Great Barrier Island lies in the outer Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand, 100 kilometres (62 mi) north-east of central Auckland. With an area of 285 square kilometres (110 sq mi) it is the sixth-largest island of New Zealand and fourth-largest in the main chain. Its highest point, Mount Hobson, is 627 metres (2,057 ft) above sea level. The local authority is the Auckland Council.
The national parks of New Zealand are protected natural areas administered by the Department of Conservation (DOC). Although the national parks contain some of New Zealand's most beautiful scenery, the first few established were all focused on mountain scenery. Since the 1980s the focus has been on developing a more diverse representation of New Zealand landscapes. The parks are all culturally significant and many also contain historic features. Tongariro National Park is one of the World Heritage Sites that are of both cultural and natural significance, while four of the South Island national parks form Te Wahipounamu, another World Heritage Site. There are currently 13 national parks; a 14th, Te Urewera National Park, was disestablished in 2014.
The Coromandel Peninsula on the North Island of New Zealand extends 85 kilometres (53 mi) north from the western end of the Bay of Plenty, forming a natural barrier protecting the Hauraki Gulf and the Firth of Thames in the west from the Pacific Ocean to the east. It is 40 kilometres (25 mi) wide at its broadest point. Almost its entire population lives on the narrow coastal strips fronting the Hauraki Gulf and the Bay of Plenty. In clear weather the peninsula is clearly visible from Auckland, the country's biggest city, which lies on the far shore of the Hauraki Gulf, 55 kilometres (34 mi) to the west. The peninsula is part of the Thames-Coromandel District of the Waikato region.
Thames is a town at the southwestern end of the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand's North Island. It is located on the Firth of Thames close to the mouth of the Waihou River. The town is the seat of the Thames-Coromandel District Council. The Māori iwi are Ngāti Maru, who are descendants of Marutuahu's son Te Ngako. Ngāti Maru is part of the Ngati Marutuahu confederation of tribes or better known as Hauraki Iwi.
Little Barrier Island, or Hauturu in Māori language, lies off the northeastern coast of New Zealand's North Island. Located 80 kilometres (50 mi) to the north of Auckland, the island is separated from the mainland to the west by Jellicoe Channel, and from the larger Great Barrier Island to the east by Cradock Channel. The two aptly named islands shelter the Hauraki Gulf from many of the storms of the Pacific Ocean.
The Hunua Ranges is a mountain range and regional park to the southeast of Auckland, in Franklin in the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island. The ranges cover some 250 square kilometres (97 sq mi) and rise to 688 metres (2255 ft) at Kohukohunui.
Motukorea or Browns Island is a small New Zealand island, in the Hauraki Gulf north of Musick Point, one of the best preserved volcanoes in the Auckland volcanic field. The age of eruption is about 25,000 years ago, when the Tamaki Estuary and the Waitemata Harbour were forested river valleys. Due to centuries of cultivation, little native bush remains except on the north-eastern cliffs, leaving the volcanic landforms easily visible. It exhibits the landforms from three styles of eruption. The island consists of one main scoria cone with a deep crater, a small remnant arc of the tuff ring forming the cliffs in the northeast, and the upper portions of lava flows. The area was dry land when the eruptions occurred, but much of the lava is now submerged beneath the sea.
Port Fitzroy is a harbour and coastal community on Great Barrier Island in New Zealand's Hauraki Gulf.
The Mokohinau Islands (Pokohinau) are a small group of islands that lie off the northeast coast of New Zealand's North Island. The islands are 100 km (62 mi) northeast of Auckland, 21 km (13 mi) northwest of Great Barrier Island and approximately 52 km (32 mi) east of Bream Head. The main islands of the group include Fanal Island (Motukino), Burgess Island (Pokohinu), Flax Island (Hokoromea), and Trig Island (Atihau). Most of them are managed by the Department of Conservation as nature reserves and wildlife sanctuaries. Landing is not allowed without a permit, with the exception of Burgess Island, much of which is managed as a scenic reserve by the Department of Conservation. The remainder of Burgess Island is Crown Land and is administered by the Ministry of Transport. The total land area of the Mokohinau Islands is 160 ha.
Kauri dieback is a forest dieback disease of the native kauri trees of New Zealand that is suspected to be caused by the oomycete Phytophthora agathidicida. Symptoms can include root rot and associated rot in a collar around the base of the tree, bleeding resin, yellowing and chlorosis of the leaves followed by extensive defoliation, and finally, death.
Harataonga Bay is a coastal feature and area on the northeast coast of Great Barrier Island in New Zealand's Hauraki Gulf, approximately 51 nautical miles northeast of central Auckland. Most of the area is in the Harataonga Recreation Reserve, with some of the hinterland forming the Harataonga Scenic Reserve.
Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board is one of the 21 local boards of the Auckland Council, and is represented by the council's Waitematā and Gulf Ward councillor.
Trounson Kauri Park is a mainland island in the Northland Region of New Zealand. Characterised by its Kauri trees, it was named after James Trounson, who gifted the forest to the Department of Conservation.
Maratoto is a valley and rural community in the Hauraki District and Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island, north of Paeroa.
Kaitoke Beach is a long sandy beach and settlement on the east coast of Great Barrier Island in the Hauraki Gulf of the Auckland Region of New Zealand. At the northern end is the Kaitoke Creek, which drains the Kaitoke Swamp, and a headland, beyond which is Palmers Beach. At the southern end is the Sugar Loaf headland and beyond that Medlands Beach. Kaitoke Beach has golden sand and dunes.
Claris is a settlement on the east coast of Great Barrier Island in the Auckland Region of New Zealand. Though less populous than the main seaport area of Tryphena on the west coast, Claris functions as the administrative centre for the island, and a large proportion of its commercial and community services are based there.
Awana Bay is a beach on the east coast of Great Barrier Island in the Hauraki Gulf of New Zealand's Auckland Region.
Tryphena is a beach settlement on the southern coast of Great Barrier Island in the Hauraki Gulf of New Zealand's Auckland Region.
Okiwi is a small settlement and rural community at the head of the Whangapoua Estuary, in Whangapoua Bay, on Great Barrier Island in New Zealand's Hauraki Gulf.
Whangaparapara is a harbour and coastal community on Great Barrier Island in New Zealand's Hauraki Gulf.
