Wenderholm Regional Park is the first regional park of Auckland

Auckland

The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...

, 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...

. Situated between the estuaries of the Puhoi River

Puhoi River

The Puhoi River is a river of the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It flows southeast from its sources 10 kilometres southwest of Warkworth, passing through the town of Puhoi before reaching the coast of Whangaparaoa Bay seven kilometres north of Orewa.-References:...

 and the Waiwera River

Waiwera River

-References:...

, on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island

North Island

The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...

, the park features a homestead known as Couldrey House, and a carved pouwhenua

Pouwhenua

Pouwhenua or pou whenua , are carved, wooden posts, or are fighting staffs used by Maori, the indigenous peoples of New Zealand. Pou whenua are wooden posts that mark territorial boundaries or places of significance. They are generally artistically and elaborately carved and can be found throughout...

. This park also features a Maungatauhoro Te Hikoi

Maungatauhoro Te Hikoi

This is a 2 km walking track of Wenderholm Regional Park. Starting at the carved pouwhenua near the Couldrey House. This walking track allows visitors to see scenic views and birdlife....

 walk, starting at the carved pouwhenua near the Couldrey House, and allows the park visitors to see scenic views and birdlife. The park has its own resident artist, and part is sectioned off for ecological restoration.

History

For 1000 years, Maori had lived in this park, because of all the natural resources it had featured. The Auckland politician and enterpreur Sir Robert Graham protected many of the ancient trees in the area from felling to be used for timber for ships. He went on to build a homestead in the park (now known as the Couldrey House). Many of the historic trees in the park were given as gifts to Robert Graham from George Grey

George Grey

George Grey may refer to:*Sir George Grey, 2nd Baronet , British politician*George Grey, 2nd Earl of Kent *Sir George Grey , Governor of Cape Colony, South Australia and New Zealand...

.

The park has a resident artist, Nic Moon, provided 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...

. Her role is to create works specifically for the site, including some that involve the trees themselves.

Ecological restoration

A 60 hectares (148.3 acre) section of the park has been set aside since 1965 for an ecological experiment, stopping livestock from grazing and repopulating the forests. This allowed native species of birds which were no longer in the area to be re-introduced in 1999. One of the first species released into the area Petroica australis longpipes (North Island robins) has a generally high rate of survival and procreated a good number of young, unfortunately not enough high enough to compensate for the loss of the adult population.

Native trees

The native bush of the park is the 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...

, with the blaze of red in the summer

Summer

Summer is the warmest of the four temperate seasons, between spring and autumn. At the summer solstice, the days are longest and the nights are shortest, with day-length decreasing as the season progresses after the solstice...

, on the slopes facing north is the Kowhai

Kowhai

Kowhai are small, woody legume trees in the genus Sophora native to New Zealand. There are eight species, S. microphylla being the most common. Kowhai trees grow throughout the country and are a common feature in New Zealand gardens. Outside of New Zealand, Kowhai tend to be restricted to mild...

 bush which are covered with yellow bloom

Bloom

Bloom or blooming may refer to:-Science and nature:* Bloom, one or more flowers on a flowering plant* Algal bloom, a rapid increase or accumulation in the population of algae in an aquatic system...

s in the spring

Spring (season)

Spring is one of the four temperate seasons, the transition period between winter and summer. Spring and "springtime" refer to the season, and broadly to ideas of rebirth, renewal and regrowth. The specific definition of the exact timing of "spring" varies according to local climate, cultures and...

, and the low-laying sandspit.