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Whatipu
Whatipu
Beach
	North Manukau Head, the entry point to the Manukau Harbour and the southern terminus of Whatipu Beach
	Coordinates: 37°01′48″S 174°28′48″E / 37.03000°S 174.48000°E
Location	Auckland Region, New Zealand

Whatipu is a remote beach on the west coast of the Auckland Region in the North Island of New Zealand. The Whatipu area has been managed as a scientific reserve by the Auckland Regional Council since 2002.^[1] The road to it is unsealed. To the south of Whatipu is Manukau Harbour. To the north is Karekare. Whatipu is located at the southern end of the Waitākere Ranges. Shifting sands have substantially changed the beach since the 1940s. Over 6 square kilometres has been added to the beach since then.^{[citation needed]}

Geography

Between 3 and 5 million years ago, tectonic forces between the Pacific Plate and Australian Plate uplifted the Waitākere Ranges and subsided the Manukau Harbour.^[2] Major features of Whatipu include Te Toka-Tapu-a-Kupe / Ninepin Rock and Paratutae Island, which are remnants of the Miocene era Waitākere Volcano.^[2] From the 1930s to the 1960s, sandy material began accumulating at Whatipu, creating a 1.5 km strip of sand, where plants and fresh water swamps developed.^[3]^[4]^[2] Much of the sandy material was formed from Paorae, a former flat sand dune that eroded in the 18th century.^[2]

The Whatipu area is predominantly an Exposed Coastal Ecosystem, dominated by sand dunes and pōhutukawa trees, as well as saltspray tolerant species such as Urostemon kirkii, taupata, Veronica obtusata and horokaka. The hilly Waitākere Ranges areas further from the beaches are dominated by a warm lowlands pūriri forest, with a narrow band of mānuka-dominated band of Stormy Coastal Hill Ecosystem.^[5]

Pre-European history

The legendary voyager Kupe is said to have visited Whatipu when exploring New Zealand. Te Toka-Tapu-a-Kupe / Ninepin Rock at the southern end of Whatipu are named after his visit.^[6] In pre-European times the area was actively used by Māori, living along the coastline and river valleys.^[7] There are caves about 20 minutes walk from the carpark, but there is no access from the caves to the beach. These caves and rock shelters were used as refuges during times of war between the 16th and 18th centuries.^[7] Textile remains such as fishing nets, baskets, cloak fragments were collected from four archeological sites in the area in the early 1900s: one at Whatipu and three on Paratutae Island to the south east.^[8]

European history

Whatipu was part of the Hikurangi purchase by the Crown in 1853. The Te Kawerau tribe had reserves set aside at Bethells Beach and Piha.^[9]

HMS Orpheus ran aground just inside the Manukau Harbour entrance south of Whatipu in 1863 with the loss of 189 lives. It was the biggest shipping disaster in New Zealand history.^[10]

Nicholas Gibbons, a sawmill operator in St Johns, Newfoundland, came to New Zealand in 1853. In March 1854 they purchased land in the Waitakeres and started a large timber milling operation in Whatipu and the wider area that would last until the 1870s.^[11] The timber mill was built at Whatipu in 1867 to service the kauri trade. The Whatipu Stream was dammed during the establishment of the mill.^[12] A tramline was built to a second timber mill three kilometers north in 1870, and eventually extended up to Piha and Anawhata. The mills closed in 1886 when the kauri ran out. While the timbermill was open, mill workers used the larger caves in the area were as a popular venue for meetings,^[13] and in the early 20th century the largest cave was used for dances, but sand has since drifted into the cave and the dance floor is now covered by five metres of sand.^[14]

In the latter 19th century, Whatipu was used as black market port, where perfume, spirits and tobacco were smuggled into New Zealand.^[15] A road connecting Whatipu to Auckland was constructed in the 1920s.^[16]

Modern history and in the media

In 2005, the remains of a man who had been missing for four years were found by police at Whatipu's Destruction Gully. It was speculated that the man was the victim of an accident during fishing on the Manukau Harbour.^[17] In 2006, the location was featured on Ghost Hunt, a New Zealand paranormal television show.^[18] In the 21st century, Whatipu has been used for the Wild Turkey Off-Road Half Marathon/15 km.^[19] The Whatipu Beach Beacon is a lighthouse of the area.^[20]

Notable buildings

Whatipu has four category II Auckland Council heritage listings. These are: Whatipu Lodge, an unnamed dwelling, Whatipu Wharf, and a commemorative plaque at Paratutai.^[11]

Recreation

The Whatipu beach does not have a surf patrol. Swimming may not be safe due to rips, in common with all beaches west of Auckland.

