Whau River facts for kids
The Whau River is like a long arm of the southwestern Waitemata Harbour in Auckland, New Zealand. It's not really a river, but more like an estuary. An estuary is where a river meets the sea and the tide comes in. This waterway flows north for about 5.7 kilometers (3.5 miles). It starts where the Avondale Stream and Whau Stream join together. The river then flows out into the harbour between the Te Atatū peninsula and the long, thin Rosebank Peninsula.
At its widest, the Whau River is about 800 meters (2,600 feet) across. At its mouth, it is about 400 meters (1,300 feet) wide. The estuary passes by the suburbs of Glendene and Kelston. It sits between Auckland City to the east and Waitakere City to the west. There's a small side arm called the Wairau Creek in the southwest. The tide flows quite far up the Wairau Creek and also up the Rewarewa Creek into New Lynn. The area at the mouth of the estuary is a special protected place called the Motu Manawa (Pollen Island) Marine Reserve.
The Whau River gets its name from a native New Zealand tree called the whau (Entelea arborescens).
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History of the Whau River
Early Māori Use
Long ago, Māori used the Whau River as a travel route. They would paddle their canoes from the Waitemata Harbour (on the Pacific Ocean side) to the Manukau Harbour (on the Tasman Sea side). They paddled up the Whau River and the Avondale Stream. Then, they carried their canoes a short distance over land to Green Bay on the Manukau Harbour. This portage route is remembered in the name Portage Road, which runs next to the Avondale Stream. Māori also had seasonal settlements near the river's mouth.
For many years after European settlers arrived, people talked about building a canal to connect the Whau and Manukau harbours. Plans were made in 1907 for a 6.9-kilometer (4.3-mile) long canal. However, these plans were considered too expensive in 1921 and were not carried out.
European Settlement and Industry
European settlers also used the Whau River for moving goods by boat. By 1865, there were five public wharves in New Lynn. Boats carried products from local businesses. These included brickworks, a leather tannery, a glue factory, and firewood. The last commercial boat to use the Whau was a flat-bottomed scow called the Rahiri. It carried bricks and manuka firewood until 1948. For almost a hundred years, factories like the tannery and an abattoir (a place where animals are processed for meat) released waste directly into the Whau.
Protecting the River
In 1999, a group called Friends of the Whau Inc. was formed. Their goal is to help the Whau River's environment recover. They do this by planting native trees and working to reduce pollution. Another group, the Whau River Catchment Trust, was started in 2012.
The West End Rowing Club has been based on the Whau River since 2001.
In 2015, work began on the Te Whau Pathway. This is a walking and cycling path along the western side of the Whau River. It will stretch from Te Atatū Peninsula to Olympic Park in New Lynn. The plan is for the path to continue all the way to Green Bay beach. This will connect the Waitemata Harbour to the Manukau Harbour, just like the old Māori portage route.
Geography of the Whau River
The land around the Whau River is mostly made up of marine and river sediments. These are materials like sand, silt, and clay that have been deposited by the sea and rivers over time. The banks of the river, where the tide goes in and out, often have mangrove trees and some non-native plant species.
The area that drains into the Whau River is called its catchment. This catchment covers about 29 square kilometers (11 square miles). It includes all or parts of many suburbs. These include Te Atatū South, Glendene, Kelston, Titirangi, Titirangi North, Green Bay, New Lynn, Glen Eden, Avondale, Blockhouse Bay, and Mount Albert. The edges of this catchment area generally follow roads like Te Atatu Road, Titirangi Road, Hillsborough Road, Richardson Road, and Rosebank Road. The land in the catchment is made of clay, sandstone, and mud. It was formed about 20 million years ago when the land was lifted up from the sea.
