Doesn’t the name Whau River sound intriguing? The Whau River isn’t actually a river. It is an estuarial arm of the Waitemata Harbour. This means it’s more like a wide bay where the river meets the sea.
The Whau River stretches 5.7 kilometers. It begins where the Avondale Stream and Whau Stream meet. The Whau flows north until it opens into the Waitemata Harbour. It is between Te Atatu Peninsula and Rosebank Peninsula. At its widest point, the Whau is 800 meters wide. Near its mouth, it narrows to 400 meters.
If you look closely, you will see the estuary extends past Glendene and Kelston. Wairau Creek is a small tributary. The tide flows up Wairau Creek to Sabulite Road in Kelston. It also flows up Rewarewa Creek to Clark Street and Wolverton Road in New Lynn. The mouth of the Whau is a protected area. It is called the Motu Manawa or Pollen Island Marine Reserve.
The Whau River gets its name from the native whau tree. The geology here consists mainly of marine and river sediment. Mangroves and weeds thrive on the intertidal banks.
The Whau River’s catchment area is 29 square kilometers. It includes areas like Te Atatu South and Glendene. Kelston, Titirangi, and New Lynn are also included. The landscape is made of clay, sandstone, and mud. This formed about 20 million years ago when the land rose from the sea.
Long ago Maori used the Whau River as a portage. They called it Te Toanga Waka. This was a key route between the Waitemata Harbour and the Manukau Harbour. Maori paddled canoes up the Whau River and Avondale Stream. Then they carried them over land to Green Bay on the Manukau. Portage Road reminds us of this. Seasonal Maori settlements once existed near the river’s mouth.
After European settlement people talked about building a canal. This canal would connect the Whau and the Manukau. A plan in 1907 proposed a 2.1 kilometer canal. It would have a cutting 40 meters deep. However the project was too expensive and was dismissed in 1921.
In 1841 logging began on the Whau River. Kauri timber was the target. In 1852 Dr. Daniel Pollen opened the first brickworks in West Auckland. It was located on the Rosebank Peninsula. By the late 19th century the Whau River became a clayworks hub. Of West Auckland’s 39 brick and clayworks, 23 were on the Whau.
European settlers used the Whau for transport. By 1865 there were five public wharves in New Lynn. Boats transported bricks, leather, glue and firewood. The last commercial vessel was the Rahiri. This flat-bottomed scow carried bricks and firewood until 1948. For almost a century factories dumped waste into the Whau.
In 1999 Friends of the Whau Inc. was formed. It aimed to restore the Whau’s ecology. They focused on revegetation and reducing pollution. The Whau River Catchment Trust was formed in 2012.
Since 2001 the West End Rowing Club has been based here.
Until 2010 the Whau River marked a boundary. It separated Waitakere City and Auckland City. Now the suburbs are administered by the Whau ward.
In 2015 construction began on the Te Whau Pathway. This walking and cycling path runs along the Whau River. It stretches from Te Atatu Peninsula to Olympic Park in New Lynn. The path will eventually reach Green Bay beach. This will connect the Waitemata and Manukau Harbours.
The Whau River is a place of history. It is a place of ecological restoration. It is a place of recreation.