The Tāmaki Strait is an area of the

Hauraki Gulf The Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana is a coastal feature of the North Island of New Zealand. It has an area of 4000 km2,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 strait is east of 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 ...

, and is located between

Waiheke Island Waiheke Island is the second-largest island (after Great Barrier Island) in the Hauraki Gulf of New Zealand. Its ferry terminal in Matiatia Bay at the western end is from the central-city terminal in Auckland. It is the most populated island ...

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 Pōhutukawa Coast. The area is sometimes referred to as ''The Back Paddock'' by sailors.

Geography

The Tāmaki Strait is located to the east of Auckland, south of

and north of the Pōhutukawa Coast. During the

Last Glacial Maximum The Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), also referred to as the Last Glacial Coldest Period, was the most recent time during the Last Glacial Period where ice sheets were at their greatest extent between 26,000 and 20,000 years ago. Ice sheets covered m ...

(known locally as the Ōtira Glaciation), the area was primarily a flat river valley, until between 12,000 and 7,000 years ago when sea levels rose. The westernmost points of the strait are

Rangitoto Island Rangitoto Island is a volcanic island in the Hauraki Gulf near Auckland, New Zealand. The wide island is a symmetrical shield volcano cone capped by central scoria cones, reaching a height of . Rangitoto is the youngest and largest of the appr ...

and Achilles Point, and the easternmost are

Ponui Island Ponui Island (also known as Chamberlins Island) is a privately owned island located in the Hauraki Gulf, 30km to the east of the city of Auckland, New Zealand. The island has an area of 18 km2 and is located to the southeast of Waiheke Isl ...

and Raukura Point. Within the strait is Te Matuku Marine Reserve, on the south-eastern coast of Waiheke Island. The strait is shallow, with the majority of the area being within 10 metres under sea-level.

History

The Tāmaki Strait 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

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 ...

. The area was explored by

Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki is a Māori people, Māori tribe that is based in the area around Clevedon, New Zealand, Clevedon, part of the Auckland region (''Tāmaki'' in the Māori language). It is one of the twelve members of the Hauraki Collective ...

ancestor Peretū. The strait's traditional name is Te Maraetai, meaning "Marae Enclosed by the Tides", referring to how the sheltered ocean of the strait acted like a flat marae ātea (marae entrance courtyard). An alternative name that was used was ("The Long Channel").

References

Bibliography

* *{{cite Q, Q118286377 , ref={{sfnref, La Roche, 2011 Landforms of the Auckland Region Hauraki Gulf Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki Straits of New Zealand