Mangemangeroa Creek is a tidal estuary and stream 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 ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

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 ...

. The creek forms a border between metropolitan

East Auckland East Auckland () is one of the major geographical regions of Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand. Settled in the 14th century, the area is part of the traditional lands of Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki. The area was developed into farmland in the ...

and the rural countryside around Whitford.

Etymology

The name of the creek in

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

means "The Long Valley of the Mangemange Vine", referring to ''

Lygodium articulatum ''Lygodium articulatum'', commonly referred to as mangemange or Bushman's mattress, is a fern endemic to the North Island forests of New Zealand. Mangemange is an endemic species and is unique compared to other ferns in the area due to the vine� ...

'' (mangemange). The plant was traditionally used by

Ngāi Tai Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English. ...

to construct fishing nets, ropes, and as a part of burial practices, and is now rare in the area. The name of the creek had various spellings in English in the 19th Century, including Mungaroa and Maungamaungaroa. The name Mangemangeroa was made official in 1991, after consultation with the Ngāi Tai Trust Board.

Geography

The Mangemangeroa Creek is a drowned valley system. The creek begins to the east of

Mission Heights Mission Heights is an eastern suburb of Auckland, New Zealand, comprising Mission Heights North and Mission Heights South. It is located in the wider suburb of Flat Bush. Demographics Mission Heights covers and had an estimated population ...

, and flows northwards. As the creek reaches the

Waitematā Harbour The Waitematā Harbour is the main access by sea to Auckland, New Zealand. The harbour forms the northern and eastern coasts of the Auckland isthmus and is crossed by the Auckland Harbour Bridge. It is matched on the southern side of the city ...

, it becomes a tidal estuary. Much of the surrounding land is farmland. Closer to the creek are areas forested with native trees, including

tōtara ''Podocarpus totara'' (), commonly known as the , is a species of Podocarpus, podocarp tree endemism, endemic to New Zealand. It grows throughout the North Island, South Island and rarely on Stewart Island, Stewart Island / Rakiura in lowland, ...

nīkau ''Rhopalostylis sapida'', commonly known as nīkau, is a palm tree endemic to New Zealand, and the only palm native to mainland New Zealand. Etymology is a word borrowed from the Māori language; cognates of this word in the closely related E ...

, karaka and

pūriri ''Vitex lucens'', commonly known as pūriri, is an evergreen tree endemic to New Zealand. History Pūriri was first collected (by Europeans) at Tolaga Bay by Banks and Solander during Cook's first visit in 1769. The plant was described by S ...

. The creek forms the border between the Howick and

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People and characters * Franklin (given name), including list of people and characters with the name * Franklin (surname), including list of people and characters with the name * Franklin (class), a member of a historic ...

local board areas.

History

Mangemangeroa was one of the locations visited by the ''

Tainui Tainui is a tribal waka (canoe), waka confederation of New Zealand Māori people, Māori iwi. The Tainui confederation comprises four principal related Māori iwi of the central North Island of New Zealand: Hauraki Māori, Hauraki, Ngāti Maniapo ...

'' migratory waka, as the crew explored the eastern bays of the

. The area was settled by

, a people who descended from Tainui, who settled there for the area's seafood resources, including

Spiny dogfish The spiny dogfish (''Squalus acanthias''), spurdog, mud shark, or piked dogfish is one of the best known species of the Squalidae (dogfish) family of sharks, which is part of the Squaliformes order. While these common names may apply to several ...

(pioke) found in the estuary. Numerous Ngāi Tai and

Ngāti Pāoa Ngāti Pāoa is a Māori ''iwi'' (tribe) that has extensive links to the Hauraki and Waikato tribes of New Zealand. Its traditional lands stretch from the western side of the Hauraki Plains to Auckland. They also settled on Hauraki Gulf islands ...

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, middens and other archaeological sites have been found in the area, most notably Te Mangemangeroa Pā, constructed at the highest point in the valley, to the south of the tidal estuary. Near Broomfields Road is a traditional of stepping stones across the creek. Fish traps were constructed by Ngāi Tai in the creek, and some of these were still visible as late as the 1980s. Early European farmers in the area included the McAuley and Somerville families. The last Ngāi Tai inhabitants left the area in the 1870s. The first wooden bridge across the creek was constructed in the 1860s. Wharfs beside the bridge were used as docking points for ferries, transporting goods and passengers. A new concrete bridge was constructed in April 1935. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, home guard soldiers dug trenches along the creek. In August 1994, the

Manukau City Council Manukau City was a territorial authority district in Auckland, New Zealand, that was governed by the Manukau City Council. The area is also referred to as "South Auckland", although this term never possessed official recognition and does not ...

purchased land that bordered the creek, at the request of

Forest & Bird Forest & Bird (), also known by its formal name as the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand, is an environmental organisation specialising in the protection and conservation of New Zealand's indigenous flora and fauna and u ...

. This became the Mangemangeroa Reserve, which officially opened on 25 November 2000.

Amenities

A walking track exists on the northern/western banks of the creek, between

Shelly Park Shelly Park is a suburb of East Auckland, in northern New Zealand. The suburb is in the Howick ward, one of thirteen electoral divisions of the Auckland Council. It is named after the beach of the same name. Geography Shelly Park is located ...

and the Mangemangeroa Reserve.

References

Bibliography

* * *

External links

Friends of Mangemangeroa website
{{Subject bar, auto=y, d=y Bays of the Auckland Region Howick Local Board Area Franklin Local Board Area Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki Estuaries of the Auckland Region East Auckland