāi Tai in the creek, and some of these were still visible as late as the 1980s. Early European farmers in the area included the McAuley and Somerville families. The last Ngāi Tai inhabitants left the area in the 1870s. The first wooden bridge across the creek was constructed in the 1860s. Wharfs beside the bridge were used as docking points for ferries, transporting goods and passengers. A new concrete bridge was constructed in April 1935. During World War II, home guard soldiers dug trenches along the creek. In August 1994, the

Manukau City Council Manukau City was a territorial authority district in Auckland, New Zealand, that was governed by the Manukau City Council. The area is sometimes referred to as "South Auckland", although this term never possessed official recognition and does ...

purchased land that bordered the creek, at the request of Forest & Bird. This became the Mangemangeroa Reserve, which officially opened on 25 November 2000.

Amenities

A walking track exists on the northern/western banks of the creek, between

Shelly Park Shelly Park is a South eastern suburb of Auckland, in northern New Zealand. The suburb is in the Howick ward, one of thirteen electoral divisions of the Auckland Council. It is named after the beach of the same name. Shelly Park Cruising Club ( ...

and the Mangemangeroa Reserve.

References

Bibliography

* * *

External links

Friends of Mangemangeroa website
{{Subject bar, auto=y, d=y Bays of the Auckland Region Howick Local Board Area Franklin Local Board Area Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki Estuaries of New Zealand East Auckland Wetlands of the Auckland Region