Everything about The Waitemata Harbour totally explained
The
Waitemata Harbour is the main access by sea to
Auckland,
New Zealand. For this reason it's often referred to as
Auckland Harbour, despite the fact that it's only one of two harbours surrounding the city, and is crossed by the
Auckland Harbour Bridge. The Waitemata forms the north and east coasts of the Auckland isthmus. It is matched on the south by the shallower waters of
Manukau Harbour.
With a size of 70 square miles, it connects
the city's main port and the
Auckland waterfront to the
Hauraki Gulf, and the
Pacific Ocean. It is sheltered from Pacific storms by Auckland's
North Shore,
Rangitoto Island and
Waiheke Island.
The name is from the
Māori language, with
Wai te Mataa referring to
obsidian glass. The 'sparkling waters' (a later translation of the meaning)
Overview
The harbour is an arm of the Hauraki Gulf, extending west for eighteen kilometres from the end of the
Rangitoto Channel. Its entrance is between
North Head and
Bastion Point in the south. The westernmost ends of the harbour extend past
Whenuapai in the northwest, and to
Te Atatu in the west, as well as forming the estuarial arm known as the
Whau River in the southwest.
The north shore of the harbour is formed by
North Shore City, one of several separate cities within
Greater Auckland. Suburbs located close to the shore here include
Birkenhead,
Northcote and
Devonport (west to east). To the south is the heart of
Auckland City, with the
Auckland waterfront, as well as coastal suburbs such as
Mission Bay,
Parnell,
Herne Bay and
Point Chevalier (east to west), the latter of which lies on a short triangular peninsula jutting into the harbour.
The harbour is crossed at its narrowest point by the
Auckland Harbour Bridge. To the east of its southern end lie the marinas of Westhaven, as well as the suburbs of
Freemans Bay and the
Viaduct Basin. Further east from these, and close to the harbour's entrance, lies the
Port of Auckland.
There are other wharves and ports within the harbour, notable among them the
Devonport Naval Base, and its accompanying ammunition dump at Kauri Point,
Birkenhead, and the
Chelsea Sugar Refinery wharf, all capable of taking ships over . Smaller wharves at Birkenhead,
Northcote,
Devonport and
West Harbour offer commuter ferry services to the
Auckland CBD.
Geology
The harbour is in fact a
drowned valley system in
marine sediments deposited during the
Miocene. Recent volcanism in the
Auckland volcanic field has also shaped the coast, most obviously at Devonport and the
Meola Reef (a lava flow which almost spans the harbour), but also in the explosion craters of
Orakei Basin and in western
Shoal Bay. In periods of low sea level, a tributary ran from Milford into the Shoal Bay stream. This valley provided the harbour with a second entrance when sea levels rose, until the
Lake Pupuke volcano plugged this gap. The current shore is strongly influenced by tidal rivers, particularly in the west and north of the harbour.
Mudflats covered by
mangroves flourish in these conditions, and
salt marshes are also typical.
Panoramas
Further Information
Get more info on 'Waitemata Harbour'.
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