Wenderholm Regional Park is a regional park north of

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

in 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 situated between the estuaries of the Puhoi River and the

Waiwera River Waiwera River may refer to: * Waiwera River (Auckland) * Waiwera River (Otago) {{disambiguation ...

, on the east coast of New Zealand's

and features a homestead known as ''Couldrey House'', and a carved

pouwhenua Pouwhenua or pou whenua (land post), are carved wooden posts used by Māori, the indigenous peoples of New Zealand to mark territorial boundaries or places of significance. They are generally artistically and elaborately carved and can be found t ...

. The park also features the 'Maungatauhoro Te Hikoi' walking track, starting at the carved

near the Couldrey House. The track features scenic views and birdlife. Wenderholm Regional Park was the first regional park established in the Auckland region, and is owned and managed 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 ...

. Part of the park is sectioned off for

ecological restoration Restoration ecology is the scientific study supporting the practice of ecological restoration, which is the practice of renewing and restoring degraded, damaged, or destroyed ecosystems and habitats in the environment by active human interrupt ...

Geography

A section of the park has been set aside since 1965 for an ecological experiment, stopping livestock from grazing and repopulating the forests. This allowed native species of birds which were no longer in the area to be re-introduced in 1999. One of the first species released into the area, Petroica australis longipes (North Island robins), has a generally high rate of survival and procreated a good number of young, unfortunately not high enough to compensate for the loss of the adult population. Whales such as

southern right whales The southern right whale (''Eubalaena australis'') is a baleen whale, one of three species classified as right whales belonging to the genus ''Eubalaena''. Southern right whales inhabit oceans south of the Equator, between the latitudes of 20° ...

may appear to rest and calve along the coasts.

Dolphins A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (t ...

may be visible from the shores as well. The native bush of the park is the

Pohutukawa ''Metrosideros excelsa'', commonly known as pōhutukawa ( mi, pōhutukawa), New Zealand Christmas tree, New Zealand Christmas bush, and iron tree, is a coastal evergreen tree in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, that produces a brilliant display o ...

, with the blaze of red in the summer, on the slopes facing north is the Kowhai bush which are covered with yellow blooms in the spring, and the low-laying sandspit.

History

For approximately 1,000 years Maori lived in the area now encompassed by the park because it featured several natural resources. It was generally known as ''Te Awa Puhoi'' or 'The slow flowing river'. Te Kawerau related tribes lives in the area, settling in locations such as Te Akeake, a

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. ...

at the mouth of the Puhoi Estuary and Kakaha Pā, a defensive outpost located at the highest point of the peninsula, Maungatauhoro / Wenderholm Hill. The Auckland politician and entrepreneur Sir Robert Graham protected many of the ancient trees in the area from felling to be used for timber for ships. He went on to build a homestead in the park (now known as the ''Couldrey House''), in the late 1860s. Many of the historic trees in the park were given as gifts to Robert Graham from

George Grey Sir George Grey, KCB (14 April 1812 – 19 September 1898) was a British soldier, explorer, colonial administrator and writer. He served in a succession of governing positions: Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Go ...

. The name Wenderholm was the name given to Graham's residence. Graham planted many exotic species of plant at his home, and preserved a 19th century grove of

pōhutukawa ''Metrosideros excelsa'', commonly known as pōhutukawa ( mi, pōhutukawa), New Zealand Christmas tree, New Zealand Christmas bush, and iron tree, is a coastal evergreen tree in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, that produces a brilliant display o ...

trees in the 1880s. Graham sold the land, and the homestead became known as the Couldrey House, named for its final owner, H.W. Couldrey. Wenderholm became the first regional park 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 ...

in 1965. In 2008, Nic Moon was appointed the park's resident artist. Her role was to create works specifically for the site, including some that involve the trees themselves.

References

{{Protected areas of New Zealand Rodney Local Board Area Parks in the Auckland Region Regional parks of New Zealand Tourist attractions in the Auckland Region