Tawharanui Peninsula
Encyclopedia
Tawharanui Peninsula is a finger of land projecting into the Hauraki Gulf
from the east coast of the much larger North Auckland Peninsula
of New Zealand
. It separates Omaha Bay to the north from Kawau Bay and Kawau Island
to the south. The nearest sizable town is Warkworth
.
Tawharanui Regional Park covers 588 hectares of the peninsula's land and Tawharanui Marine Park covers the northern coastal sea. Both parks are administered by Auckland Regional Council
(ARC) which also owns the regional park.
Geologically the peninsula consists of Waitemata Sandstone on top of folded and uplifted greywacke
.
name Tawhara-nui refers to "the abundant bracts of the kiekie
vine". Until the 1870s, the park was occupied by a small hapu
(sub-tribe) of the Te Kawerau
people called Ngati Raupo. The people lived mainly around the catchment of the Mangatawhiri Stream. A significant pā
, Oponui, was near the entrance to the park and above the stream outlet was Pa-hi (meaning "lofty fortified settlement"). Tawharanui provided a large variety of marine and forest resources. This was celebrated in the saying, "He wha tawhara ki uta; he kiko tamure ki tai" - "The flowering bracts of the kiekie on the land, the flesh of the snapper in the sea". Waikokowai (Anchor Bay) provided a valued source of kokowai or red ochre, which was used for decorative and ceremonial purposes.
Tawharanui was sold by the Māori owners in 1873–1877 and developed as a farm by the Martin, Jones and Young families. Kauri timber was milled and Manuka
cut for firewood for many years. Shingle was extracted for a hundred years, creating the Jones Bay Lagoon. Nine vessels were wrecked on the Tawharanui coastline between 1871 and 1978. Anchor Bay is named after the anchor of the Phoenix, wrecked in 1879. The Auckland Regional Authority, forerunner of the ARC, purchased the parkland from the Georgetti family in 1973.
" sanctuary for the conservation of native plants and animals with farmland and public recreation areas. The park is mostly grazed pasture with Manuka
scattered throughout and patches of coastal forest. The most significant area of coastal forest is in the central eastern part of the park where kauri and rimu
dominate the ridges, with puriri
, taraire
, tawa
and, less often, rewarewa
and nikau
in the valleys. Elsewhere there are totara, kahikatea, pohutukawa
, cabbage trees, karaka
and New Zealand flax
.
The mainland island was created by the construction of a 2.5 km pest-proof fence across the peninsula in 2004. This was followed by an aerial drop of poison later in 2004 which eliminated black rat
s, brown rat
s, feral cat
s, possum
s, weasel
s, stoat
s and ferret
s. Introduced pests remaining in the sanctuary are mice, rabbits and hedgehogs. The Tawharanui Open Sanctuary Society Inc. (TOSSI) assists ARC with the sanctuary by fundraising and volunteer work.
Sixteen species of native land birds and 15 species of native coastal birds have been recorded in the park. Wetlands birds include the Australasian Bittern
, Spotless Crake
and Fernbird
. Coastal birds include the New Zealand Dotterel
, Blue Reef Heron
and Variable Oystercatcher
.
. It covers approximately 395 hectares, from Mean High Water Mark out to half a nautical mile into the sea, along three kilometres of the coastline. Regulations administered by the Ministry of Fisheries prohibit the taking of any marine life. The diverse coastline contains a range of subtidal habitats, including reefs with overhangs, tunnels and caves. Schools of red moki
, blue maomao
, spotty
, red mullet
and koheru
are common.
. Tawharanui marine park is currently undergoing concurrence to become a full marine reserve, and is expected to be so in the coming year (2010/2011).
