Ahuriri Harbour
Ahuriri Harbour — also known as Ahuriri Lagoon or locally just Ahuriri — was a former estuary and tidal lagoon located on the eastern coastline of New Zealand's North Island, just north of present-day Napier. It stretched several kilometers from north to south, and covered roughly 4000ha, or 40 km².[1] Ahuriri was the final stop for the Tutaekuri and Waiohinganga Rivers, which made the lagoon and surrounding lands a sacred place to the native Māori. The European settlers also realised the importance of the area, particularly economically, and Napier was soon settled.
Cultural history[]
Napier was settled on an island in the harbour, known as Scinde Island (present day Bluff Hill) and soon became a prosperous region on New Zealand's east coast. Napier's growth then halted, as there was not enough flat land to construct on. The southern end of Ahuriri stretched between Scinde Island and the mainland, separating Napier from the settlement of Taradale, and many people moving into the region chose Taradale over Napier because of the abundance of land. In the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake much of Ahuriri was uplifted, exposing roughly 30 km² (3000ha) of seabed. This included a new land bridge between Napier and Taradale and in the years to come the towns grew in size. In 1968, Taradale amalgamated with Napier, forming Napier City.
Current use[]
The area of what was the Ahuriri Lagoon is now low-lying land, much of it used for agriculture. Hawke's Bay Airport occupies much of the southern end of the area, and the Napier suburb of Westshore occupies a thin strip between the coast and State Highway 2. A broad shallow river channel runs along the western edge and across the southern half of the reclaimed land, flowing into Hawke Bay at Ahuriri Estuary, to the west of Bluff Hill.
References[]
- Napier, New Zealand
- History of the Hawke's Bay Region
- Former bays