A-Z of NZ Locations, New Zealand

A-Z of NZ Locations – Kaipara Harbour

Suzanne

The Kaipara Harbour is the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. Due to its size, it encompasses Dargaville in the north and stretches south to Helensville. At the same time, five major rivers wind inland, fragmenting the landscape and making it challenging to explore. It is a vast, enormous area, as the harbour covers 947 sq km at high tide and over 3000km of shoreline.

A few snaps around the shoreline

Looking over the harbour near Pahi

Roads lead down peninsulas to half-forgotten settlements with no through routes. However, this remoteness adds to Kaipara’s charm, as it’s a region full of surprises.

Pahi

Like most Kaipara settlements, Pahi was booming in the late 1800s when the extensive kauri forests were felled and milled. Roads were few, and transport was by water. Today, the Pahi waterfront is a picturesque area dominated by a massive Moreton Bay fig tree planted around 1840. This magnificent tree is recognised as one of the world’s largest. The following measurements were taken in 2011. Height 25.7 metres; Girth 14.8 metres; Spread 51.0 metres

Near Matakohe, we visited the Kauri Museum, much to the delight of the Squire, who is interested in anything to do with wood. On this visit, we learned something about the area’s history, especially the importance of kauri. Seeing the harbour today, it is hard to imagine the kauri forests that once grew thickly right down to the riverbanks.

It was kauri that brought many Europeans to the area – as bushmen, saw-millers, gum diggers and traders. Many people moved on when the boom ended, while others stayed as settlers. At the museum, we were amazed to see representations of the massive fallen trees, some much bigger than the giant Tane Mahuta. A kauri slab 22.5 metres long dominated one room while we admired beautifully crafted kauri furniture in another wing. The museum also has many kauri gum exhibits, including a Māori chief, a sailing ship crafted from gum, and insects cleverly entombed in amber. Where once kauri was considered a resource, the remaining pockets of kauri forest are now treasured.

At nearby Tanoa, a small church nestled into the landscape. It was built in 1874 by the missionary William Gittos, who established a mission here after overcoming tapu connected with the slaughter of local Māori by Ngāpuhi. It was another place with a turbulent history, but it was now tranquil.

Port Albert

If you take a side road meandering through picturesque farmland, you will arrive at Port Albert. Early pioneers imagined the Kaipara area would eventually have a city larger than Auckland on its shores because of its expansive size. Those settlers arrived from England to find only bush-covered plots of land beside the river, where they expected a bustling settlement. Yet again, we discovered a virtual ghost town, the scenery as empty as the Albertlanders found in the 1860s – except now the bush was gone.

The Jetty

We strolled around the area that was once going to be a city; its main point of interest was now the long wooden jetty that stretched out into the Oruawharo River. A nearby memorial commemorated the settlers.

Minniesdale Chapel and Cemetery

The Chapel and an expansive harbour vista in B&W, the colour version wasn’t a clear image.

Driving west on the Okahukura Peninsula, we came to an area where most settlers in Port Albert and the surrounding area were nonconformists. These Wesleyans and Methodists built churches as a priority, and Minniesdale Chapel is the oldest surviving in the area. The Rev Brookes brought the framework and stained glass windows from England and set them up in this beautiful position overlooking the river. Spending some time exploring the pretty, Category 1-listed building was a privilege. The chapel’s white-painted exterior gleamed, and ornate fretwork completed the picture. Inside, the woodwork was unpainted, and the simple bench seats and pulpit exuded calm. Windows framed the waterside scene.

A variety of walking tracks run through this area. The Kaipara Harbour’s incredible scenery and thought-provoking history make it a special place to visit.

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Published by Suzanne

I'm a lover of creativity and movement, expressed through photography, words, travel and sports. . . . . . .

29 thoughts on “A-Z of NZ Locations – Kaipara Harbour”

    1. Yes, she meanders around and around. I think it would be a lovely place to be on a boat and lose yourself in the various harbour inlets. Though, I’m not sure how viable that is.

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  2. So many places of which I’ve never heard, Suzanne. Such a beautiful far reaching harbour, and those trees are gigantic, while the chapel is beautiful. I love the figs with crazy roots too. Andrew Petcher was here the other day. He’s down in Cadiz now and I saw a photo on Facebook of one of his friends posed within the embrace of a fig earlier today. Small world, really, isn’t it?

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    1. So, good to introduce you to new places, Jo. It is a small world. Cadiz was a very enjoyable place to stay for Les and I, many good memories during the festive season. I am a big tree lover and nature never ceases to amaze me, like those fig trees.

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    1. Agreed, we are very effective without thought to the future with our natural resources. At the moment, the kauri in our local forest (Kaimais) are fighting off the Kauri Dieback. Fingers crossed they win the battle as it is a treat to see these trees in their natural habitat.
      I would imagine most locals would not have seen all of what the Kaipara Harbour offers. You two had much to see else where, impossible to see everything, isn’t it?

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    1. Hi Suzannne, thanks very much and pleased you enjoyed the post. The fig tree can be found in Australia too. I haven’t seen a Banyan Tree in real life though the images show that they too are magnificent trees.

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    1. Apologies for the late reply it has been one of those weeks, the ones that you wish never happened 😉 It is a beautiful area and a chapel with an ocean view is special.

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  12. It’s a shame we strip away all the old growth trees. I do love that picture of the tree but if it’s just from 1840 imagine what it must have replaced. Thanks for sharing your travels with us.

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    1. Thanks Jennifer as we are only a young country as far as NZ Europeans go, not long before 1840 is when written documentation was done on life in NZ. Maori are a culture where knowledge is passed down verbally via discussion, pūrākau (legends) or waiata (song).

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  13. Enjoyed this read Suzanne and you’ve enlightened me! Here I was thinking that Port Jackson/Sydney Harbour was the largest (natural) harbour in the southern hemisphere…
    The photo of the chapel is delightful and it’s wonderful to see that these lovely heritage buildings are being looked after. Would love to see a photo of inside the chapel looking out of a window out to the harbour.

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    1. Nilla, thanks 🙂 Regarding Kaipara Harbour being the largest, our Department of Conservation thinks it is. Perhaps the difference is the word natural as in its natural state and not having a city attached to it? Hope the travels are going well?

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      1. No idea, but you’ve educated me anyway… 😉

        Travels are going really well and just crossed the border from North Macedonia to Sofia, Bulgaria. Getting closer to the Ukraine and although no response for volunteering yet, we’ve decided to fo there and door knock.
        I’m way behind in my posts and have 53 posts in draft…I’ll never catch up at this rate!

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