Tāpapakanga Regional Park is a

regional park A regional park is an area of land preserved on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, recreational use or other reason, and under the administration of a form of local government. Definition A regional park can be a special park distri ...

situated 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 ...

. It is located in

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 ...

, east of

Kawakawa Bay Kawakawa Bay is an east coast bay and settlement in the Franklin area of New Zealand's Auckland Region. It is located on the western side and northern end of the Firth of Thames, the southern side of the Hauraki Gulf, and north of the Hunua Ran ...

, and is owned and operated by

Auckland Council Auckland Council ( mi, Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau) is the local government council for the Auckland Region in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority that has the responsibilities, duties and powers of a regional council and so is ...

Geography and biodiversity

The park is a mix of farmland, coastal bush and beach, overlooking the

Firth of Thames The Firth of Thames ( mi, Tikapa Moana-o-Hauraki) is a large bay located in the north of the North Island of New Zealand. It is the firth of the rivers Waihou and Piako, the former of which was formerly named the Thames River, and the town of ...

. The native bush remnants include taraire, tānekaha, tawa and

rewarewa ''Knightia excelsa'', commonly called rewarewa (from Māori), is an evergreen tree endemic to the low elevation and valley forests of New Zealand's North Island and Marlborough Sounds (41° S) and the type species for the genus ''Knightia''. ...

trees.

History

The land was an important place for the

Marutūāhu __NOTOC__ Marutūāhu, Marutūahu or Marutuahu is a collective of the Māori ''iwi'' (tribe) of the Hauraki region of New Zealand. The confederation is made up of the tribes of Ngāti Maru, Ngāti Paoa, Ngāti Tamaterā, Ngāti Whanaunga and Ng� ...

iwi of the

Hauraki Gulf The Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana is a coastal feature of the North Island of New Zealand. It has an area of 4000 km2,Ngāti Whanaunga Ngāti Whanaunga is a Māori ''iwi'' (tribe) of the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand, descended from Whanaunga, the third son of Marutūāhu. It is one of the tribes of the Marutūāhu confederation, the others being Ngāti Maru, Ngāti Ron ...

, and it was a traditional area for stonefield gardening. In 1899, settler James Ashby settled on the land, building a

kauri ''Agathis'', commonly known as kauri or dammara, is a genus of 22 species of evergreen tree. The genus is part of the ancient conifer family Araucariaceae, a group once widespread during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, but now largely res ...

homestead with his wife Rebecca in 1900. Ashby developed a lifelong friendship with Ngāti Whanaunga chief Tukumana Te Taniwha. Two pou are found in the regional park, one of which features a carving of James Ashby. The regional park opened in 1995.

Gallery

File:20221227 161457 Tāpapakanga Regional Park Ashby Homestead.jpg, Ashby Homestead File:20221227_164107_Tāpapakanga_Regional_Park_stonefields.jpg, The stonefields at Tāpapakanga File:20221227_163715_Tāpapakanga_Stream.jpg, The Tāpapakanga Stream

References

Franklin Local Board Area Regional parks of the Auckland Region Tourist attractions in the Auckland Region {{Auckland-geo-stub