The Kumeū River drains the northern

Waitākere Ranges The Waitākere Ranges is a mountain range in New Zealand. Located in West Auckland, New Zealand, West Auckland between metropolitan Auckland and the Tasman Sea, the ranges and its foothills and coasts comprise some of public and private land. ...

near

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

, running past the town of

Kumeū Kumeū is a town in the Auckland Region, situated north-west of the Auckland CBD, City Centre in New Zealand. New Zealand State Highway 16, State Highway 16 and the North Auckland Line pass through the town. Huapai lies to the west, Riverhead, N ...

before merging into the

Kaipara River The Kaipara River drains the area to the northwest of Auckland, New Zealand. It flows north from the northern foothills of the Waitākere Ranges, meandering past the town of Helensville. It is joined by the Kaukapakapa River in its lower tidal ...

Description

The river begins north of the Te Henga Road ridge, north of the

Waitākere Ranges Regional Park Waitākere is a locality name in West Auckland, New Zealand. It most commonly refers to: * Waitākere, Auckland, a rural town north-west of Auckland *Waitakere City, a former territorial authority which existed from 1989 to 2010 *Waitākere Ranges ...

. It flows north to the townships of Waitākere and

Taupaki Taupaki is a locality in the Rodney District, which is a part of the Auckland Region in New Zealand. Kumeū lies to the north-west, Whenuapai to the north-east, West Harbour, Auckland, West Harbour to the east, Massey, New Zealand, Massey to the ...

. When the river reaches

and

Huapai Huapai is a locality north-west of Auckland, New Zealand. New Zealand State Highway 16, State Highway 16 and the North Auckland Line, North Auckland Railway Line pass through it. Kumeū is adjacent to the east, Riverhead, New Zealand, Riverhead ...

, it flows due west, meeting the Ahukuramu Stream. The

begins at the confluence of the Kumeū River and Ahukuramu Stream. The river has a number of tributaries, including the McEntee Stream, Mangatoetoe Stream and Pakinui Stream.

History

The stream is in the traditional

rohe The Māori people of New Zealand use the word ' to describe the territory or boundaries of tribes (, although some divide their into several . Background In 1793, chief Tuki Te Terenui Whare Pirau who had been brought to Norfolk Island drew ...

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. Predominantly based in West Auckland (Hikurangi also known as Waitākere), it had 251 registered adult members as of J ...

. Historically the upper river catchment was dominated by a

kahikatea ''Dacrycarpus dacrydioides'', commonly known as kahikatea (from Māori language, Māori) and white pine, is a Pinophyta, coniferous tree endemism, endemic to New Zealand. A Podocarpaceae, podocarp, it is New Zealand's tallest tree, gaining hei ...

forest, and was used for a number of purposes: to hunt kūkupa (

kererū The kererū (''Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae''), also known as kūkupa (Māori language#Northern dialects, northern Māori dialects), New Zealand pigeon or wood pigeon, is a species of pigeon native to New Zealand. Johann Friedrich Gmelin describ ...

, or New Zealand wood pigeon) and harvest

harakeke ''Phormium tenax'' (called flax in New Zealand English; in Māori; New Zealand flax outside New Zealand; and New Zealand hemp in historical nautical contexts) is an evergreen perennial plant native to New Zealand and Norfolk Island that is an ...

(New Zealand flax) and toetoe (''

Austroderia ''Austroderia'' is a genus of five species of tall grasses native to New Zealand, commonly known as toetoe (from Māori).

'') for weaving. The river formed a section of Te Tōangaroa, the portage between the Kaipara and the

Waitematā Harbour The Waitematā Harbour is the main access by sea to Auckland, New Zealand. The harbour forms the northern and eastern coasts of the Auckland isthmus and is crossed by the Auckland Harbour Bridge. It is matched on the southern side of the city ...

s. Ngongetepara (Brigham Creek) is less than two kilometres away from the Kumeū River at its closest point. The traditional

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 respecte ...

kaitiaki (guardian) of the Kaipara and Kumeū Rivers was called Tangihua.

References

External links

Photograph of Kumeu River
held in Auckland Libraries' heritage collections. {{Rodney Local Board Area Kumeū Subdivision Rivers of the Auckland Region Rivers of New Zealand Kaipara Harbour catchment Rodney Local Board Area