Hauraki Gulf
The Hauraki Gulf is a coastal feature of the North Island of New Zealand. It has a total area of 4000 km², and lies between the Auckland Region, the Hauraki Plains, the Coromandel Peninsula and Great Barrier Island...
from the east coast of the much larger North Auckland Peninsula
North Auckland Peninsula
The North Auckland Peninsula, frequently referred to simply as the Northland Peninsula, is located in the far north of the North Island of New Zealand. The peninsula is easily confused with, though not the same as Northland Region, which occupies the top 80% of the peninsula...
of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. It separates Omaha Bay to the north from Kawau Bay and Kawau Island
Kawau Island
Kawau Island is an island in the Hauraki Gulf, close to the north-eastern coast of the North Island of New Zealand. At its closest point it lies off the coast of the North Auckland Peninsula, just south of Tawharanui Peninsula, and about by sea journey from Sandspit Wharf, and shelters Kawau Bay...
to the south. The nearest sizable town is Warkworth
Warkworth, New Zealand
Warkworth is a town in the upper North Island of New Zealand, within the Rodney District and lying at the far north of the Auckland Region but just south of the Northland Region...
.
Tawharanui Regional Park covers 588 hectares of the peninsula's land and Tawharanui Marine Park covers the northern coastal sea. Both parks are administered by Auckland Regional Council
Auckland Regional Council
The Auckland Regional Council was the regional council of the Auckland Region. Its predecessor the Auckland Regional Authority was formed in 1963 and became the ARC in 1989...
(ARC) which also owns the regional park.
Geologically the peninsula consists of Waitemata Sandstone on top of folded and uplifted greywacke
Greywacke
Greywacke or Graywacke is a variety of sandstone generally characterized by its hardness, dark color, and poorly sorted angular grains of quartz, feldspar, and small rock fragments or lithic fragments set in a compact, clay-fine matrix. It is a texturally immature sedimentary rock generally found...
.
History
Māori lived in the area for over 800 years. The MāoriMaori language
Māori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
name Tawhara-nui refers to "the abundant bracts of the kiekie
Kiekie (plant)
Kiekie is a densely branched, brittle, woody climber native to New Zealand. It is a member of the screwpalm family Pandanaceae....
vine". Until the 1870s, the park was occupied by a small hapu
Hapu
A hapū is sometimes described as "the basic political unit within Maori society".A named division of a Māori iwi , membership is determined by genealogical descent; a hapū is made up of a number of whānau groups. Generally hapū range in size from 150-200 although there is no upper limit...
(sub-tribe) of the Te Kawerau
Te Kawerau
Te Kawerau is a Māori iwi from Northland, New Zealand....
people called Ngati Raupo. The people lived mainly around the catchment of the Mangatawhiri Stream. A significant pā
Pa (Maori)
The word pā can refer to any Māori village or settlement, but in traditional use it referred to hillforts fortified with palisades and defensive terraces and also to fortified villages. They first came into being about 1450. They are located mainly in the North Island north of lake Taupo...
, Oponui, was near the entrance to the park and above the stream outlet was Pa-hi (meaning "lofty fortified settlement"). Tawharanui provided a large variety of marine and forest resources. This was celebrated in the saying, "He wha tawhara ki uta; he kiko tamure ki tai" - "The flowering bracts of the kiekie on the land, the flesh of the snapper in the sea". Waikokowai (Anchor Bay) provided a valued source of kokowai or red ochre, which was used for decorative and ceremonial purposes.
Tawharanui was sold by the Māori owners in 1873–1877 and developed as a farm by the Martin, Jones and Young families. Kauri timber was milled and Manuka
Leptospermum scoparium
Leptospermum scoparium is a shrub or small tree native to New Zealand and southeast Australia. Evidence suggests that L. scoparium originated in Australia before the onset of the Miocene aridity and dispersed relatively recently from Eastern Australia to New Zealand. It is likely that on arrival...
cut for firewood for many years. Shingle was extracted for a hundred years, creating the Jones Bay Lagoon. Nine vessels were wrecked on the Tawharanui coastline between 1871 and 1978. Anchor Bay is named after the anchor of the Phoenix, wrecked in 1879. The Auckland Regional Authority, forerunner of the ARC, purchased the parkland from the Georgetti family in 1973.
Regional park
The park combines a "mainland islandEcological island
An ecological island is not necessarily an island surrounded by water, but is an area of land, isolated by natural or artificial means from the surrounding land, where a natural micro-habitat exists amidst a larger differing ecosystem....
