Geologically the peninsula consists of Waitemata Sandstone on top of folded and uplifted greywacke.

The Māori name Tāwhara-nui refers to "the abundant bracts of the kiekie vine".

[5] Until the 1870s, the park was occupied by a small hapū (sub-tribe) of the Te Kawerau people called Ngati Raupo.

A significant pā, Oponui, was near the entrance to the park and above the stream outlet was Pa-hi (meaning "lofty fortified settlement").

Waikokowai (Anchor Bay) provided a valued source of kokowai or red ochre, which was used for decorative and ceremonial purposes.

Tāwharanui was sold by the Māori owners in 1873–1877 and developed as a farm by the Martin, Jones and Young families.

Shingle was extracted for a hundred years, creating the Jones Bay Lagoon.

Tawharanui Peninsula statistical area covers the area east of Matakana and Sandspit, including Ōmaha, Point Wells, Baddeleys Beach-Campbells Beach and Buckleton Beach.