Waikōwhai

Waikōwhai has the largest block of native forest left on the Auckland isthmus.

Today the forest block hosts a valuable sample of Auckland's original fauna and flora.

Waikōwhai Walkway extends for 10 km (6.2 mi) linking Onehunga to Lynfield Cove.

[3] The name Waikōwhai (sometimes spelt Waikowai) is mentioned on early European maps of the area and in newspapers from the 1850s.

A traditional trail existed at Waikōwhai, linking Te Tōanga Waka (the Whau River portage) in the west to Onehunga in the east.

[4] There are two known sites of significance in the Waikōwhai area, that are recorded on the 1853 map of the Manukau Harbour by Commander B. Drury: the Cape Horn headland is the recorded location of a fortified pā called Matengarahi, and the modern day Wattle Bay area, a site where many shell middens have been found, was called Taunahi.

[4] The land at Waikōwhai was purchased through Robert FitzRoy's pre-emptive waiver scheme on 26 March 1844, as a part of Deed 208.

[7][4] Waikōwhai Bay was a popular destination for swimmers, day-trippers and picnickers in Auckland during the early 20th century.

Gradually the bay lost popularity in the 1930s, due to increased pollution in the Manukau Harbour.

View of the Manukau Harbour from Waikōwhai