Ripirō Beach is a sandy stretch on the west coast of Northland,

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 ...

, extending from the

Maunganui Bluff Maunganui Bluff is a prominent coastal bluff located on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island, in the Northland region. Known locally as ''The Bluff'', it is set in a scenic reserve and rises above sea level. Maunganui Bluff marks th ...

in the north down the

Pouto Peninsula The Pouto Peninsula is a landform on the northern Kaipara Harbour in Northland Region, Northland, New Zealand. The Peninsula runs in the north west to south east direction and is approximately 55 km long. The width varies from about 5.4&nbs ...

to 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 ...

mouth in the south. At 66 miles (107 km) long it is the longest driveable beach in New Zealand, longer than the more famous but erroneously named Ninety Mile Beach further north. It is straight, and backed by high sand dunes for most of this length. The beach incorporates the coastal settlements of Baylys Beach, Glinks Gully and Omamari. The swamp at Omamari was drained in 1898, in order for the area to be dug for

kauri gum Kauri gum is resin from kauri trees (''Agathis australis''), which historically had several important industrial uses. It can also be used to make crafts such as jewellery. Kauri forests once covered much of the North Island of New Zealand, bef ...

. This beach is home of the famous local shellfish delicacy the toheroa.

Overexploitation Overexploitation, also called overharvesting or ecological overshoot, refers to harvesting a renewable resource to the point of diminishing returns. Continued overexploitation can lead to the destruction of the resource, as it will be unable to ...

in the 1950s and 1960s caused the population of the shellfish to decline so much that public gathering of the shellfish is now prohibited. It is the site of numerous shipwrecks, with 110 confirmed shipwrecks on Ripirō Beach and neighbouring Kaipara Harbour recorded between 1834 and 1994. Notable ships wrecked on Ripirō Beach include the French corvette '' L'Alcmene'' (1851) and the yacht ''Askoy'' (1994).

History

In either 1807 or 1808 at Moremonui Gully where it enters Ripirō Beach, 19 kilometres (12 miles) south of Maunganui Bluff,

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 ...

ambushed

Ngāpuhi Ngāpuhi (also known as Ngāpuhi-Nui-Tonu or Ngā Puhi) is a Māori iwi associated with the Northland regions of New Zealand centred in the Hokianga, the Bay of Islands, and Whangārei. According to the 2023 New Zealand census, the estimate ...

in the

Battle of Moremonui The battle of Moremonui (, or , ) was fought between Ngāti Whātua and Ngāpuhi, two Māori ''iwi'' (tribes), in northern New Zealand in 1807 or 1808. The Ngāpuhi force had a few muskets, making this the first occasion Māori used muskets in ...

, the first Māori battle to involve muskets, initiating a larger conflict which became known as the

Musket Wars The Musket Wars were a series of as many as 3,000 battles and raids fought throughout New Zealand (including the Chatham Islands) among Māori people, Māori between 1806 and 1845, after Māori first obtained muskets and then engaged in an inte ...

."Traditional Maori Concepts: Utu"
Ministry of Justice.

References

*http://www.kauricoast.co.nz/Feature.cfm?wpid=6344 *http://www.newzealand.com/int/article/pouto-peninsula-and-ripiro-beach/ *http://www.northlandnz.com/about/features/northland_must_dos/west_coast/ripiro_kai_iwi/ {{Kaipara District Kaipara District Beaches of the Northland Region