The Local Area
The Cape Rodney – Okakari Point Marine Reserve, also known as Goat Island, is bounded by Parkiri Beach to the north and Omaha Bay to the south. Pakiri Beach is a jewel of the Hauraki Gulf famous for its white sand and great surf. A 52 hectare piece of land along Pakiri Beach that includes 900 metres of sandy coastal foreshore and stands of mature coastal pohutukawa tree were purchased by the Auckland Regional Council in 2005.
Greater Omaha Bay, which encompasses Leigh, Matheson Bay, Ti Point, Whangateau Harbour and Omaha Beach is a popular for fishing, boating, diving, surfing and other recreational pursuits. The region contains a high diversity of marine life and this stretch of coastline is used extensively for research in marine science and conservation.
Cultural Heritage
Motu Hāwere (Goat Island)
Motu Hāwere is of central importance to the identity of Ngāti Manuhiri. The area is an iconic reminder of the early origins of Ngāti Manuhiri and their links with the earlier iwi of the area, including Ngāi Tāhuhu.
Motu Hāwere which shelters Wakatūwhenua, has the longer traditional name of Te Hāwere ā Maki. This sacred name is associated with Maki who led the conquest of the area in the late seventeenth century. Maki was the father of Manuhiri, the founding ancestor of Ngāti Manuhiri. The mana and mauri of this name and landmark, and the waters that surround it, is thus of immense significance to the iwi. The island was occupied as a pā by the Ngāti Manuhiri warrior ancestor Maeaea, who was a grandson of Manuhiri. It was on the basis of descent from Maeaea that Ngāti Manuhiri received title to Motu Hāwere in 1901.
The adjoining land was maintained as a kāinga and cultivation by Ngāti Manuhiri for many generations until after early European settlement. The land, known as the Wakatūwhenua Block, part of which forms the Leigh Recreation Reserve, was specifically reserved from sale to the Crown at the request of the Ngāti Manuhiri rangatira Te Kiri in 1861.
The alienation of Wakatūwhenua and Motu Hāwere are symbolic of the fragmentation and loss suffered by Ngāti Manuhiri in the colonial period. Ngāti Manuhiri nevertheless recognise the significant ecological, scientific, educational and recreational values of Motu Hāwere and Wakatūwhenua, and are committed to jointly conserving these values, as well as the area’s spiritual, cultural and historical values, into the future. (Source: Ngā Taonga o Ngāti Manuhiri).
Visit Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust website
The Marine Reserve
Cape Rodney – Okakari Point Marine Reserve is New Zealand’s oldest marine reserve established in 1975. It is a popular with locals and tourists alike for swimming, snorkelling and diving where you can see large snapper, schooling fish and a rich diversity of marine life in shallow water. Other activities at Goat Island include kayaking, the Glass Bottom Boat, and the coastal walk adjacent to the Discovery Centre offers a stunning view of the reserve and outer Islands of the Hauraki Gulf such as Little Barrier, Great Barrier and the Hen and Chickens.
The Discovery Centre
The Goat Island Marine Discovery Centre, situated adjacent the Leigh Marine Reserve is an educational facility run by the Auckland University’s Institute of Marine Science and Leigh Marine Laboratory. The centre was established in 2011 via donation by Lady Edith Winstone Blackwell, whose vision “that new knowledge brings new light” we carry on today.
The centre serves to educate visitors about research undertaken at the Institute of Marine Science, the wider marine environment, marine conservation, and the variety of species that inhabit New Zealand’s coastline. Aside from informative displays, visitors are able to get up close and personal with variety of marine organisms through our touch tank, aquaria, and big-eye microscope for a truly hands-on experience.
