The name literally means "The Waters of Tara", referencing Tara Te Irirangi, a Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki rangatira of the early 19th Century.

[4] The tidal creek flows into Pukewairiki, a volcanic maar that erupted an estimated 130,000 years ago.

[7] The creek is in the traditional rohe of Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki.

[1][2] In 2007, a 210 metres (690 ft) bridge was constructed at the mouth of the creek along Highbrook Drive, as a new motorway exchange to connect East Tāmaki to the Auckland Southern Motorway.

[8] In June 2016, the Ōtara Waterways & Lake Trust was formed, as a community organisation that focused on the clean-up and revitalisation of the creek.