“What stories does this beach hold?” I wonder. Welcome to Bradleys Beach. It is a contiguous settlement on the southern side of Tāwharanui Peninsula. It is located in the Auckland Region of New Zealand. The beach lies on Millon Bay. This bay is a part of Kawau Bay.
Let’s journey back to the geological formation of Bradleys Beach. The Millon Bay area primarily consists of Waitemata Group sandstone. The bay that you see today formed at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum. This occurred when the sea level rose about 130 meters. This happened between 13000 and 6000 years ago. Imagine this area covered by kauri and other native trees in the 19th century.
Now let’s explore the Māori history of Bradleys Beach. The mana whenua here are Ngāti Manuhiri. Their story begins with the Moekākara migratory waka. It arrived in New Zealand at Te Waka Tuwhenua near Goat Island. Ngāti Manuhiri descend from the people of Moekākara. They also come from Te Kawerau people of the Auckland Region. These people descent from the Tainui waka. They are also from Ngātiwai of Northland.
In the mid-17th century, the warrior Maki migrated from the Kāwhia Harbour. He moved to his ancestral home in the Auckland Region. Maki conquered many of the Tāmaki Māori tribes. This included Ngāi Tāhuhu. They lived in the Bradleys Beach area. Maki’s sons, Manuhiri and Maraeariki, settled here. Ngāti Raupō descended from Maraeariki. They focused on the Tāwharanui Peninsula. Ngāti Manuhiri settled the Whangateau Harbour north to Pākiri.
By the mid-1700s, Marutūāhu tribes sought control of the shark fishery. This fishery was located on the Mahurangi coast. This is between Kawau Island and the Whangaparāoa Peninsula. War broke out between Ngāti Pāoa and the Kawerau hapū. A major battle occurred at Te Ngaere, near Millon Bay. By the early 19th century, Kawerau-descended hapū held exclusive land rights to Mahurangi. Fishing rights were shared with the Marutūāhu tribes.
During the Musket Wars of the 1820s, most of Ngāti Manuhiri fled. They returned in the 1830s.
The early colonial period brought changes to Bradleys Beach. In 1839, Ngāti Pāoa members sold the Te Pau block. The buyers were European settlers Thomas Millon and James Skelton. This area was about 5000 acres. It included Bradleys Beach. After the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, land purchases were reviewed. Millon retained 2560 acres. This alienated Ngāti Manuhiri from their lands. In 1841, the Crown undertook the Mahurangi Purchase. This included all land between Takapuna and Te Ārai. By the 1860s, over forty European families settled in the wider Matakana area. The kauri forests around Millon Bay were logged. The land was cleared for dairy farms by the Baddeley and Campbell families.
Bradleys Beach developed as a residential community in 1958. Many beachfront areas in Auckland were being developed then. Former farmland was sold for building baches. Many were built in the mid-1960s. These were upgraded to permanent dwellings. A second surge in housing development began in the mid-1990s.
Today, Bradleys Beach Reserve and Campbells Beach Reserve offer public access. They provide basic amenities for all to enjoy. Take a moment to appreciate the beautiful views. Think about the rich history beneath your feet here at Bradleys Beach.