Piha Stream

Piha Stream
Piha Stream seen from Lion Rock
Map
Route of the Piha Stream
Piha Stream is located in Auckland
Piha Stream
Mouth of Piha Stream
Piha Stream is located in New Zealand
Piha Stream
Piha Stream (New Zealand)
Native nameWaiokahu
Location
CountryNew Zealand
RegionAuckland Region
Physical characteristics
SourceWaitākere Ranges
 • coordinates36°56′42″S 174°31′30″E / 36.945°S 174.525°E / -36.945; 174.525
MouthTasman Sea
 • coordinates
36°57′12″S 174°28′05″E / 36.9534°S 174.4681°E / -36.9534; 174.4681
Basin features
ProgressionPiha Stream → Tasman Sea
LandmarksPiha
Tributaries 
 • leftGlen Esk Stream
 • rightCentennial Stream, McKenzie Stream, Maungaroa Stream, Slipper Gully, Ingram Stream
BridgesPiha Eel Foot Bridge

Piha Stream is a stream of the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It flows westwards from its sources in the Waitākere Ranges through Piha village, and enters the Tasman Sea south of Lion Rock.

Geography

The stream begins in the Waitākere Ranges near the junction of Piha Road and Anawhata Road. It flows westwards towards the Tasman Sea, joined by a number of tributaries: Centennial Stream, McKenzie Stream, Maungaroa Stream, Glen Esk Stream, Slipper Gully and Ingram Stream.[1] The upper section of the Piha Stream features a small canyon,[2] and an estuary is found at the mouth of the stream.[3]

Biodiversity

The stream is a known habitat for the shortjaw kōkopu and giant kōkopu,[4] and the pouched lamprey.[5]

History

The stream is in the rohe of Te Kawerau ā Maki, and was given the name Waiokahu by the ancestor Rakataura of the Tainui migratory canoe,[6] who named it "The Waters of Kahu" after his wife Kahukeke, who found the Piha Valley area beautiful.[7] The stream was used as a place by Tāmaki Māori to catch piharau (lampreys) as they ascended from the ocean.[1]

The Black Rock Dam was built around the year 1910 on the Piha Stream, as a driving dam for kauri logging.[8]

In 2008, a new footbridge was constructed across the Piha Stream. Designed by local artist Mandy Patmore, the bridge depicts the lifecycle of the New Zealand longfin eel.[9][10]

Recreation

The Piha canyon is a place where abseiling can be done.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Piha Stream". New Zealand Gazetteer. Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  2. ^ a b "www.newzealand.com". Archived from the original on 22 May 2010. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
  3. ^ Intertidal Life Around the Coast of the Waitakere Ranges, Auckland (PDF) (Report). Auckland Regional Council. January 2004. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  4. ^ Te āhua o te Rohe o Te Ika Whenua o Waitākere 2018 - State of the Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area 2018 (PDF) (Report). Auckland Council. May 2018. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  5. ^ Miller, Allison K; Timoshevskaya, Nataliya; Smith, Jeramiah J; Gillum, Joanne; Sharif, Saeed; Clarke, Shannon; Baker, Cindy; Kitson, Jane; Gemmell, Neil J; Alexander, Alana (1 July 2022). "Population Genomics of New Zealand Pouched Lamprey (kanakana; piharau; Geotria australis)". Journal of Heredity. 113 (4): 380–397. doi:10.1093/jhered/esac014. ISSN 1465-7333. PMC 9308044. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  6. ^ Taua, Te Warena (2009). "He Kohikohinga Kōrero mō Hikurangi". In Macdonald, Finlay; Kerr, Ruth (eds.). West: The History of Waitakere. Random House. pp. 40–41. ISBN 9781869790080.
  7. ^ "History of Piha through its Maori names: Te Piha talk". piha.co.nz. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  8. ^ Dench, Alison; Parore, Lee-Anne (2014). Walking the Waitakere Ranges: 45 Coastal and Bush Walks (4th ed.). Auckland: New Holland Publishers. pp. 62–65. ISBN 978-1-86966-426-8. OCLC 894037427. OL 30857674M. Wikidata Q123383221.
  9. ^ "Art/Design Bridges". Waitakere City Council. Archived from the original on 14 May 2010. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  10. ^ Waitakere City Council (3 October 2008). "Piha footbridge opened". Scoop. Retrieved 10 November 2023.