" sanctuary for the conservation of native plants and animals with farmland and public recreation areas. The park is mostly grazed pasture with Manuka
Leptospermum scoparium
Leptospermum scoparium is a shrub or small tree native to New Zealand and southeast Australia. Evidence suggests that L. scoparium originated in Australia before the onset of the Miocene aridity and dispersed relatively recently from Eastern Australia to New Zealand. It is likely that on arrival...
scattered throughout and patches of coastal forest. The most significant area of coastal forest is in the central eastern part of the park where kauri and rimu
Rimu
Rimu can mean the following:*Dacrydium cupressinum, also rimu, a tree endemic to New Zealand*Rimu, Southland, a locality in Southland, New Zealand*Rimu, West Coast, a locality in the West Coast region of New Zealand...
dominate the ridges, with puriri
Puriri
Puriri is an evergreen tree endemic to New Zealand. -History:...
, taraire
Taraire
Taraire, Beilschmiedia tarairi, is a tree of the Lauraceae family, endemic to the North Island of New Zealand. It is a common canopy tree in lowland forests north of Auckland, often growing in association with kauri , pōhutukawa , tawapou , and with pūriri on basalt rocks and soils...
, tawa
Tawa (tree)
The Tawa tree is a New Zealand broadleaf tree common in the central parts of the country. Tawa is often the dominant canopy species in lowland forests in the North Island and the north east of the South Island, but will also often form the subcanopy in primary forests throughout the country in...
and, less often, rewarewa
Rewarewa
Knightia excelsa, Rewarewa in Māori, or New Zealand honeysuckle, is an evergreen tree endemic to the low elevation and valley forests of New Zealand's North Island and Marlborough Sounds and the type species for the genus Knightia....
and nikau
Nikau
Nikau is a palm tree, the only palm endemic to New Zealand.-Etymology:Nīkau is a Māori word; in the closely related Eastern Polynesian languages of the tropical Pacific, it refers to the fronds or the midrib of the coconut palm.- Distribution:The Nikau palm is the only palm species endemic to...
in the valleys. Elsewhere there are totara, kahikatea, pohutukawa
Pohutukawa
The Pōhutukawa is a coastal evergreen tree in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, that produces a brilliant display of red flowers made up of a mass of stamens. The Pōhutukawa is one of twelve Metrosideros species endemic to New Zealand...
, cabbage trees, karaka
Karaka
Karaka may refer to the following:*Karaka , a tree endemic to New Zealand*Karaka, New Zealand, a small town in the North Island, New Zealand*Karaka , a concept in Vedic astrology...
and New Zealand flax
New Zealand flax
New Zealand flax describes common New Zealand perennial plants Phormium tenax and Phormium cookianum, known by the Māori names harakeke and wharariki respectively...
.
The mainland island was created by the construction of a 2.5 km pest-proof fence across the peninsula in 2004. This was followed by an aerial drop of poison later in 2004 which eliminated black rat
Black Rat
The black rat is a common long-tailed rodent of the genus Rattus in the subfamily Murinae . The species originated in tropical Asia and spread through the Near East in Roman times before reaching Europe by the 1st century and spreading with Europeans across the world.-Taxonomy:The black rat was...
s, brown rat
Brown Rat
The brown rat, common rat, sewer rat, Hanover rat, Norway rat, Brown Norway rat, Norwegian rat, or wharf rat is one of the best known and most common rats....
s, feral cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
s, possum
Common Brushtail Possum
The Common Brushtail Possum is a nocturnal, semi-arboreal marsupial of the family Phalangeridae, it is native to Australia, and the largest of the possums.Like most possums, the Common Brushtail is nocturnal...
s, weasel
Least Weasel
The least weasel is the smallest member of the Mustelidae , native to Eurasia, North America and North Africa, though it has been introduced elsewhere. It is classed as Least Concern by the IUCN, due to its wide distribution and presumably large population...
s, stoat
Stoat
The stoat , also known as the ermine or short-tailed weasel, is a species of Mustelid native to Eurasia and North America, distinguished from the least weasel by its larger size and longer tail with a prominent black tip...
s and ferret
Ferret
The ferret is a domesticated mammal of the type Mustela putorius furo. Ferrets are sexually dimorphic predators with males being substantially larger than females. They typically have brown, black, white, or mixed fur...
s. Introduced pests remaining in the sanctuary are mice, rabbits and hedgehogs. The Tawharanui Open Sanctuary Society Inc. (TOSSI) assists ARC with the sanctuary by fundraising and volunteer work.
