The Tāmaki River or Tāmaki Estuary is mostly an
estuarial arm and
harbour
A harbor (American English), or harbour (Commonwealth English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences), is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be Mooring, moored. The t ...
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,[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 ...](_blank)
in New Zealand.
[Eastern suburbs: Ōrākei to the Tamaki River](_blank)
(from Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Accessed 2008-06-07.) It extends south for from its mouth between the suburb of
Saint Heliers and the long thin peninsula of
Bucklands Beach, which reaches its end at
Musick Point. The inlet extends past the suburbs of
Glendowie,
Wai o Taiki Bay,
Point England,
Glen Innes,
Tāmaki
Tāmaki is a small suburb of East Auckland, 11 kilometres from the Auckland CBD, in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located by the banks of the estuary, estuarial Tamaki River, Tāmaki River, which is a southern arm of the Hauraki Gulf ...
,
Panmure, and
Ōtāhuhu
Ōtāhuhu is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand – to the southeast of the CBD, on a narrow isthmus between an arm of the Manukau Harbour to the west and the Tāmaki River estuary to the east. The Auckland isthmus is the narrowest connect ...
to the west, and
Bucklands Beach,
Half Moon Bay
Half Moon Bay is a coastal city in San Mateo County, California, San Mateo County, California, United States, approximately south of San Francisco. Its population was 11,795 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Immediately north of Half Mo ...
, Farm Cove,
Sunnyhills and
Pakuranga to the east.
Etymology
It was originally called Te Wai o Taiki, meaning "The Waters of Taiki". The name Taiki is a shortened form of Taikehu, the name of an ancestor of
Ngāi Tai.
Geography
The estuarine Tāmaki River is a harbour in the
Auckland Region
Auckland () is one of the 16 regions of New Zealand, which takes its name from the eponymous urban areas of New Zealand, urban area. The region encompasses the Auckland, Auckland metropolitan area, smaller towns, rural areas, and the islands o ...
, with four arms: the Ōtāhuhu Creek, Middlemore Creek, Pakuranga Creek and the Ōtara Creek.
In addition to these, the
Panmure Basin is a tidal basin found in a volcanic crater on the western shores of the river.
The Ōtāhuhu Creek forms the eastern shore of the narrowest point on the
Auckland isthmus: here it is about 1.25 kilometres (0.75 mi) to the waters of 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 ("Burnett ...
, an arm of the
Tasman Sea
The Tasman Sea 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 Abel Janszoon Tasman, who in 1642 wa ...
.
History
The Tāmaki River is the location of three portages which connected the east and west coasts of New Zealand:
Te Tō Waka at
Ōtāhuhu
Ōtāhuhu is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand – to the southeast of the CBD, on a narrow isthmus between an arm of the Manukau Harbour to the west and the Tāmaki River estuary to the east. The Auckland isthmus is the narrowest connect ...
, the shortest portage between the two coasts,
Karetu to the north at
Southdown/
Sylvia Park, and the
Waokauri / Pūkaki portage, to the south between
Middlemore
Middlemore is a suburb of the former Manukau City, one of the four cities that made up the conurbation of Auckland
Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It ...
and
Papatoetoe
Papatoetoe is a suburb in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the largest suburb in Auckland by population and is located to the northwest of Manukau, Manukau Central, and southeast of Auckland CBD.
Papatoetoe was traditionally an important area fo ...
. Here, Māori would beach their
waka (canoes) and drag them overland to the other coast, thus avoiding having to paddle around
North Cape. The portages made the area of immense strategic importance in both pre-European times and during the early years of European occupation.
Portage Road, Ōtāhuhu is the approximate historical location of Te Tō Waka.
Karetu and went between the extreme north-east corner of 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 ("Burnett ...
to a bay close to the site of the newest bridge across the Tāmaki, about south of the
Panmure Basin.
The river was part of the first steam ferry route in Auckland, the
PS ''Governor Wynyard'' connecting Auckland to
Ōtāhuhu
Ōtāhuhu is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand – to the southeast of the CBD, on a narrow isthmus between an arm of the Manukau Harbour to the west and the Tāmaki River estuary to the east. The Auckland isthmus is the narrowest connect ...
, which began service in 1851. By the next year, the ferry was sold to
Melbourne
Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
as it was unprofitable.
