The Waitākere Ranges is a mountain range in New Zealand. Located in
West Auckland between metropolitan
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...
and the
Tasman Sea
The Tasman Sea ( Māori: ''Te Tai-o-Rēhua'', ) is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer ...
, the ranges and its foothills and coasts comprise some of public and private land. The area, traditionally known to
Māori as ''Te Wao Nui o Tiriwa'' (The Great Forest of Tiriwa), is of local, regional, and national significance.
The Waitākere Ranges includes a chain of hills 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 ...
, generally running approximately from north to south, 25 km west of central Auckland. The ranges are part of the Waitākere Ranges Regional Park.
From 1 May 2018 the forested areas of the Waitākere Ranges Regional Park were closed, with some exceptions, while
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 a ...
upgraded the tracks to dry foot standard protect the roots and to prevent the spread of
kauri dieback
Kauri dieback is a forest dieback disease of the native kauri trees (''Agathis australis'') of New Zealand that is suspected to be caused by the oomycete ''Phytophthora agathidicida.'' Symptoms can include root rot and associated rot in a coll ...
, bacteria that affect kauri trees and prevents them from getting nutrients, effectively killing them. There is no cure. But
Etymology
The name ''Wai-tākere'' originally came from a rock located in Waitākere Bay near Te Henga (Bethells Beach).
In
Māori the name Te Wao Nui a Tiriwa ("The Great Forest of Tiriwa"), referred to all of the forested areas south from
Muriwai
Muriwai, also called Muriwai Beach, is a coastal community on the west coast of the Auckland Region in the North Island of New Zealand. The black-sand surf beach and surrounding area is a popular recreational area for Aucklanders. The Muriwai ...
and the
Kaipara Harbour portage to the
Manukau Harbour
The Manukau Harbour is the second largest natural harbour in New Zealand by area. It is located to the southwest of the Auckland isthmus, and opens out into the Tasman Sea.
Geography
The harbour mouth is between the northern head ("Burnet ...
, while the name Hikurangi referred to the central and Western Waitākere Ranges, south of the
Waitākere River
The Waitākere River is a river of the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It flows north then west from its sources in the Waitākere Ranges, reaching the Tasman Sea at Te Henga / Bethells Beach, to the south of Muriwai Beach. The u ...
.
Geology
The rugged upstanding topography is formed from erosion-resistant ancient volcanic
conglomerate and lava flows laid down in eruptions from the large
Waitākere volcano to the west 12–25 million years ago.
The Waitākere Ranges and land south from
Muriwai
Muriwai, also called Muriwai Beach, is a coastal community on the west coast of the Auckland Region in the North Island of New Zealand. The black-sand surf beach and surrounding area is a popular recreational area for Aucklanders. The Muriwai ...
are the eastern slopes of the volcano, which were uplifted from the sea floor between 3 and 5 million years ago.
Much of the rock that forms the ranges, such as the Piha Formation and Nihotupu Formation, are volcanic and marine conglomerate rocks.
Many of the features of the ranges, such as
Karekare,
Te Toka-Tapu-a-Kupe / Ninepin Rock and
Pukematekeo, are remnants of volcanic vents and plugs.
Geography
The western coastline of the ranges consists of cliffs exceeding , interspersed infrequently with beaches. The ranges are covered in native forest, most of which is in the process of regeneration since extensive logging and farming in the mid–late 19th and early 20th centuries. The highest point in the Waitākere Ranges, at , is
Te Toiokawharu
Te Toiokawharu is a hill in the Waitākere Ranges of the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island. At 474-metres, it is the tallest peak of the Waitākere Ranges. The peak has a low prominence due to surrounding hills of similar sizes.
D ...
, in the southern part of the ranges, about north-east of
Huia
The huia ( ; ; ''Heteralocha acutirostris'') is an extinct species of New Zealand wattlebird, endemic to the North Island of New Zealand. The last confirmed sighting of a huia was in 1907, although there was a credible sighting in 1924.
It ...
. The
Scenic Drive follows a ridge of high points along the eastern ranges, connecting the communities of
Titirangi
Titirangi is a suburb of West Auckland in the Waitākere Ranges local board area of the city of Auckland in northern New Zealand. It is an affluent, residential suburb located 13 kilometres (8 miles) to the southwest of the Auckland city centre ...
