Tāwharanui Regional Park

Tāwharanui Regional Park
Tāwharanui Regional Park
Location	Rodney, Auckland, New Zealand
Coordinates	36°22′20″S 174°49′37″E / 36.3721894°S 174.8269492°E / -36.3721894; 174.8269492Coordinates: 36°22′20″S 174°49′37″E / 36.3721894°S 174.8269492°E / -36.3721894; 174.8269492
Operated by	Auckland Council

Tāwharanui Regional Park is a regional park on the Tāwharanui Peninsula in the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located in Rodney, east of Warkworth and north of Auckland.^[1]

The park covers 588 hectares of land at the end of the peninsula, and is owned and managed by Auckland Council.^[2][1]

Geography[]

The park combines a "mainland island" sanctuary for the conservation of native plants and animals with farmland and public recreation areas. The park is mostly grazed pasture with manuka scattered throughout and patches of coastal forest. The most significant area of coastal forest is in the central eastern part of the park where kauri and rimu dominate the ridges, with puriri, taraire, tawa and, less often, rewarewa and nikau in the valleys. Elsewhere there are totara, kahikatea, pohutukawa, cabbage trees, karaka and New Zealand flax.^[3]

Sixteen species of native land birds and 15 species of native coastal birds have been recorded in the park. Wetland birds include the Australasian bittern, spotless crake and fernbird. Coastal birds include the New Zealand dotterel, blue reef heron and variable oystercatcher.^[4]

History[]

The mainland island was created by the construction of a 2.5 km pest-proof fence across the peninsula in 2004. An aerial drop of poison later in 2004 which eliminated black rats, brown rats, feral cats, possums, weasels, stoats and ferrets. However, some introduced pests, like mice, rabbits and hedgehogs, remain in the sanctuary.^[5]

The Tawharanui Open Sanctuary Society assists Auckland Council with the sanctuary by fundraising and volunteer work.^[5]

References[]