Whatipu Lagoon Reflection

Description

Whatipu is a remote beach on the west coast of the Auckland Region in the North Island of New Zealand. The Whatipu area has been managed as a scientific reserve by the Auckland Regional Council since 2002. To the south of Whatipu is Manukau Harbour. To the north is Karekare. Whatipu is located at the southern end of the Waitākere Ranges. The Whatipu area is predominantly an Exposed Coastal Ecosystem, dominated by sand dunes and pōhutukawa trees. The hilly Waitākere Ranges areas further from the beaches are dominated by a warm lowlands pūriri forest, with a narrow band of mānuka-dominated band of Stormy Coastal Hill Ecosystem.

In the latter 19th century, Whatipu was used as black market port, where perfume, spirits and tobacco were smuggled into New Zealand. A road connecting Whatipu to Auckland was constructed in the 1920s. The Whatipu Beach Beacon is a lighthouse of the area.