,
Waiatarua
Waiatarua is a small settlement near the top of the Waitākere Ranges in West Auckland, close to the junction of Scenic Drive, West Coast Road and Piha Road to Piha and runs east until the junction of Scenic Drive and Mountain Road. Surroun ...
and
Swanson
Swanson is a brand of TV dinners, broths, and canned poultry made for the North American and Hong Kong markets. The former "Swanson Company" was founded in Omaha, Nebraska, where it developed improvements of the frozen dinner. The TV dinner ...
. Along this ridge are some of the more notable peaks of the ranges, including
Ruaotuwhenua
Ruaotuwhenua is a hill in the Waitākere Ranges of the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island. At 440-metres, it is one of the tallest of the Waitākere Ranges, and the tallest of the eastern ranges adjacent to Auckland. The peak is the ...
, known for its
radome
A radome (a portmanteau of radar and dome) is a structural, weatherproof enclosure that protects a radar antenna. The radome is constructed of material transparent to radio waves. Radomes protect the antenna from weather and conceal antenna ...
and adjacent television mast, and
Pukematekeo, the northernmost of the ranges which looks out over metropolitan Auckland.
Early history
A number of
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 ...
are associated with the early settlement of the Waitākere Ranges. In the creation legend of the
Auckland volcanic field, the Waitākere Ranges was home to a tribe of supernatural beings known as Tahurangi (called
patupaiarehe
Patupaiarehe are supernatural beings ( ) in Māori mythology that are described as pale to fair skinned with blonde hair or red hair, usually having the same stature as ordinary people, and never tattooed. They can draw mist to themselves, but t ...
in other traditions), who battled with the patupaiarehe of the Hunua Ranges.
The Māori language name of the Waitākere Ranges, Te Wao Nui a Tiriwa, refers to Tiriwa, a chief of the Tūrehu patupaiarehe.
The coastline of the ranges and the
Manukau Harbour
The Manukau Harbour is the second largest natural harbour in New Zealand by area. It is located to the southwest of the Auckland isthmus, and opens out into the Tasman Sea.
Geography
The harbour mouth is between the northern head ("Burnet ...
is traditionally thought to be guarded by the
taniwha
In Māori mythology, taniwha () are large supernatural beings that live in deep pools in rivers, dark caves, or in the sea, especially in places with dangerous currents or deceptive breakers (giant waves).
They may be considered highly respected ...
Paikea, while the
Waitākere River
The Waitākere River is a river of the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It flows north then west from its sources in the Waitākere Ranges, reaching the Tasman Sea at Te Henga / Bethells Beach, to the south of Muriwai Beach. The u ...
and northern ranges were the home to Te Mokoroa, a malevolent taniwha.
The ranges were visited by
Rakatāura
Rakatāura, also known as Hape, is a legendary Polynesian navigator and a progenitor of many Māori iwi. Born in Hawaiki, Rakatāura was the senior tohunga (priest/navigator) who led the ''Tainui'' migratory canoe to New Zealand. Rakatāura ...
, the senior
tohunga
In the culture of the Māori of New Zealand, a tohunga (tōhuka in Southern Māori dialect) is an expert practitioner of any skill or art, either religious or otherwise. Tohunga include expert priests, healers, navigators, carvers, builders, teache ...
(priest/navigator) of the
''Tainui'' migratory canoe, who named many of the locations along the west coast.
The area is within the traditional
rohe
The Māori people of New Zealand use the word ''rohe'' to describe the territory or boundaries of ''iwi'' (tribes), although some divide their rohe into several ''takiwā''.
The areas shown on the map (right) are indicative only, and some iwi ...
of the
iwi
Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, an ...
Te Kawerau ā Maki
Te Kawerau ā Maki, Te Kawerau a Maki, or Te Kawerau-a-Maki is a Māori ''iwi'' (tribe) of the Auckland Region of New Zealand. It had 251 registered adult members as of June 2017. Auckland Council gave it land for a marae at Te Henga (Bethells ...
, whose most intensive settlements were traditionally around the
Waitākere River
The Waitākere River is a river of the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It flows north then west from its sources in the Waitākere Ranges, reaching the Tasman Sea at Te Henga / Bethells Beach, to the south of Muriwai Beach. The u ...
and
Te Henga / Bethells Beach being major focal points for settlement.
