Te ara

Using Te Ara -

The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

1. Waitemata Harbour

L.I. Develop our knowledge of Auckland and the Tamaki River.

Familiarise ourselves with an online NZ encyclopaedia.

Use our skimming and scanning skills.

Use this link to open Te Ara

Enter Waitemata into the search box and use that page to answer these questions.

What sort of landform is the Waitemata harbour?  wellington

Why was it chosen to be New Zealand’s capital? In 1865, Wellington became the capital city of New Zealand, replacing Auckland, where William Hobson had placed the capital in 1841.

What does Waitemata mean?

Waitemata means obsidian waters.

Tell me one interesting fact about each of these features of the Waitemata:

Auckland’s chief port - Auckland’s port on the Waitematā was vital to the progress of the city and region.

Viaduct basin - The Viaduct Basin, site of the old fishing harbour, was redeveloped in the mid-1990s as a site where the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron could host the America’s Cup in 1999 and 2003.

Westhaven - The Westhaven Marina, with 1,800 berths, is the largest managed marina in Australasia, and a symbol of Aucklanders’ love of sailing. Other marinas have been constructed around the harbour.

Harbour bridge - The Auckland Harbour Bridge (1,020 m long) was opened in 1959 to link the Auckland isthmus with the north.

Greenhithe bridge - The Greenhithe Bridge was built in 1975 as an alternative harbour crossing, spanning the upper Waitematā from Hobsonville to Greenhithe on the North Shore.

Natural features - Natural features of the Waitematā include Meola reef (also known as Te Tokoroa, meaning ‘a long reef’), a rocky sub-marine promontory. It was formed by lava flowing from the Three Kings eruption 20,000 years ago.