Mahurangi Harbour

Description

Mahurangi Harbour is a natural harbour in New Zealand. It is located on the north-eastern coast of the Auckland Region near the town of Warkworth, and empties into the Hauraki Gulf.

It’s a drowned river valley. Approximately 17,000 years ago during the Last Glacial Period when sea levels were significantly lower, the freshwater Mahurangi River flowed into the vast coastal plain that existed where the modern Hauraki Gulf exists. The river met the Waitematā Harbour (then a river) east of Kawau Island, and flowed north-east between modern day Little Barrier Island and Great Barrier Island, eventually emptying into the Pacific Ocean north of Great Barrier Island. The modern harbour formed approximately 7,200 years ago at the end of the last glacial maximum, when the forested valley was flooded by rising sea levels.

The Mahurangi Harbour was settled by the Ngāti Rongo people of Ngāti Whātua/Te Kawerau descent, between the 17th and 20th centuries. Te Muri, to the south of the harbour’s mouth, was a major settlement of Ngāti Rongo until the death of rangatira Te Hemara Tauhia in 1891. After being extensively hunted in the 19th century, southern right whales have returned and can again sometimes be seen in Mahurangi Harbour.