Whatipu is the starting point for the Whatipu-Gibbons Track & Kura-Omanawanui Tracks, a six-hour return walking track. It leads up the hill to the right of the carpark and is clearly marked.^{[citation needed]} It follows the top of the cliffs to the Pararaha Valley where it descends to the beach at Pararaha point. It then follows the beach back to Whatipu. Paratutae Rock at the harbour entrance is difficult and particularly dangerous to climb down.^[21] The Kura-Omanawanui Tracks are the other notable walk out of Whatipu. Follows Kura Track eastwards alongside the stream through bush, then climbs steeply to Puriri Ridge and the Whatipu Road. Back via Omanawanui Track, a switchback ridge in open bush with views across the Manukau Harbour and the Whatipu valley to the west coast. Time 4 hours.^[22]

References

^ "Whatipu Scientific Reserve". 23 October 2010. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Hayward, Bruce (2009). "Land, Sea and Sky". In Macdonald, Finlay; Kerr, Ruth (eds.). West: The History of Waitakere. Random House. pp. 10, 13–14, 21. ISBN 9781869790080.
^ Williams, P (1977). "Progradation of Whatipu Beach 1844–1976". New Zealand Geographer. 33: 84–89. doi:10.1111/j.1745-7939.1977.tb00857.x.
^ Blue, Brendon; Kench, Paul S (2017). "Multi-decadal shoreline change and beach connectivity in a high-energy sand system". New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research. 51 (3): 406–426. Bibcode:2017NZJMF..51..406B. doi:10.1080/00288330.2016.1259643. ISSN 0028-8330. S2CID 88564668.
^ "Native to the West: A Guide for Planting and Restoring the Nature of Waitakere City" (PDF). Waitakere City Council. April 2005. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
^ "Unknown date". Manukau's Journey - Ngā Tapuwae o Manukau. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections. MJ_8007. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
^ ^a ^b McKendry, Lisa (2017). "Māori Cordage from Te Wao Nui a Tiriwa, Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand". Journal of Pacific Archaeology. 8 (2).
^ McKendry, Lisa (2017). "Māori Kākahu (Cloak) Fragments from Piha: Whakaari Pā". Records of the Auckland Museum. 52: 59–70. doi:10.32912/RAM.2018.52.4. ISSN 1174-9202. JSTOR 90016662. Wikidata Q104815051.
^ Dave Pearson Architects Ltd. Liebergreen Cottage - A Conservation Plan. Auckland Regional Council.
^ Julie Miller; Grant Osborn (October 2005). Ghost Hunt: True New Zealand Ghost Stories. Penguin Group New Zealand, Limited. ISBN 978-0-7900-1012-0. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
^ ^a ^b Dave Pearson Architects limited (September 2000). Whatipu Lodge - A Conservation Plan. Auckland Regional Council.
^ Hayward, B. W.; Diamond, J. T. (1975). "Kauri Dam Sites in the Waitakere Ranges" (PDF). Tane. 6: 105–120. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
^ 7 super Auckland parks to visit this summer Retrieved January 2012
^ "Auckland Beaches". Jasons Travel Media.
^ Kerr, Ruth (2009). "Head for the Hills". In Macdonald, Finlay; Kerr, Ruth (eds.). West: The History of Waitakere. Random House. p. 325. ISBN 9781869790080.
^ Grant, Simon (2009). "Call of the Wild". In Macdonald, Finlay; Kerr, Ruth (eds.). West: The History of Waitakere. Random House. p. 313. ISBN 9781869790080.
^ Whatipu remains end four-year search for missing man Retrieved January 2012
^ TV.com. "Ghost Hunt (NZ): Abandoned Psychiatric Hospital". CBS Entertainment. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
^ Auckland - stuff.co.nz Wild Turkey Off-Road Half Marathon/15km – Auckland – stuff.co.nz Retrieved January 2012
^ Leading lights in New Zealand – Life & Style – NZ Herald News Retrieved January 2012
^ Day Walks of Greater Auckland, Marios Gavalas and Peter Jansson, Page 68. Reed Publishing 2003
^ Walking the Waitākere Ranges, Alison Dench & Lee-Ann Parore, p.150