Waiuku River
| Waiuku River | |
|---|---|
 Aerial view of the Waiuku River and adjacent Glenbrook Steel Mill, with the Needles narrows on the left | |
  Mouth of the Waiuku River .png)  Waiuku River (New Zealand) | |
Route of the Waiuku River | |
| Location | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Auckland Region |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Waiuku Stream |
| • coordinates | 37°14′59″S 174°43′55″E / 37.24959°S 174.73183°E |
| Mouth | Manukau Harbour |
• coordinates | 37°08′21″S 174°40′57″E / 37.1393°S 174.6826°E |
| Length | 12 km (7 mi) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Waiuku River → Manukau Harbour → Tasman Sea |
| Landmarks | Waiuku, Glenbrook Power Station, Glenbrook Beach, Clarks Beach |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Rangiwhea Creek, Awaruaiti Creek, Mokorau Creek, Parakau Creek, Totara Creek, Waipipi Creek, Te Hakono Creek, Pukewhau Creek, Kohonui Creek, Ohiku Creek |
| • right | Waitangi Stream, Ruakohua Stream, Taihiki River |
The Waiuku River, also known as the Waiuku Estuary, is an estuarial arm of the Manukau Harbour, near the town of Waiuku, south-west of Auckland. It joins the harbour at the south west and extends south for 12 kilometres (7 mi), having its head close to the town of Waiuku.[1] What is now Waiuku Stream, a tributary rising about 2 km (1.2 mi) west of Waiuku,[2] was once shown on maps as Waiuku River.[3]
Portage and proposed canal
Te Pai o Kaiwaka, also known as the Awaroa or Waiuku portage, connected the Manukau Harbour to the Waikato River in the south, via the Waiuku and Awaroa Rivers.[4] A canal linking Manukau and the Waikato River was being considered as early as 1866.[5] In 1921 a Royal Commission reported against a £475,000, 6 mi (9.7 km) canal, with the then predicted use. It would have included a cutting up to 70 ft (21 m) deep and a 450 ft (140 m) long bank at the Needles, with a 150 ft (46 m) x 30 ft (9.1 m) x 8 ft (2.4 m) barge lock in it and a road across the top.[6] The canal continued to be mooted as an idea, and in 1924 the Waiuku Canal League was formed to promote it.[7] It was again considered in 1965.[8]
Vegetation
Mangrove cover in the Waiuku and Taihiki estuaries increased from 60 ha (150 acres) in 1976 to 274 in 2006.[9]
Gallery
.jpg)
Buildings along the edge of the Waiuku River (circa 1911)
The Waiuku River at low tide in 2000
References
- ↑ "Waiuku River". New Zealand Gazetteer. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
- ↑ "Waiuku Stream, Auckland". NZ Topo Map. Retrieved 11 May 2026.
- ↑ "1:63360 map Sheet: 1 Franklin". mapspast.org.nz. 1946. Retrieved 11 May 2026.
- ↑ Arden Cruickshank and Jacqueline Craig (14 January 2021). "Brookdale Plan Change: archaeological assessment" (PDF). Auckland Council.
- ↑ "Waiuku. Daily Southern Cross". 2 January 1867.
- ↑ "Auckland canals and inland waterways commission". 1921.
- ↑ "Manukau's Journey". kura.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz. 17 November 1924. Retrieved 11 May 2026.
- ↑ ""Waikato-to-Waiuku canal plans" [press cutting] - Collections Online". Auckland War Memorial Museum. 20 August 1965. Retrieved 11 May 2026.
- ↑ "Waiuku Estuary: Aquatic Environment Information Review" (PDF). Auckland Council. February 2014.