It is located at the southern end of the Waiuku River, which is an estuarial arm of the Manukau Harbour, and lies on the isthmus of the Āwhitu Peninsula, which extends to the northeast.

Settled in the 13th or 14th centuries, the Waiuku area was an important transportation hub, as the Te Pai o Kaiwaka portage was the preferred route for people travelling between the Waikato River and Manukau Harbour.

Ngāti Te Ata developed as a union between Waiohua and Waikato Tainui peoples, around the 17th century at Waiuku.

The name recalls the story of a Ngāti Kahukōkā woman of high rank who was choosing between two suitors, Tamakau and Tamakae.

[5] The Waiuku area was an important due to Te Pai o Kaiwaka, a portage which was the main route for transport between the Waikato River and the Manukau Harbour.

The route followed the Awaroa Stream to the northernmost navigable point, after which waka were hauled overland to the Waiuku River.

[5] The Waiohua hapū Ngāti Kahukōkā began occupying the southern Manukau Harbour and Waikato River mouth around the 15th century.

[15] In the 17th century, Ngāti Kahukōkā were led by Te Ata-i-Rehia, granddaughter of Huakaiwaka, the eponymous ancestor of the Waiohua, a major confederation of iwi of the Tāmaki isthmus and South Auckland areas.

[5] Continuing to face invasions from neighbouring tribes, Te Ata-i-Rehia married the Ngāti Mahuta chief Tapaue.

[17][22] In March 1822, a Ngāpuhi taua (war party) led by Hongi Hika attacked the Āwhitu Peninsula settlements.

[23] As a result of the Musket Wars, the Waiohua and Waikato hapū of the southern Manukau developed closer ties.

[24] The first Europeans to live in the area arrived in September 1836, when Robert Maunsell chose Moeatoa as the location of the first Manukau Harbour Christian Missionary Society station.

[25] By the late 1830s, Ngāti Tamaoho chief Ēpiha Pūtini began envisioning the Waiuku area as a planned European settlement, which would facilitate trade between the Manukau Harbour and the Waikato River.

[28] By 1856, the Māori village of Purapura was established to the south of Waiuku, at the northernmost point on the Awaroa Creek navigable by waka.

[30] One of the founders of St Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Waiuku in the 19th century was Captain Sir John Makgill.

Most people refused due to strong links to Tainui, leaving for the south before the Government's Invasion of the Waikato.

[37] September saw a number of skirmishes between Ngāti Tamaoho and related hapū and the Mauku Company of Forest Rifles, led by Daniel H.

After a period, some members of Ngāti Te Ata when some of the confiscated lands were returned,[37] many living at Moeatoa Marae, opposite the modern Glenbrook Steel Mill, where the Christian Missionary Society mission had been located.

[42] Waiuku developed as a town when refrigeration made dairy farming financially viable in the late 19th century.

[40] Development of the area was slow, in part due to the shallow port on the Waiuku River hindering ships at low tide.

[44] The first great Waiuku fire occurred on 28 August 1916, which destroyed many of the shops and offices to the east of Queen Street.

[39] Over time, Waiuku has developed into a service centre for the surrounding rural area,[51] and residence for many New Zealand Steel employees.

The first local government in the area were the Waipipi and Waiuku Highway Districts, which were formed in 1867 to administer road upkeep and public works projects.

The residents of Waiuku elect a local board, and one councillor from the Franklin ward to sit on the Auckland Council.

The logs were found during some excavation work at New Zealand Steel and gifted to the local iwi (tribe), Ngati Te Ata.

The Reserve also has a small historic "village" with several restored buildings including Hartmann House, dating back to 1886, now operating as a local craft studio, Pollock Cottage (1890), Waiuku Jail (1865) and The Creamery (1890s).

The nearby Waiuku Museum has colonial era memorabilia, Māori artifacts, old sailing boats and historic photographs.