Native name: Kohia | |
|---|---|
 The mouth of Pukaki Creek and Wiroa Island | |
 | |
| Geography | |
| Location | North Island, New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 37°00′54″S174°48′32″E / 37.015°S 174.809°E |
| Area | 38.7 ha (96 acres) |
| Length | 1,400 m (4600 ft) |
| Width | 390 m (1280 ft) |
| Highest elevation | 5 m (16 ft) |
Wiroa Island, also known as Kohia, is an island in Manukau Harbour, New Zealand. The island is located at the mouth of Pukaki Creek, directly southeast of Auckland Airport.
Wiroa Island is located southeast of the Auckland Airport complex and is only connected to the mainland by a narrow, approximately 370-metre-long (1,210 ft) causeway, on which a road leads to the island. The approximately 38.7-hectare (96-acre) island has a length of around 1.4 kilometres (0.87 mi) in a west-northwest–east-southeast direction, and measures around 390 metres (1,280 ft) in a north-northeast–south-southwest direction at its widest point. The island lies less than five metres (16 ft) above the water level of the Manukau Harbour. [1] As the island is a part of the Auckland Airport complex, it is inaccessible to the public. [2] It is the 2nd largest island in the Manukau Harbour, after Puketutu Island and before Pararekau Island in the SE corner of the harbour.
Historically, Tāmaki Māori used the island to collect red ochre. Its traditional name, Kohia, is a reference to this. [3]
The surrounding area became farmland after being bought from local Maori, with one of the last families to farm it from 1936-1948 being the Westney family (direct descendants of the Westney family that donated the land the preserved Westney Road Methodist Church sat on from 1856-2007 before it got shifted to another Airport owned site and restored) were market gardeners here and grew all sorts of vegetables and fruits as well as flowers for the markets. The Westneys had a few sheep, cows and pigs as well on the island during their ownership of it. [4] In 1928 the adjacent land on the Māngere Peninsula was used as the Mangere Aerodrome, later being developed into an international airport, Auckland Airport, opened in 1966. [5] During this period, Wiroa Island became a part of the airport complex, and a radar tower was constructed on the island. [2]
A bird habitat was created on the southeastern part of the island, to divert birds away from the airport airfield. [6]
Manukau City was a territorial authority district in Auckland, New Zealand, that was governed by the Manukau City Council. The area is also referred to as "South Auckland", although this term never possessed official recognition and does not encompass areas such as East Auckland, which was within the city boundary. It was a relatively young city, both in terms of legal status and large-scale settlement – though in June 2010, it was the third largest in New Zealand, and the fastest growing. In the same year, the entire Auckland Region was amalgamated under a single city authority, Auckland Council.
Auckland Airport is an international airport serving Auckland, the most populous city of New Zealand. It is the largest and busiest airport in the country, with over 16 million passengers served in the year ended August 2023. The airport is located near Māngere, a residential suburb, and Airport Oaks, a service-hub suburb 21 kilometres (13 mi) south of the Auckland city centre. It serves as the principal hub for Air New Zealand, and the New Zealand operating base for Jetstar.
The Manukau Harbour is the second largest natural harbour in New Zealand by area. It is located to the southwest of the Auckland isthmus, and opens out into the Tasman Sea.
The Auckland volcanic field is an area of monogenetic volcanoes covered by much of the metropolitan area of Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, located in the North Island. The approximately 53 volcanoes in the field have produced a diverse array of maars, tuff rings, scoria cones, and lava flows. With the exception of Rangitoto, no volcano has erupted more than once, but the other eruptions lasted for various periods ranging from a few weeks to several years. Rangitoto erupted several times and recently twice; in an eruption that occurred about 600 years ago, followed by a second eruption approximately 50 years later. The field is fuelled entirely by basaltic magma, unlike the explosive subduction-driven volcanism in the central North Island, such as at Mount Ruapehu and Lake Taupō.
South Auckland is one of the major geographical regions of Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand. The area is south of the Auckland isthmus, and on the eastern shores of the Manukau Harbour. The area has been populated by Tāmaki Māori since at least the 14th century, and has important archaeological sites, such as the Ōtuataua stonefield gardens at Ihumātao, and Māngere Mountain, a former pā site important to Waiohua tribes.
