The Oruawharo River is a river on the
North Auckland Peninsula
The Northland Peninsula, called the North Auckland Peninsula in earlier times, is in the far north of the North Island of New Zealand. It is joined to the rest of the island by the Auckland isthmus, a narrow piece of land between the Waitematā ...
of
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
. It flows westward into the
Kaipara Harbour
Kaipara Harbour is a large enclosed harbour estuary complex on the north western side of the North Island of New Zealand. The northern part of the harbour is administered by the Kaipara District and the southern part is administered by the Auckla ...
west of
Wellsford
Wellsford (Māori: ''Whakapirau'') is a town on the Northland Peninsula in the northern North Island of New Zealand. It is the northernmost major settlement in the Auckland Region, and is 77 kilometres northwest of the Auckland CBD.
Wellsford i ...
. It forms part of the boundary between the
Northland region
The Northland Region ( mi, Te Tai Tokerau) is the northernmost of New Zealand's 16 local government regions. New Zealanders sometimes refer to it as the Winterless North because of its mild climate all throughout the year. The main population ...
and the
Auckland Region.
The New Zealand
Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives translations of "place of
stretched-out pit" or "place of Ruawharo
personal name for ''Ōruawharo''.
History
In pre-European times, the Oruawharo River was important to the
Tāmaki Māori
Tāmaki Māori are Māori '' iwi'' and ''hapū'' (tribes and sub-tribes) who have a strong connection to Tāmaki Makaurau (the Auckland Region), and whose rohe was traditionally within the region. Among Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau (the M ...
people of the
Kaipara Harbour
Kaipara Harbour is a large enclosed harbour estuary complex on the north western side of the North Island of New Zealand. The northern part of the harbour is administered by the Kaipara District and the southern part is administered by the Auckla ...
. The Opou portage allowed
waka
Waka may refer to:
Culture and language
* Waka (canoe), a Polynesian word for canoe; especially, canoes of the Māori of New Zealand
** Waka ama, a Polynesian outrigger canoe
** Waka hourua, a Polynesian ocean-going canoe
** Waka taua, a Māori w ...
to be transported across the Okahukura Peninsula between the Oruawharo and
Tauhoa
Tauhoa is a rural community in the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island.
State Highway 16 runs through the area, connecting to Wellsford 15 km to the north-east and Glorit 12 km to the south. Te Pahi Stream flows through ...
rivers.
See also
*
List of rivers of New Zealand
This is a list of all waterways named as rivers in New Zealand.
A
* Aan River
* Acheron River (Canterbury)
* Acheron River (Marlborough)
* Ada River
* Adams River
* Ahaura River
* Ahuriri River
* Ahuroa River
* Akatarawa River
* Ākitio R ...
References
*
External links
Photographs of Oruawharo Riverheld in
Auckland Libraries' heritage collections.
Rivers of the Auckland Region
Rivers of the Northland Region
Rivers of New Zealand
Kaipara Harbour catchment
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