Sixteen species of native land birds and 15 species of native coastal birds have been recorded in the park. Wetlands birds include the Australasian Bittern
Australasian Bittern
The Australasian Bittern , also known as the Brown Bittern, is found in south-western and south-eastern Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, New Caledonia and Ouvea. Populations in Australia and New Zealand have declined in the 20th century.It is a large bittern, patterned and streaked brown, buff...
, Spotless Crake
Spotless Crake
The Spotless Crake is a species of bird in the rail family, Rallidae.It is found in American Samoa, Australia, the Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Indonesia, Micronesia, New Zealand, Niue, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Pitcairn, Samoa, Solomon Islands, and Tonga.-References:* BirdLife...
and Fernbird
Fernbird
The Fernbird is an insectivorous bird endemic to New Zealand. The Māori names are Kōtātā or Mātātā. It is a rich brown above and white below, with brown spots on both the throat and breast. Early settlers called it the "Swamp Sparrow" no doubt because of its colouration. The tail feathers are...
. Coastal birds include the New Zealand Dotterel
New Zealand Dotterel
The New Zealand Dotterel, Red-breasted Plover, or New Zealand Plover is an endangered species found only in certain areas of New Zealand. Its Māori names include Tūturiwhatu, Pukunui, and Kūkuruatu...
, Blue Reef Heron
Eastern Reef Egret
The Eastern Reef Heron , also known as the Pacific Reef Egret or Eastern Reef Egret, is a kind of heron. They are found in many areas of Asia including the oceanic region of India, Southeast Asia, Japan, Polynesia, and in Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand.Pacific Reef Herons are medium-sized...
and Variable Oystercatcher
Variable Oystercatcher
The Variable Oystercatcher is a species of wader in the Haematopodidae family.It is endemic to New Zealand. The Maori name is torea-pango. They are also known as 'red bills'....
.
Marine park
Tawharanui Marine Park was established in 1981 as New Zealand's first Marine Protected AreaMarine Protected Area
Marine Protected Areas, like any protected area, are regions in which human activity has been placed under some restrictions in the interest of conserving the natural environment, it's surrounding waters and the occupant ecosystems, and any cultural or historical resources that may require...
. It covers approximately 395 hectares, from Mean High Water Mark out to half a nautical mile into the sea, along three kilometres of the coastline. Regulations administered by the Ministry of Fisheries prohibit the taking of any marine life. The diverse coastline contains a range of subtidal habitats, including reefs with overhangs, tunnels and caves. Schools of red moki
Red moki
The New Zealand red moki or Australian banded morwong, Cheilodactylus spectabilis, is a morwong, a species of fish found off southern Australia and the North Island of New Zealand from depths to 50 m. Its length is up to 60 cm....
, blue maomao
Blue maomao
The blue maomao, Scorpis violacea, is a sweep of the genus Scorpis, found around eastern Australia and northern New Zealand to depths of a few metres, over reef areas and off headlands...
, spotty
New Zealand spotty
The New Zealand spotty, Notolabrus celidotus, is a wrasse of the genus Notolabrus, found all around New Zealand to depths of about 10 m, in many different habitats...
, red mullet
Blue-lined goatfish
The blue-lined goatfish or red mullet, Upeneichthys lineatus, is a goatfish of the family Mullidae, found off eastern Australia and around New Zealand at depths of between 5 and 100 m...
and koheru
Koheru
The koheru, Decapterus koheru, is a jack of the genus Decapterus, found only between the North Cape and the East Cape of the North Island of New Zealand, in mid-waters of reef and offshore areas...
are common.
. Tawharanui marine park is currently undergoing concurrence to become a full marine reserve, and is expected to be so in the coming year (2010/2011).
External links
- Department of Conservation - Tawharanui Marine Park
- Tawharanui, Auckland Regional Council
- Tawharanui Open Sanctuary Society Inc.