Much of the coastline and river valleys were settled due to the resource-rich forests and coastline, with over 550 recorded archaeological sites recorded in the area.
The warm, sheltered valleys of the west coast streams were well suited for growing crops such as
kūmara
The sweet potato or sweetpotato ('' Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the bindweed or morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable. The young sh ...
,
taro
Taro () (''Colocasia esculenta)'' is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, and petioles. Taro corms are a food staple in Africa ...
,
hue (calabash) and
aruhe (bracken fern), and were the cause of many early wars in the area.
Te Kawerau ā Maki benefited from the abundant seafood found on the coast, as well as resources found deeper within the Waitākere Ranges, such as birds, seasonal berries, eels and crayfish.
Over 50
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 ...
were located around the Waitākere Ranges, and many caves and rock shelters were used as refuges during times of war between the 16th and 18th centuries, including Lion Rock in
Piha
Piha is a coastal settlement in West Auckland, on the western coast of the Auckland Region in New Zealand. It is one of the most popular beaches in the area and a major day-trip destination for Aucklanders throughout the year, and especially ...
, which was the location of Whakaari pā, and the caves in
Whatipu
Whatipu is a remote beach on the west coast of the Auckland Region in the North Island of New Zealand. The Whatipu area has been managed as a scientific reserve by the Auckland Regional Council since 2002. The road to it is unsealed. To the sou ...
.
The Waitākere Ranges sites have a large number of wood and fibre artefacts due to the weather conditions of the area.
Surveys in the early 1900s uncovered
traditional textile fragments such as fishing nets, baskets, cloak fragments, from locations such as
Anawhata
Anawhata is a beach on the coast of New Zealand west of Auckland.
Geography
Anawhata Beach is located along the West Coast of West Auckland, between the Tasman Sea and the Waitākere Ranges. It is located south of Te Henga / Bethells Beach, ...
, Piha, Takatu Point,
Karekare and Whatipu.
In 1853 and 1854, the New Zealand government acquired around 100,000 acres of Te Kawerau ā Maki land, purchased from other iwi without consultation of Te Kawerau ā Maki.
Reserves were created at Piha and Te Henga (Bethells Beach), however by the 1950s almost all Te Kawerau ā Maki land in the Waitākere Ranges had been partitioned and sold.
In the late 19th century, the Waitākere Ranges area became popular for sightseers, especially the Waitākere Falls.
Regional Park
The Waitākere Ranges Regional Park, protected at local, regional, and national levels, is an area of some 17,000 ha, established over a period of 110 years through gifts, grants, purchases, and vestings (including legislation promoted by Auckland City Council in 1941 to create the Auckland Centennial Memorial Park, commemorating the centenary of the Metropolitan District of Auckland).
The park is one of the largest
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 ...
in New Zealand, alongside the
Hunua Ranges
The Hunua Ranges is a mountain range and regional park to the southeast of Auckland city, in the Auckland and Waikato regions of New Zealand's North Island. The ranges cover some and rise to 688 metres (2255 ft) at Kohukohunui. .
In 1894 a group led by Sir Algernon Thomas (the first professor of natural sciences at Auckland University College, now the
University of Auckland
, mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work
, established = 1883; years ago
, endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021)
, budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021)
, chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant
, vice_chancellor = Dawn ...
) persuaded the Auckland City Council to preserve 3,500 acres (14 km
2) in the Nihotupu area of the ranges as a bush reserve. In 1895 the national Government vested the land, and several other smaller areas of the ranges, in the City Council as "reserves for the conservation of native flora and fauna". The Waitākere Ranges Regional Park now contains about 39,500 acres (160 km
2).
[Our parks – Waitākere Ranges](_blank)
Auckland Regional Council. Accessed 13 April 2009. The area is also protected under the ''Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area Act'' of 2008.
The Waitākere Ranges Regional Park covers about 60% of the area protected by the ''Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area Act'' of 2008. The act protects approximately 27,700 ha of both public (the Waitākere Ranges Regional Park) and privately owned land.
