Kepa Bush Reserve | |
---|---|
Type | Public park |
Location | Auckland, New Zealand |
Area | 13 hectares (32 acres) [1] |
Created | 1962 |
Operated by | Auckland Council |
Status | Open year round |
Kepa Bush Reserve is an ecological reserve on the Auckland isthmus in New Zealand, south of Mission Bay. It is situated near the smaller St John's Bush and is also known as the Pourewa Valley.
The Kepa Bush Reserve is the largest native bush remnant on the Auckland isthmus. [1] The reserve is formed by the slopes of a sandstone ridge, between Kepa Road and the Pourewa Creek. [2] The Pourewa Creek at the south of the reserve flows westwards towards the Ōrākei Basin. [3] The forest ecosystem of the upper ridge transitions into the mangrove ecosystem of the Pourewa Creek, something very rarely seen in the reserves of the Waitematā Harbour catchments. [2]
The flora in Kepa Bush is diverse and the most common plants and trees include Totara, Rimu, Kanuka, and Manuka. [4] Fuchsia excorticata can be found in the forest; often rare as it is often eaten by possums. [1] Fauna is very common, with Tui, Pigeon, Grey warbler, Silvereye and Morepork being the most common. Tomtit and Kaka are occasional.
The reserve honours the memory of Te Keepa Te Rangihiwinui, a Māori military commander and ally of the government forces during the New Zealand Wars. He is also known as Te Keepa, Major Keepa or Major Kemp. During the land wars of the 1860s he fought for government forces against Te Kooti and Titokowaru. [2] Besides that, Kepa Bush was used by Maori pre-colonisation as a place to find food and make weapons. It was probably a strategic location to take as it had a view out into the Orakei Basin. [5]
The land was purchased by Bishop Selwyn in 1844, as a part of the grounds of the St John's College. [2] In 1962, the reserve was established after the Auckland City Council purchased the site. [2]
The Waitākere Ranges is a mountain range in New Zealand. Located in West Auckland between metropolitan Auckland and the Tasman Sea, the ranges and its foothills and coasts comprise some 27,720 hectares of public and private land. The area, traditionally known to Māori as Te Wao Nui o Tiriwa, is of local, regional, and national significance. The Waitākere Ranges includes a chain of hills in the Auckland Region, generally running approximately 25 kilometres (16 mi) from north to south, 25 km west of central Auckland. The ranges are part of the Waitākere Ranges Regional Park.
Remuera is an affluent suburb in East Auckland, New Zealand. It is located four kilometres southeast of the city centre. Remuera is characterised by many large houses, often Edwardian or mid 20th century. A prime example of a "leafy" suburb, Remuera is noted for its quiet tree lined streets. The suburb has numerous green spaces, most obvious of which is Ōhinerau / Mount Hobson – a volcanic cone with views from the top overlooking Waitematā Harbour and Rangitoto.
Ōrākei is a suburb of Auckland city, in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located on a peninsula five kilometres to the east of the city centre, on the shore of the Waitematā Harbour, which lies to the north, and Hobson Bay and Ōrākei Basin, two arms of the Waitematā, which lie to the west and south. To the east is the suburb of Mission Bay. Takaparawhau / Bastion Point is a coastal piece of land in Ōrākei. Between Takaparawhau and Paritai Drive is Ōkahu Bay and Reserve.
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Mission Bay is a seaside suburb of Auckland city, on the North Island of New Zealand. The suburb's beach is a popular resort, located alongside Tamaki Drive. The area also has a wide range of eateries. Mission Bay is located seven kilometres to the east of the city centre, on the southern shore of the Waitematā Harbour, between Ōrākei and Kohimarama. It covers an area of 1.08 km2, about three quarters of which comprises low hills, surrounding the remaining quarter, which slopes down to the sea. Local government of Mission Bay is the responsibility of the Ōrākei Local Board, which also includes the suburbs of Ōrākei, Kohimarama, St Heliers, Glendowie, St Johns, Meadowbank, Remuera and Ellerslie.
Hillsborough is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. It is under the local governance of the Auckland Council. Hillsborough is a leafy suburb of 20th-century houses. The area is serviced by two shopping areas; Onehunga and Three Kings. The area is served by secondary schools Mount Roskill Grammar School and Marcellin College.
Takaparawhau / Bastion Point is a coastal piece of land in Ōrākei, Auckland, New Zealand, overlooking the Waitematā Harbour. The area is significant in New Zealand history as the site of protests in the late 1970s by Māori against forced land alienation by Pākehā. Takaparawhau is now the site of the private Ōrākei Marae, the public Michael Joseph Savage Memorial, and privately-owned reserve land that is accessible to the public.
The Auckland isthmus, also known as the Tāmaki isthmus, is a narrow stretch of land on the North Island of New Zealand in the Auckland Region, and the location of the central suburbs of the city of Auckland, including the CBD. The isthmus is located between two rias, the Waitematā Harbour to the north, which opens to the Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana and Pacific Ocean, and the Manukau Harbour to the south, which opens to the Tasman Sea. The isthmus is the most southern section of the Northland Peninsula.
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Little Rangitoto, officially known as Maungarāhiri / Little Rangitoto, and also as Rangitoto-iti, is a volcano in the Auckland volcanic field in Remuera, New Zealand. The name Maungarāhiri refers to Rāhiri, an ancestor of Ngāpuhi, who journeyed around the North Island. In the 1700s and early 1800s, the volcano was the site of Ngāti Whātua-o-Ōrākei seasonal farms.
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Kiwi Tāmaki was a Māori warrior and paramount chief of the Waiohua confederation in Tāmaki Makaurau. The third generation paramount chief of Waiohua, Kiwi Tāmaki consolidated and extended Waiohua power over Tāmaki Makaurau, making it one of the most prosperous and populated areas of Aotearoa. Kiwi Tāmaki's seat of power was at Maungakiekie, which was the most elaborate pā complex in Aotearoa.
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Coordinates: 36°51′46.82″S174°49′49.52″E / 36.8630056°S 174.8304222°E