Aotea Harbour

Aotea Harbour is a settlement and smallest of three large natural inlets in the Tasman Sea coast of the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island.[1] It is located between Raglan Harbour to the north and Kawhia Harbour to the south, 30 kilometres southwest of Hamilton.

Looking southwest from Phillips Rd

Aotea Harbour
Aotea Harbour and Taranaki (150km away faint towards right) from Houchens Rd, Te Mata
Aotea Harbour
Coordinates: 37.97463°S 174.83980°E / -37.97463; 174.83980
CountryNew Zealand
RegionWaikato region
DistrictsWaikato District
Otorohanga District
Population
 • Total1,896 (2,013)
River sourcesPakoka River
Ocean/sea sourcesTasman Sea
Basin countriesNew Zealand
Max. length6 km (3.7 mi)
Max. width6 km (3.7 mi)
Surface area31.9 km2 (12.3 sq mi)
View from Phillips Rd toward Mount Pirongia.

Geography

Aotea Harbour is a drowned valley system following the post glacial Aranuian sea level rise of over 100m in the last 14,000 years, but its level may also be influenced by the Makomako and Te Maari faults.[2] It has a high-tide area of 32 km2 (12 sq mi) and a low-tide area of 6 km2 (2.3 sq mi).[3]

54% of the area around the harbour is in sheep and beef grazing. Since 1850 native forest cover has declined from 98% to 28%, about 18% managed by the Department of Conservation.[1]

Waireinga/Bridal Veil Falls is located on Pakoka River, and Lake Disappear is on Pakihi Stream, both of which flow into Aotea Harbour.

Wildlife

Common plants around the harbour are Cotula coronopifolia, Sarcocornia quinqueflora, Avicennia marina, Apodasmia similis, Selliera radicans, Plagianthus divaricatus, Paspalum vaginatum, Samolus repens, Juncus krausii, Zostera novazelandica, Austrostipa stipoides, Isolepis cernua, Spartina anglica, Schoenoplectus pungens, Baumea juncea, Cordyline australis, Olearia solandri, Dacrycarpus dacrydioides, Leptospermum scoparium, Bolboschoenus fluviatilis, Coprosma propinqua, Cortaderia selloana, Cortaderia jubata and Typha orientalis.[4]

Birds recorded in the harbour include white faced heron, South Island oyster catcher, godwit, pied stilt, black backed gull, red billed gull, swan, Canada goose, spur-winged plover, New Zealand dotterel, Royal spoonbill, kingfisher, pied shag, fernbird, paradise duck,[4] Caspian tern, white-fronted tern and gannet.[5]

The commonest fish species in the harbour are anchovy, flounder and yellow-eyed mullet.[5]

Orca, bottlenose and common dolphin occasionally enter the harbour.[5]

Marae

Several Waikato Tainui marae are located around Aotea Harbour. Te Tihi o Moerangi Marae and meeting house are affiliated with Ngāti Mahuta and Ngāti Te Weehi. Mōtakotako or Taruke Marae and Te Ōhākī a Mahuta meeting house are affiliated with Ngāti Mahuta, Ngāti Te Weehi and Tainui Hapū. Te Papatapu or Te Wehi Marae and Pare Whakarukuruku meeting house are affiliated with Ngāti Mahuta and Ngāti Te Weehi.[6][7]

Demographics

The meshblocks around the edge of the harbour had these census results -[8]

Spoonbills can often be seen feeding in the channels between the mud flats
Year Population Households Median age Median income
992702 Lake Parangi
2001 45 15 22.2 11,700
2006 33 12 20 20,800
2013 33 15 49.7 17,500
0992701 Aotea village
2001 51 24 65.5 12,500
2006 36 15 56 16,300
2013 42 24 62.2 21,300
992900 Okapu
2001 51 24 46.2 15,800
2006 51 18 35 17,500
2013 51 18 49.2 15,300
0862100 Makomako
2001 36 12 13.7 12,500
2006 24 9 38 12,500
2013 24 9 45.2 20,800
862000 Te Papatapu
2001 57 21 30.2 13,800
2006 54 21 36 25,800
2013 48 18 42.8 23,300
861800 Makaka
2001 57 15 37.5 12,500
2006 69 21 34 15,400
2013 60 24 41.5 20,800
Total harbour edge meshblocks national median $
2001 297 111 18,500
2006 267 96 24,100
2013 258 108 27,900