Attractions
Some of the ranges' main attractions are: the four popular surf beaches,
Piha
Piha is a coastal settlement in West Auckland, on the western coast of the Auckland Region in New Zealand. It is one of the most popular beaches in the area and a major day-trip destination for Aucklanders throughout the year, and especially ...
,
Muriwai
Muriwai, also called Muriwai Beach, is a coastal community on the west coast of the Auckland Region in the North Island of New Zealand. The black-sand surf beach and surrounding area is a popular recreational area for Aucklanders. The Muriwai ...
,
Te Henga (Bethells Beach)
Te Henga, or Bethells Beach, is a coastal community in West Auckland, New Zealand. The Māori name for the area, "Te Henga", is in reference to the long foredunes which run along the beach and look like the or gunwale of an upturned waka hull ...
,
Karekare; an extensive network of bush walks and tracks;
and panoramic views of the east and west coasts and the city. A road, aptly named
Scenic Drive, runs a good portion of the length of the ranges from
Titirangi
Titirangi is a suburb of West Auckland in the Waitākere Ranges local board area of the city of Auckland in northern New Zealand. It is an affluent, residential suburb located 13 kilometres (8 miles) to the southwest of the Auckland city centre ...
to Swanson. Auckland City Council operates an information centre on Scenic Drive, called Arataki Visitor Centre.
The beaches are typical of west coast beaches north of
Taranaki
Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano of Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont.
The main centre is the city of New Plymouth. The New Plymouth Dist ...
in that they are all
black sand
Black sand is sand that is black in color. One type of black sand is a heavy, glossy, partly magnetic mixture of usually fine sands containing minerals such as magnetite, found as part of a placer deposit. Another type of black sand, found on b ...
beaches. They have a reputation of being dangerous for swimmers due to
rips and large swells. Surf Life Saving Clubs patrol designated areas of the four most popular beaches during the summer months.
Piha Surf Life Saving Club
Piha Surf Life Saving Club (sometimes called Piha Lifeguard Service) is a surf lifesaving club for the southern section of Piha, on the west coast of Auckland, New Zealand, some 45 km from the Auckland City centre. The patrol was featured ...
is the oldest of these, being founded in 1934.
On 11 January 2010, the
Auckland Regional Council
The Auckland Regional Council (ARC) was the regional council (one of the former local government authorities) of the Auckland Region. Its predecessor the Auckland Regional Authority (ARA) was formed in 1963 and became the ARC in 1989. The ARC ...
opened the Hillary Trail, a 77 km trail running roughly south–north from the Arataki Visitor Centre to Muriwai through the Waitākere Ranges, named in honour of the New Zealand mountaineer Sir
Edmund Hillary
Sir Edmund Percival Hillary (20 July 1919 – 11 January 2008) was a New Zealand mountaineering, mountaineer, explorer, and philanthropy, philanthropist. On 29 May 1953, Hillary and Sherpa people, Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became th ...
. The Hilary Trail is regarded as one of or maybe the best multi day hike in the north of the country.
Reservoirs
Five
reservoir
A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation.
Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including control ...
s within the ranges supply water to the Auckland region, including the
Waitākere Reservoir and the
Lower Nihotupu Reservoir
The Lower Nihotupu Reservoir (or Lower Nihotupu Dam) is one of five reservoirs in the Waitākere Ranges that supply water to Auckland. Built between 1945 and 1948,''Engineering to 1990'' — IPENZ, Engineering Publications Co Ltd, Page 8-9 the r ...
.
Combined, the reservoirs supply approximately 26% of Auckland's potable water demand. The ranges receive an average of over 2,000 mm (78.75 inches) of rainfall annually while the corresponding rate in the city is less than half that. As weather systems approach across the
Tasman Sea
The Tasman Sea ( Māori: ''Te Tai-o-Rēhua'', ) is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer ...
, their path is blocked by the ranges causing a small uplift sufficient to trigger
orographic rainfall.
Fauna
The area is home to
kauri snail
''Paryphanta'' is a genus of land snails in the family Rhytididae. Species from New Zealand are known commonly as kauri snails ( Māori: ''pūpūrangi''). They are closely related and similar to snails in the genus '' Powelliphanta'', which was ...
s,
glowworm
Glowworm or glow-worm is the common name for various groups of insect larvae and adult larviform females that glow through bioluminescence. They include the European common glow-worm and other members of the Lampyridae, but bioluminescence also ...
s and native
long-tailed bats. Long-tailed and
short-tailed bats are New Zealand's only native land-based mammals. At the northern end of the ranges, Otakamiro Point is the site of one of New Zealand's few mainland
gannet
Gannets are seabirds comprising the genus ''Morus'' in the family Sulidae, closely related to boobies.
