Aotea Harbour


Aotea Harbour is a settlement and smallest of three large natural inlets in the Tasman Sea coast of the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located between Raglan Harbour to the north and Kawhia Harbour to the south, 30 kilometres southwest of Hamilton.

Geography

Aotea Harbour is a drowned valley system following the post glacial Aranuian sea level rise of over 100m in the last 14,000 years, but its level may also be influenced by the Makomako and Te Maari faults. It has a high-tide area of and a low-tide area of.
54% of the area around the harbour is in sheep and beef grazing. Since 1850 native forest cover has declined from 98% to 28%, about 18% managed by the Department of Conservation.
Waireinga/Bridal Veil Falls is located on Pakoka River, and Lake Disappear is on Pakihi Stream, both of which flow into Aotea Harbour.

Wildlife

Common plants around the harbour are Cotula coronopifolia, Sarcocornia quinqueflora, Avicennia marina, Apodasmia similis, Selliera radicans, Plagianthus divaricatus, Paspalum vaginatum, Samolus repens, Juncus krausii, Zostera novazelandica, Austrostipa stipoides, Isolepis cernua, Spartina anglica, Schoenoplectus pungens, Baumea juncea, Cordyline australis, Olearia solandri, Dacrycarpus dacrydioides, Leptospermum scoparium, Bolboschoenus fluviatilis, Coprosma propinqua, Cortaderia selloana, Cortaderia jubata and Typha orientalis.
Birds recorded in the harbour include white faced heron, South Island oyster catcher, godwit, pied stilt, black backed gull, red billed gull, swan, Canada goose, spur-winged plover, New Zealand dotterel, Royal spoonbill, kingfisher, pied shag, fernbird, paradise duck, Caspian tern, white-fronted tern and gannet.
The commonest fish species in the harbour are anchovy, flounder and yellow-eyed mullet.
Orca, bottlenose and common dolphin occasionally enter the harbour.

Marae

Several Waikato Tainui marae are located around Aotea Harbour. Te Tihi o Moerangi Marae and meeting house are affiliated with Ngāti Mahuta and Ngāti Te Weehi. Mōtakotako or Taruke Marae and Te Ōhākī a Mahuta meeting house are affiliated with Ngāti Mahuta, Ngāti Te Weehi and Tainui Hapū. Te Papatapu or Te Wehi Marae and Pare Whakarukuruku meeting house are affiliated with Ngāti Mahuta and Ngāti Te Weehi.

Demographics

The meshblocks around the edge of the harbour had these census results -
The population was once much larger. For example, about 200 lived at Makaka in 1880.

Roads

The harbour has few roads giving access to it. Aotea village and Okapu have a road linked to SH31, near Kawhia. A gravel road links SH31 to Makomako. Just north of Makomako, at Maari Stream, two roads link to Te Mata; Te Papatapu Rd follows the edge of the harbour for over. Kawhia Rd runs east via Lake Disappear and Waireinga/Bridal Veil Falls. Phillips Rd branches from Te Papatapu Rd, giving access to some areas north of the harbour.
The beaches were initially a main route and were linked by boat across the harbour entrance.
About 1880 Te Papatapu Rd was built from Te Mata, but from Te Papatapu the route was across the harbour at low tide.
The bridges over the Maari and Makomako streams were built about 1918, though the road linking Kawhia and Te Mata was not usable until about 1926. They were replaced by concrete bridges in 1970.
When Makomako School was built in 1925, timber and other supplies were taken by road to Pakoka landing, but then rafted across the harbour and up the stream to a point near the school.
The roads were metalled in the 1930s.
From 1938 to 1952 public buses linked Kawhia and Raglan.

Education

Makomako School was just above the junction of Makomako Road and the Te Mata-Kawhia Road. It was open from 26 October 1925 to 1981, or 1983. Makomako and the area north of it are now in the catchment area for Te Mata School, though the school buses only reach to Te Papatapu Road.
From 1899 to 1904 there was a school at Raoraokauere mission station.