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.