The population was once much larger. For example, about 200 lived at Makaka in 1880.[9]

Roads

The harbour has few roads giving access to it. Aotea village and Okapu have a road linked to SH31, near Kawhia. A gravel road links SH31 to Makomako. Just north of Makomako, at Maari Stream, two roads link to Te Mata; Te Papatapu Rd follows the edge of the harbour for over 2 km (1.2 mi). Kawhia Rd runs east via Lake Disappear and Waireinga/Bridal Veil Falls. Phillips Rd branches from Te Papatapu Rd, giving access to some areas north of the harbour.[10]

The beaches were initially a main route and were linked by boat across the harbour entrance.[11]

About 1880 Te Papatapu Rd was built from Te Mata, but from Te Papatapu the route was across the harbour at low tide.[12]

The bridges over the Maari and Makomako streams were built about 1918, though the road linking Kawhia and Te Mata was not usable until about 1926. They were replaced by concrete bridges in 1970.[13]

When Makomako School was built in 1925, timber and other supplies were taken by road to Pakoka landing, but then rafted across the harbour and up the stream to a point near the school.[13]

The roads were metalled in the 1930s.[14]

From 1938 to 1952 public buses linked Kawhia and Raglan.

Education

Makomako School was just above the junction of Makomako Road and the Te Mata-Kawhia Road.[15] It was open from 26 October 1925 (with an initial roll of 31 girls and 16 boys)[13] to 1981,[16] or 1983.[17] Makomako and the area north of it are now in the catchment area for Te Mata School,[18] though the school buses only reach to Te Papatapu Road.[19]

From 1899 to 1904 there was a school at Raoraokauere mission station.

References
  1. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 February 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2013.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. Geology of the Raglan-Kawhia Area: Institute of Geological & Nuclear Sciences (N.Z.), Barry Clayton Waterhouse, P. J. White 1994 ISBN 0-478-08837-X
  3. "Waikato Regional Council Technical Report 2016/19 - Mapping residence times in west coast estuaries of the Waikato region" (PDF). 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 September 2016.
  4. Graeme, Meg (2005). "Estuarine Vegetation Survey - Aotea Harbour" (PDF). Waikato Regional Council.
  5. S. White (May 2018). "Aotea Supplementary Ecology Report" (PDF). Waikato Regional Council.
  6. "Te Kāhui Māngai directory". tkm.govt.nz. Te Puni Kōkiri.
  7. "Māori Maps". maorimaps.com. Te Potiki National Trust.
  8. "2013 Census map – QuickStats about a place". archive.stats.govt.nz. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  9. "Waikato Times RAGLAN AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD. II. A RIDE TO RUAPUKE". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 28 February 1880. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  10. "Aotea Harbour, Waikato". NZ Topo Map. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  11. "Journal of a Walk with the Bishop of New Zealand, from Auckland to Taranaki, by C. J. Abraham (1856)". anglicanhistory.org. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  12. Trolove, F J (1970). Ruapuke.
  13. Vernon, Bob. Aotea.
  14. "PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT (BY THE HON. J. BITCHENER, MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS)". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 1 January 1935. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  15. "One inch map Sheet N 64". www.mapspast.org.nz. 1947. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  16. Christoffel, Dr Paul (February 2011). "The Provision of Education Services to Maori in Te Rohe Potae, 1840-2010" (PDF). Waitangi Tribunal.
  17. "Raglan Chronicle". Issuu. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  18. "Enrolment". Te Mata School. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  19. "Buses". Te Mata School. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
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