Waitemata research

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?

It’s a drowned river valley.

Why was it chosen to be New Zealand’s capital?

It was chosen to be New Zealand’s capital because it was also known as the Auckland Harbour.

What does Waitemata mean?

Waitemata was a New Zealand parliamentary electorate

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

Auckland’s chief port - Ngāti Whātua's lands border four harbours - Hokianga, Kaipara, Waitematā and Manukau

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 - Westhaven Marina, with 1,800 berths, is the largest managed marina in Australasia, and a symbol of Aucklanders’ love of sailing.

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 The Tokoroa, meaning ‘a long reef’), a rocky submarine promontory.