Ātiu Creek Regional Park is a

regional park A regional park is an area of land preserved on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, recreational use or other reason, and under the administration of a form of local government. Definition A regional park can be a special park distr ...

located south of

Ōruawharo River The Ōruawharo River is a river on the North Auckland Peninsula of New Zealand. It flows westward into the Kaipara Harbour west of Wellsford. It forms part of the boundary between the Northland region and the Auckland Region. The New Zealand ...

in the

Kaipara Harbour Kaipara Harbour is a large enclosed harbour estuary complex on the north western side of the North Island of New Zealand. The northern part of the harbour is administered by the Kaipara District and the southern part is administered by the Auck ...

in New Zealand's

North Island The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...

. It is located west of

Wellsford Wellsford () is a town on the Northland Peninsula in the northern North Island of New Zealand. It is the northernmost major settlement in the Auckland Region, and is northwest of the Auckland CBD. It is a major regional centre, being located at ...

and east of Tāpora on the Okahukura Peninsula, in Rodney in the

Auckland Region Auckland () is one of the 16 regions of New Zealand, which takes its name from the eponymous urban areas of New Zealand, urban area. The region encompasses the Auckland, Auckland metropolitan area, smaller towns, rural areas, and the islands o ...

and is run by

Auckland Council Auckland Council () is the local government council for the Auckland Region in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority that also has the responsibilities, duties and powers of a regional council and so is a unitary authority, according to t ...

Environment

The park is primarily farmland, on the Okahukura Peninsula adjacent to the Oruawharo River, on the eastern shores of the

, approximately west of the town of

. The Ātiu Creek, the namesake of the park, flows into the Oruawharo River in the park. The park is a mix of pastureland, exotic forest, wetlands, estuarial mangroves, and small areas of remnant native forest. Approximately a third of the park consists of regenerating native forest.

History

The park, alongside the other areas of the Okahukura Peninsula, have had a long history of occupation by

Tāmaki Māori Tāmaki Māori are Māori ''iwi'' and ''hapū'' (tribes and sub-tribes) who have a strong connection to Tāmaki Makaurau (the Auckland Region), and whose rohe was traditionally within the region. Among Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau (the M� ...

. In addition to the numerous archaeological sites found in the park, the eastern edge of the park was the location of the Opou portage, an important link between the

Oruawharo The Oruawharo Homestead is an historic Italianate homestead in the Takapau Plains, New Zealand. The homestead was designed by Charles Tringham for John Johnston, a wealthy upper-class landowner, who wanted a magnificent home for his newly-wed s ...

and the

Tauhoa Tauhoa is a rural community in the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island. State Highway 16 runs through the area, connecting to Wellsford 15 km to the north-east and Glorit 12 km to the south. Te Pahi Stream flows through t ...

rivers, two estuarial arms of the

. At the Opou portage, waka could be hauled a short distance between the two water bodies. The

mana whenua In New Zealand, tangata whenua () is a Māori term that translates to "people of the land". It can refer to either a specific group of people with historical claims to a district, or more broadly the Māori people who's common ancestors are bur ...

of the area are

Te Uri-o-Hau Te Uri-o-Hau (sometimes spelt Te Uri O Hau or Te Uriohau) is a Māori iwi (tribe) based around New Zealand's Kaipara Harbour. It is both an independent iwi and a hapū (sub-tribe) of the larger Ngāti Whātua iwi, alongside Ngāti Whātua-o-� ...

, a tribe of the

Ngāti Whātua Ngāti Whātua is a Māori iwi (tribe) of the lower Northland Peninsula of New Zealand's North Island. It comprises a confederation of four hapū (subtribes) interconnected both by ancestry and by association over time: Te Uri-o-Hau, Te Roroa ...

people. Members of Te Uri-o-Hau have erected a number of carved pou at the regional park. Archaeological sites relating to Te Uri-o-Hau in the regional park include Ōporo and Whakahurunga

pā The word pā (; often spelled pa in English) can refer to any Māori people, Māori village or defensive settlement, but often refers to hillforts – fortified settlements with palisades and defensive :wikt:terrace, terraces – and also to fo ...

sites, nohanga (temporary seasonal settlements related to food gathering) and urupā. During the colonial era of New Zealand, the park was forested. Most of the trees were milled for timber, and after

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the land was subdivided into farm blocks. The park was gifted to the

Auckland Regional Council The Auckland Regional Council (ARC) was the regional council (one of the former local government authorities) of the Auckland Region. Its predecessor the Auckland Regional Authority (ARA) was formed in 1963 and became the ARC in 1989. The ARC ...

by Pierre and Jackie Chatelanat in 2006, whose family had first acquired the land in 1951. This was the largest block of land gifted to the people of Auckland since

John Logan Campbell Sir John Logan Campbell (3 November 1817 – 22 June 1912) was a Scottish-born New Zealand public figure. He was described by his contemporaries as "the father of Auckland". Early life John Logan Campbell was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on ...

gifted Cornwall Park in 1901 although Cornwall park is in Trust and not owned by Auckland Council. It was officially opened as a regional park two years later in April 2008. Since opening, the regional park has continued to be run as a working sheep and cattle farm. Approximately 13,000 people visited the park in 2015, which increased to 45,000 annual visitors in 2020.

Recreation

The park is a popular location for walking, mountain biking and horse riding. The park is also the location of campgrounds, and has been used an events space for multi-day festivals.

References

{{Subject bar, auto=y, d=y 2008 establishments in New Zealand Regional parks of the Auckland Region Rodney Local Board Area Tourist attractions in the Auckland Region Farmed protected areas of New Zealand Protected areas established in 2008