Welcome to the archive images of Tamaki Makaurau
Week 15
04/02/06
Muriwai
Muriwai (muri - end, wai - water), means backwater or junction of streams, is a 30 minutes drive west of Auckland City and has a 50km stretch of beach which extends up to the Tasman Sea to the mouth of the Kaipara Harbour. Muriwai is a rugged, picturesque and most spectacular black sand surf beach. At its southern end is Otakamiro Point, the site of New Zealand's few mainland Gannet (Takapu) breeding colonies. It is also home to White fronted terns (Tara), Blue penguins and Fur seals (Kekeno). The fur seals can be seen at Oaia Island, just 1.6 km off the cost. About 1,200 pairs of adult gannets nest at Takapu Refuge each summer and can be seen between August and March each year.
Next week I'll share the pictures of the Takapu Refuge
Maori Bay, south of Muriwai Beach, looking towards Motutara Island
Motutara Island
The gap between Motutara Island and the mainland
Rock boulders on the beach
Columnar-jointed basalt examples in the rockface behind
the carpark at Maori Bay
A cave entrance which is accessible during low tide
Inside the cave, looking out towards Oaia Island through the other entrance
A close-up of Oaia Island
Starfish inside the cave
Large fan-shaped features on the cliffs at Maori Bay. These are believed to be
the main feeder tubes that supplied molten lava to the advancing front of the flow
The beautiful black sand which twinkles like a million stars is due to the
presence of iron particles in the sand. It is amazing to see how a magnet
draws out all those iron particles in the sand
Motutara and Oaia Islands
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Suzette Bothma
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