The Opanuku Stream, formerly known as the Henderson Stream, is a stream of 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 ...

. It flows east from its source the Waitākere Ranges through the

Henderson Valley Henderson Valley is a locality in West Auckland, New Zealand. The major road in the locality is Henderson Valley Road, and Scenic Drive is on the western boundary. History The Henderson Valley is in the traditional rohe of Te Kawerau ā Maki ...

, then north-east through West Auckland before entering into the

Te Wai-o-Pareira / Henderson Creek The Te Wai-o-Pareira / Henderson Creek is an estuarine river of the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It flows north from its sources in the Henderson Valley and Titirangi, before reaching the western Waitematā Harbour. Geography ...

, which flows into the western the Waitematā Harbour. The stream passes through the rural locality of

and the West Auckland suburbs of Western Heights and

Henderson Henderson may refer to: People *Henderson (surname), description of the surname, and a list of people with the surname *Clan Henderson, a Scottish clan Places Argentina *Henderson, Buenos Aires Australia *Henderson, Western Australia Canada *He ...

. Since the mid-2000s has been forested with native flora.

Geography

The stream begins in the Waitākere Ranges, flowing east through the rural locality of

. In suburban Auckland, the river changes course, flowing north-east through Western Heights and

. At Te Kōpua (modern-day Falls Park / Tui Glen Reserve), the stream meets

, an estuarine arm of the Waitematā Harbour. The stream has five major tributaries in the Henderson Valley: the Pukearuhe Stream, Anamata Stream, Driving Stream, Parekura Stream and Stoney Creek. The land adjacent to the stream form an alluvial flood zone, which was historically forested by

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 ...

, tītoki and west coast kōwhai.

History

The stream is in the traditional rohe of Te Kawerau ā Maki, and was traditionally known as Te Wai-ō-Panuku ("The Stream of Panuku") or Ōpanuku. Ōpanuku was also a name used for the

in general. The stream is named after one of the oldest Te Kawerau ā Maki ancestors, Panuku, who was the wife of Parekura, and died after being kidnapped by Nihotupu. The stream represents the life force of Panuku. Near Rua ō Te Whenua, the hill in the Waitākere Ranges where the stream begins, was one of the traditional burial areas of Te Kawerau ā Maki. The mid-section of the river is the location of Ōpareira, a former

kāinga A kāinga ( Southern Māori ''kaika'' or ''kaik'') is the traditional form of village habitation of pre-European Māori in New Zealand. It was unfortified or only lightly fortified, and over time became less important to the well-defended pā. D ...

(unfortified settlement), while the Border Road Esplanade area in the lower stream was known as Waitaro, referring to the taro plants which grew there. The point where the Opanuku Stream meets

(modern-day Falls Park / Tui Glen Reserve) was known as Te Kōpua, and was the location of a strategic

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 ...

for Te Kawerau ā Maki. The stream was one of the first streams in West Auckland to be dammed for kauri logging in the 1850s. The river was used to transport logs from the Waitākere Ranges to the Henderson Mill. The northern banks of the Opanuku Stream at Henderson became a vineyard for Lebanese New Zealander

Assid Abraham Corban Assid Abraham Corban (25 August 1864 – 2 December 1941) was a New Zealand pedlar, importer, viticulturist and wine-maker. He was born in Shweir, Lebanon on 25 August 1864. He founded Corbans, now one of New Zealand's oldest and largest win ...

in 1907. In the late 1920s, a flood washed out the bridges that crossed the Opanuku Stream. Between the mid-2000s and the 2020s, large-scale riparian planting was undertaken along the Opanuku Stream as a part of

Project Twin Streams Project Twin Streams is an umbrella name for a number of initiatives centred on two streams ( Opanuku and Oratia) in the West Auckland, New Zealand. It consists of a number of environmental and community initiatives and infrastructure. This inc ...

References

Henderson-Massey Local Board Area Rivers of the Auckland Region Te Kawerau ā Maki Waitākere Ranges Local Board Area Waitematā Harbour catchment West Auckland, New Zealand {{Auckland-river-stub

Geography

History

See also

References