Kiwi Esplanade Explained

Kiwi Esplanade
Length Km:2.5
Length Ref:[1]
Postal Code:2022
Location:Māngere Bridge
Coordinates:-36.9403°N 174.7729°W
Direction A:West
Terminus A:Ambury Regional Park
Direction B:East
Terminus B:Coronation Road

Kiwi Esplanade is a coastal street in Māngere Bridge, Auckland, New Zealand, following the shore of the Manukau Harbour. A public walkway connects Ngā Hau Māngere Bridge in the east to Ambury Regional Park in the west. The shoreline is notable for the visible pāhoehoe lava flows, which originated from Māngere Mountain.

Geography

Kiwi Esplanade follows the coast of the Manukau Harbour. It is the best example of pāhoehoe lava flows found in New Zealand,[1] which were created by an eruption from an eruption by Māngere Mountain approximately 50,000 years ago.[2] These were protected from erosion by a thick layer of volcanic ash, and were exposed relatively recently due to erosion by the sea.[3] Additionally, ʻaʻā lava flows can be found along the esplanade.[1]

The shoreline has a mix of rocks, reefs and mudflats.[1]

Biodiversity

The Kiwi Esplanade shore was selected as an Area of Significant Conservation Value (ASCV), due to the pāhoehoe lava flows and it being a significant area for native bird species, such as the South Island oystercatcher.[4] [1] The annelid Heteromastus filiformis is one of the most common benthic species, and the shore is home to many species including Austrovenus stutchburyi (New Zealand cockle).[4]

History

The shores of the Manukau Harbour have been inhabited by Tāmaki Māori since at least the 14th Century.[5] The first archaeological sites along Kiwi Esplanade date to the 15th Century.[6] While there are relatively few archaeological sites along the shoreline compared to Ambury Regional Park in the southwest, this is most likely to due sites being destroyed, and not a lack of use.[6] Archaeological middens along Kiwi Esplanade show that Austrovenus stutchburyi (tuangi / cockles) were primarily what were eaten from the shore.[6] The area to the west of Kiwi Esplanade, near the Manukau Yacht & Motor Boat Club, may have been a launching point for waka.[7]

The first shop in Māngere Bridge opened at the corner of Kiwi Esplanade and Coronation Road in the early 1880s.[8] The eastern section of the walk was first designated as a recreational reserve in 1912.[9]

The road was developed during the Great Depression in the 1930s,[8] although the first references to Kiwi Esplanade come from 1928.[10] The name may have been a nickname of a local resident, Mrs Kewene.[8] The Manukau County Council erected bathing sheds along Kiwi Esplanade in 1938.[11] Kiwi Esplanade was the subject of a Robert Sullivan poem written in 1987.[12]

In 2005 as a part of the removal of the oxidation ponds along the Māngere shoreline, a coastal walkway was constructed along Kiwi Esplanade. The walkway runs through Ambury Regional Park and Ōtuataua Stonefields, and forms a section of the Te Araroa Trail, a walking trail between the most northern and southern parts of New Zealand.[13]

Features

Notes and References

  1. 168-169.
  2. Book: Hayward . Bruce W. . Bruce Hayward . Volcanoes of Auckland: a Field Guide . . 978-0-582-71784-8 . 2019. 426–436.
  3. Māngere Town Centre Historic Heritage Survey . . Matthews & Matthews Architects . Clough & Associates . JP Adam . RA Skidmore Urban Design . November 2013 . 27 April 2023.
  4. Environmental Condition and Values of Mangere Inlet, Whau Estuary and Tamaki Estuary . Shane. Kelly. . 978-1-877483-72-1. 2008 . 27 April 2023.
  5. News: Russell . Alexia . The Detail: Why Ihumātao has opened up rifts among Māori . 30 July 2019 . . 30 July 2019 . 29 July 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190729194432/https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/114596689/the-detail-why-ihumatao-has-opened-up-rifts-among-maori . live.
  6. Web site: Archaeological investigations of site R11/2125, 63 Kiwi Esplanade, Mangere Bridge (HNZPTA authority 2018/046). Trilford. Danielle. CFG Heritage . 28 November 2017 . 21 October 2021.
  7. Web site: 1994 . History of the Ambury Area - Auckland Regional Council Ambury Regional Park Management Plan 1994 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120730114220/http://arc.govt.nz/albany/fms/main/Documents/Parks/Parks%20history/Archaeology%20and%20brief%20history%20of%20the%20Ambury%20area.pdf . 30 July 2012 . Auckland Council. 6 July 2021.
  8. Web site: Māngere Bridge, Māngere East and Favona Built Heritage Survey . June 2016 . Auckland Council. 24 October 2021.
  9. Web site: 7 November 1912 . MJ_1675 . Manukau's Journey - Ngā Tapuwae o Manukau . Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections . 27 October 2021.
  10. News: Papers Past. Page 3 Advertisements Column 3 . The Sun . II . 318 . 31 March 1928. 3.
  11. News: Papers Past. Local and General . . LXXV . 23196 . 16 November 1938. 14.
  12. News: Papers Past. Landfall amid breaking seas . The Press. 29 August 1987. 23.
  13. Web site: 11 March 2005 . MJ_7048 . Manukau's Journey - Ngā Tapuwae o Manukau . Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections . 19 May 2023.
  14. Web site: Malcolm . Patterson . Ngati Whatua o Orakei Heritage Report for State Highway 20; Transit Manukau Harbour Crossing . 21 March 2008 . . 21 October 2021.
  15. Lawlor. Ian. 2009_07_21 - Ian Lawlor (Lost Villages of Manukau MHS Presentation). Lost Villages of Manukau (Presentation). en.
  16. News: New Mangere Bridge. . . LII . 15931 . 31 May 1915 . 5 . Papers Past . 2 January 2022.
  17. Web site: Ambury to Waikaraka Path . . 19 May 2023.
  18. Web site: November 1961 . MJ_3804 . Manukau's Journey - Ngā Tapuwae o Manukau . Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections . 19 May 2023.
  19. Web site: Kiwi Esplanade . . 19 May 2023.
  20. Web site: Manukau Yacht & Motor Boat Club Roll of Honour . . 17 February 2017 . 19 May 2023.

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