Gannets are large white birds with yellowish heads; black-tipped wings; and long bills. Northern gannets are the largest seabirds in the ...
breeding colonies. In the bush are many indigenous
invertebrate
Invertebrates are a paraphyletic group of animals that neither possess nor develop a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''backbone'' or ''spine''), derived from the notochord. This is a grouping including all animals apart from the chordate ...
s, including kauri snail,
wētā
Wētā (also spelt weta) is the common name for a group of about 100 insect species in the families Anostostomatidae and Rhaphidophoridae endemic to New Zealand. They are giant flightless crickets, and some are among the heaviest insects in ...
and oviparous
velvet worms with 14 pairs of legs, and ovoviviparous species of 15 and 16 pairs of legs in the genus ''
Peripatoides''.
The
Ark in the Park conservation initiative, a partnership between
Forest and Bird
Forest & Bird ( mi, Te Reo o te Taiao), also known by its formal name as the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand, is an environmental organisation specialising in the protection and conservation of New Zealand's indigenous f ...
and the Auckland Council, is working to reintroduce some of the species made extinct in the Cascades Kauri Park section of the ranges. The project was started in 2003 and now covers .
Demographics
The statistical areas making up Waitākere Ranges, which include the populated areas of
Huia
The huia ( ; ; ''Heteralocha acutirostris'') is an extinct species of New Zealand wattlebird, endemic to the North Island of New Zealand. The last confirmed sighting of a huia was in 1907, although there was a credible sighting in 1924.
It ...
and
Karekare but not
Piha
Piha is a coastal settlement in West Auckland, on the western coast of the Auckland Region in New Zealand. It is one of the most popular beaches in the area and a major day-trip destination for Aucklanders throughout the year, and especially ...
or
Te Henga / Bethells Beach, cover
and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km
2.
Waitākere Ranges had a population of 2,385 at the
2018 New Zealand census
Eighteen or 18 may refer to:
* 18 (number), the natural number following 17 and preceding 19
* one of the years 18 BC, AD 18, 1918, 2018
Film, television and entertainment
* ''18'' (film), a 1993 Taiwanese experimental film based on the shor ...
, an increase of 234 people (10.9%) since the
2013 census, and an increase of 348 people (17.1%) since the
2006 census. There were 873 households, comprising 1,206 males and 1,179 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.02 males per female, with 456 people (19.1%) aged under 15 years, 396 (16.6%) aged 15 to 29, 1,230 (51.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 300 (12.6%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 92.3% European/
Pākehā
Pākehā (or Pakeha; ; ) is a Māori term for New Zealanders primarily of European descent. Pākehā is not a legal concept and has no definition under New Zealand law. The term can apply to fair-skinned persons, or to any non- Māori New Z ...
, 12.5%
Māori, 4.2%
Pacific peoples, 3.6%
Asian, and 1.6% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
The percentage of people born overseas was 20.8, compared with 27.1% nationally.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 69.6% had no religion, 19.5% were
Christian, 0.3% had
Māori religious beliefs, 0.6% were
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
, 0.1% were
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abraha ...
, 0.8% were
Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
and 3.1% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 552 (28.6%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 216 (11.2%) people had no formal qualifications. 477 people (24.7%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,038 (53.8%) people were employed full-time, 354 (18.4%) were part-time, and 57 (3.0%) were unemployed.
List of peaks
List of named peaks (either officially gazetted, informal or traditional) within the Waitākere Ranges, and major unnamed peaks over 400 metres in height.
References
External links
Waitakere Ranges Protection SocietyWaitākere Rangesat the
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 a ...
Ark in the ParkHillary Trail – Waitākere Ranges*
{{Protected areas of New Zealand
Waitākere Ranges Local Board Area
Mountain ranges of New Zealand
Tourist attractions in the Auckland Region
Mountains of the Auckland Region
Parks in the Auckland Region
Regional parks of New Zealand