By the late 1850s, the Tāmaki River was one of the busiest waterways in New Zealand. The east bank at Pakuranga was the main point where cattle were transported towards the city of Auckland.
In 1865, the estuary was first crossed by the
Panmure Bridge, a steel swing bridge, to improve connection between Auckland and
Howick. The location is to the left of the left hand (Panmure) bridge shown in the photo. The circular base swivel was only removed in the 1980s from the southern shore. Stones and steel had been imported from Australia, possibly reflecting the still very basic nature of industrial construction in the young colony.
In the 1860s and 70s, the Tāmaki River was one of the busiest waterways in New Zealand, due to the transportation of agricultural goods such as wheat between
Ōtāhuhu
Ōtāhuhu is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand – to the southeast of the CBD, on a narrow isthmus between an arm of the Manukau Harbour to the west and the Tāmaki River estuary to the east. The Auckland isthmus is the narrowest connect ...
and the city of Auckland.
The popularity of alternative transportation such as roads and rail (including the extension of the
Southern Line to Ōtāhuhu in 1875) led to a decline of the use of the Tāmaki River, and by 1910 very few vessels used Ōtāhuhu as a port or even ventured upstream of the Panmure Bridge.
In the 1890s the mouth of the river was used as a safe anchorage for ships carrying explosives. One such ship, anchored in the mouth of the estuary, caught fire and exploded with loss of life. After this the explosives buoy was moved into a more open area east of
Browns Island (Motukōrea), where it is still located.
In 1925 a leopard that had escaped from the Auckland Zoo three weeks earlier was found dead in the Tāmaki river by a fishing party in Karaka Bay.
["An Inglorious End". ''Auckland Star''. Vol. LVI, issue 241, 12 Oct 1925, p 10. (Papers Past)]
Transport
Due to its extent north–south and its position between the
Auckland isthmus and
East Auckland
East Auckland () is one of the major geographical regions of Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand. Settled in the 14th century, the area is part of the traditional lands of Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki. The area was developed into farmland in the ...
, the river is a natural barrier to traffic, especially as only three bridges cross it, all heavily trafficked and increasingly incapable of taking the peak hour flows. The
Eastern Busway is a project that is designed to resolve this bottle-neck as one of its goals.
The Tāmaki River also has a marina / ferry wharf at
Half Moon Bay
Half Moon Bay is a coastal city in San Mateo County, California, San Mateo County, California, United States, approximately south of San Francisco. Its population was 11,795 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Immediately north of Half Mo ...
, from where commuter ferries depart for the
Auckland CBD
The Auckland Central Business District (CBD), or Auckland city centre, is the geographical and economic heart of the Auckland, Auckland metropolitan area. It is the area in which Auckland was established in 1840, by William Hobson on land gifted ...
and car/passenger ferries for
Waiheke Island
Waiheke Island is the second-largest island (after Great Barrier Island) in the Hauraki Gulf of New Zealand. Its ferry terminal in Matiatia Bay at the western end is from the central-city terminal in Auckland.
It is the most populated island ...
. Many yachts are also moored in its relatively well protected interiors. The river channel is marked with large green buoys. Deep draught vessels should stay close to the buoys as the channel, although averaging deep is very narrow in many places. Near the large Point England sand spit there are numerous mudflats which are barely covered at high tide. The speed limit in the river is . Rocks at the western mouth of the river at St Heliers are marked by a distinctive
barber's pole
A barber's pole is a type of Signage, sign used by barbers to signify the place or shop where they perform their craft. The trade sign is, by a tradition dating back to the Middle Ages, a staff or :wikt:pole, pole with a helix of colored Strip ...
. Vessels of more than draught should not attempt the opening between Musick Point and Browns Island. The channel in this area is marked by port and starboard markers about apart. It is northwest of Musick Point. Large mussel beds extend out from Browns Island into the river.
References
External links
Photographs of the Tāmaki Riverheld in
Auckland Libraries' heritage collections.
Photographs of the Tāmaki Riverheld in
Auckland War Memorial Museum
The Auckland War Memorial Museum (), also known as Auckland Museum, is one of New Zealand's most important museums and war memorials. Its neoclassical architecture, neoclassical building constructed in the 1920s and 1950s, stands on Observatory ...
's heritage collections.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tamaki River
Geography of Auckland
Rivers of Auckland
Hauraki Gulf catchment
Estuaries of the Auckland Region
East Auckland