Māngere is a major suburb in South Auckland, New Zealand, located on mainly flat land on the northeastern shore of the Manukau Harbour, to the northwest of Manukau City Centre and 15 kilometres south of the Auckland city centre. It is the location of Auckland Airport, which lies close to the harbour's edge to the south of the suburb.
Māngere Bridge, officially also called the Manukau Harbour Crossing, is a dual motorway bridge over the Manukau Harbour in south-western Auckland, New Zealand, crossing between the suburb also known as Māngere Bridge and the suburb of Onehunga.
Māngere Bridge is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand, under the local governance of the Auckland Council. Surrounded by the Manukau Harbour, the area is the most north-western suburb of South Auckland, and is connected to Onehunga in central Auckland by three bridges that cross the Māngere Inlet. Many features of the Auckland volcanic field are found in and around Māngere Bridge, including Māngere Mountain, a 106-metre-high (348 ft) feature in the centre of the suburb, and Māngere Lagoon, a volcanic tidal lagoon opposite Puketutu Island in the harbour. The suburb is also home to Ambury Regional Park, a working farm and nature sanctuary run by Auckland Council, that connects to the Kiwi Esplanade and Watercare Coastal walkways.
Mangere Inlet is an arm of the Manukau Harbour, the southwestern of the two harbours of Auckland, New Zealand and itself an arm of the Tasman Sea. The inlet lies between the Auckland isthmus and South Auckland, and has a size of 6.6 km2 and a catchment of 34.5 km2, being considered to extend to just west of Onehunga. It is an environment highly modified by land reclamation and human uses, with the northern shoreline especially affected. However, the inlet also acts as a natural sedimentation sink, thus being especially at risk of contamination.
Māngere Mountain, also known by the names Te Pane-o-Mataaho and Te Ara Pueru, is a volcanic cone in Māngere, Auckland. Located within Māngere Domain, it is one of the largest volcanic cones in the Auckland volcanic field, with a peak 106 metres (348 ft) above sea level. It was the site of a major pā and many of the pā's earthworks are still visible. It has extensive panoramic views of Auckland from its location in the southeastern portion of the city's urban area.
Transport in Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, is defined by factors that include the shape of the Auckland isthmus, the suburban character of much of the urban area, a history of focusing investment on roading projects rather than public transport, and high car-ownership rates.
State Highway 20 (SH 20), also known as the Southwestern Motorway, is a New Zealand state highway linking State Highway 1 at Manukau with State Highway 16 in Point Chevalier, via Māngere and Onehunga. Along with its spurs, State Highway 20A and 20B, the state highway serves Auckland Airport, the country's largest, therefore making SH 20 a key arterial route connecting the airport to the wider Auckland region and most of the upper North Island. The route also forms the southern part of the Western Ring Route, a 48 kilometres (30 mi) motorway route bypassing central Auckland.
Puketutu Island, also known as Te Motu a Hiaroa, is a volcanic island in the Manukau Harbour, New Zealand, and is part of the Auckland volcanic field. European settlers called it Weekes' Island, but this was eventually abandoned in favour of the historical Māori name. The island is joined to the mainland via a causeway known as Te Ara Tāhuna.
Māngere Lagoon is a lagoon in the Manukau Harbour, New Zealand. It occupies a volcanic crater or maar which is part of the Auckland volcanic field. Oval and about 600m long, it has a small restored scoria island remaining in the centre.
The Auckland Airport Line is a proposed heavy rail line in Auckland, New Zealand, that would link Auckland Airport with the Auckland central business district via central isthmus suburbs.
Te Ākitai Waiohua is a Māori iwi of the southern part of the Auckland Region of New Zealand.
Māngere-Ōtāhuhu is a local government area in Auckland, in New Zealand's Auckland Region. It is governed by the Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board and Auckland Council. It is within the council's Manukau Ward.
Ambury Regional Park is a regional park situated on the coast of Manukau Harbour, in Auckland in New Zealand's North Island. It is situated in the suburb of Māngere Bridge and in the local board area of Māngere-Ōtāhuhu, to the west of Māngere Mountain.
Pukaki Creek is an estuarine river of the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It flows south from its sources in Māngere and Papatoetoe, entering into the Manukau Harbour. The creek is adjacent to Auckland Airport and Pūkaki Marae.
The Oruarangi Creek is a stream in Māngere, in the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It flows from Māngere into the Manukau Harbour.