Whangapoua Harbour is a shallow natural

harbour A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...

in the northeast of the

Coromandel Peninsula The Coromandel Peninsula ( mi, Te Tara-O-Te-Ika-A-Māui) on the North Island of New Zealand extends north from the western end of the Bay of Plenty, forming a natural barrier protecting the Hauraki Gulf and the Firth of Thames in the we ...

. It is located between

Whangapoua Whangapoua is a small settlement of mostly holiday houses located on the Coromandel Peninsula of New Zealand. It is situated 25 minutes drive east over the Coromandel Range from Coromandel along the northeastern coastline encompassing popular wh ...

in the north, Te Rerenga in the southwest, and

Matarangi Matarangi is a beach settlement on the Coromandel Peninsula of New Zealand, with around 420 permanent residents in 2018 which increases to over 7000 holidaymakers during the summer period of late December to February. It was developed in the 1 ...

on the Omara Spit in the north separating it from the ocean. Two boat ramps and a jetty provide boat access into the harbour.

Geography

Waitekuri River, Opitonui River, Owera Stream, Otanguru Stream, and Mapauriki Stream all drain the surrounding hills that are part of the

Coromandel Range A true-colour image showing Auckland city (left), the Hauraki Gulf (centre) and the Coromandel Peninsula (right). The scene was acquired by NASA's Terra satellite, on October 23, 2002. The Coromandel Range is a mountain range running the length ...

into the 12 km² harbour, which only has a single narrow mouth to the sea. Tidal flows have built up a bar at the 600m wide entrance, which makes navigation difficult in large swells. The entrance is flanked by the rocky Te Rehutae Point, rising to 85m to the west, and Omara Spit to the east. The southern and eastern estuary arms contain extensive areas of grey mangroves. The surrounding land is partly farm land, pine plantations, and native bush.

Recreation

The harbour is popular for fishing, particularly with holiday makers in Matarangi and Whangapoua. Commonly caught fish include kahawai, snapper,

John Dory John Dory, St Pierre or Peter's fish, refers to fish of the genus ''Zeus'', especially ''Zeus faber'', of widespread distribution. It is an edible demersal coastal marine fish with a laterally compressed olive-yellow body which has a large dark ...

, and

barracuda A barracuda, or cuda for short, is a large, predatory, ray-finned fish known for its fearsome appearance and ferocious behaviour. The barracuda is a saltwater fish of the genus ''Sphyraena'', the only genus in the family Sphyraenidae, which was ...

Harbour biota

Common plants found in the Whangapoua harbour include

mangroves A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evolution in several ...

, the seagrass ''

Zostera muelleri ''Zostera muelleri '' is a southern hemisphere temperate species of seagrass native to the seacoasts of South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania.Paul Friedrich August Ascherson. 1867. Sitzungsberichte der Gesellschaft Naturforschender Freunde zu ...

,'' neptune's necklace seaweed '' Hormosira banksii'', and salt marsh rushes. More abundant animals include cockles, mud snails, horn shells,

whelks Whelk (also known as scungilli) is a common name applied to various kinds of sea snail. Although a number of whelks are relatively large and are in the family Buccinidae (the true whelks), the word ''whelk'' is also applied to some other mari ...

cat's eyes Cat's Eyes are an alternative pop duo formed in early 2011 by vocalist Faris Badwan (known for his work with English indie rock band the Horrors) and Italian-Canadian soprano, composer and multi-instrumentalist Rachel Zeffira. History The band ...

'','' pacific oysters and cushion stars.

References

Ports and harbours of New Zealand Thames-Coromandel District {{Waikato-geo-stub