Whangateau
Encyclopedia
Whangateau is a small coastal settlement on the east coast of the North Island
of New Zealand
. It is situated in Rodney District
, part of the Auckland Region
, and is on a peninsula stretching out into the Hauraki Gulf
, north of Auckland
. Whangateau is on the northern shore of Whangateau Harbour which is fed by the Omaha River and separated from Omaha Bay by the Maungatawhiri sandspit. The settlement is in two parts of 20 to 30 houses each. The main settlement includes a large public reserve with sports fields and a campground. The smaller settlement is Tram Car Bay, named for two tram cars which were used as holiday homes. Whangateau is situated between the rural settlement of Matakana and the fishing village of Leigh
.
in residence at the time of the first European settlement was Ngāti Wai
, whose chief Te Kiri gave the Leigh marae its name.
In 1858 the Pakiri block was purchased from Maori by the Crown and in 1892 the area around Whangateau was surveyed into 30 or 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) blocks for settlement by immigrants from England and Scotland. The public reserve, which is on the waterfront, was surveyed and plans for a school and hall were formulated. Smaller house sites were established close to the reserve. The school was later closed but a hall was built around 1898, and remains today as the focal point of the settlement.
A cemetery established on a high promontory overlooking the harbour has the remains of many early settlers and is still used for burials. A camp ground was established on the reserve and was run by the local community until 1997 when control was taken over by the Rodney District Council. The community also developed sports fields on the reserve and it remains a popular site for various sports fostered by the Rodney Rams Sports Club.
Whangateau was a centre for trade during the 1800s as there were no roads and all traffic was by sea. The recently restored Big Omaha wharf was used to berth coastal shipping taking apples and kauri
gum (resin) to the Auckland markets. It was adjacent to two important ship building facilities owned by the Darrochs and Meiklejohns where many of the early coastal vessels were built.
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...
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 is situated in Rodney District
Rodney District
The Rodney District of New Zealand was a local government area in the northernmost part in New Zealand's Auckland Region, created in 1989 from the amalgamation of Helensville Borough and Rodney County. The seat of the district council is at Orewa, and the district includes Kawau Island to the...
, part of the Auckland Region
Auckland Region
The Auckland Region was one of the sixteen regions of New Zealand, named for the city of Auckland, the country's largest urban area. With one third of the nation's residents, it was by far the biggest population and economy of any region of New Zealand, but the second-smallest land area.On 1...
, and is on a peninsula stretching out into the Hauraki Gulf
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...
, north 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...
. Whangateau is on the northern shore of Whangateau Harbour which is fed by the Omaha River and separated from Omaha Bay by the Maungatawhiri sandspit. The settlement is in two parts of 20 to 30 houses each. The main settlement includes a large public reserve with sports fields and a campground. The smaller settlement is Tram Car Bay, named for two tram cars which were used as holiday homes. Whangateau is situated between the rural settlement of Matakana and the fishing village of Leigh
Leigh, New Zealand
Leigh is a small coastal community in the north of the Auckland Region of New Zealand. It lies on the west side of Omaha Cove, a small inlet within Omaha Bay to the south of Cape Rodney. It is 13 km from Matakana, 21 km from Warkworth and approximately 92 km north of Auckland City...
.
History
The wider Omaha area around Whangateau Harbour was a favourite source of fish and birds for Māori tribes for centuries before the arrival of Europeans. (Omaha means 'Place of Plenty'). There were many disputes over control and the only tribeIwi
In New Zealand society, iwi form the largest everyday social units in Māori culture. The word iwi means "'peoples' or 'nations'. In "the work of European writers which treat iwi and hapū as parts of a hierarchical structure", it has been used to mean "tribe" , or confederation of tribes,...
in residence at the time of the first European settlement was Ngāti Wai
Ngati Wai
Ngāti Wai is a Māori iwi of the east coast of the Northland Region of New Zealand. Its historical area stretched from Cape Brett in the north to Takatu Point on Tawharanui Peninsula in the south and out to Great Barrier Island, the Poor Knights Islands and other offshore islands.Descendants of...
, whose chief Te Kiri gave the Leigh marae its name.
In 1858 the Pakiri block was purchased from Maori by the Crown and in 1892 the area around Whangateau was surveyed into 30 or 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) blocks for settlement by immigrants from England and Scotland. The public reserve, which is on the waterfront, was surveyed and plans for a school and hall were formulated. Smaller house sites were established close to the reserve. The school was later closed but a hall was built around 1898, and remains today as the focal point of the settlement.
A cemetery established on a high promontory overlooking the harbour has the remains of many early settlers and is still used for burials. A camp ground was established on the reserve and was run by the local community until 1997 when control was taken over by the Rodney District Council. The community also developed sports fields on the reserve and it remains a popular site for various sports fostered by the Rodney Rams Sports Club.
Whangateau was a centre for trade during the 1800s as there were no roads and all traffic was by sea. The recently restored Big Omaha wharf was used to berth coastal shipping taking apples and kauri
Agathis australis
Agathis australis, commonly known as the kauri, is a coniferous tree found north of 38°S in the northern districts of New Zealand's North Island. It is the largest but not tallest species of tree in New Zealand, standing up to 50 m tall in the emergent layer above the forest's main canopy. The...
gum (resin) to the Auckland markets. It was adjacent to two important ship building facilities owned by the Darrochs and Meiklejohns where many of the early coastal vessels were built.