Tamaki River

The Tamaki River is, despite its name, mostly an estuarial arm and harbour of the Hauraki Gulf, within the city of Auckland in New Zealand. [http://www.teara.govt.nz/Places/Auckland/AucklandPlaces/13/en Tāmaki River] (from Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Accessed 2008-06-07.)] It extends south for 15 kilometres from its mouth between the Auckland suburb of Saint Heliers and the long thin peninsula of Bucklands Beach, which reaches its end at Musick Point.

The inlet extends past the suburbs of Glendowie, Glen Innes, Tamaki, Panmure, and Otahuhu to the west, and Sunnyhills and Pakuranga to the east.

It has several smaller "tributary arms" which extend from it: the Pakuranga Creek and Otara Creek in the east, and the Otahuhu Creek and Panmure Basin in the west. The Otahuhu Creek forms the eastern shore of the narrowest point on the Auckland isthmus: here it is less than two kilometres to the waters of the Manukau Harbour, an arm of the Tasman Sea.

History

Portage Road is the location of one of the historical portage overland routes between the two coasts. Here the Maori would beach their waka (canoe)s and drag them overland to the other coast, thus avoiding having to paddle around North Cape. This made the area of immense strategic importance in both pre-European times and during the early years of European occupation.

In 1865, the estuary was first crossed by a bridge, located at Panmure, to improve connection between Auckland and Howick. Stones and steel had been imported from Australia, [ [http://www.teara.govt.nz/Places/Auckland/AucklandPlaces/13/ENZ-Resources/Standard/7/en Panmure Bridge] (from Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Accessed 2008-06-07.)] possibly reflecting the still very basic nature of industrial construction in the young colony.

Transport

Due to its extent north-south and its position between Auckland City and its eastern neighbour Manukau City, the River is a natural barrier to traffic, especially as only two bridges cross it, both heavily trafficked and increasingly incapable of taking the peak hour flows. The AMETI scheme has the resolution of this bottle-neck as one of its goals.

The Tamaki River also has a marina / ferry wharf at Half Moon Bay, from where commuter ferries depart for the Auckland CBD and car ferries for Waiheke Island. Many yachts are also moored in its relatively well protected interiors.

References