Ambury

Nestled on the shore of the Manukau Harbour, Ambury Regional Park is a working farm, an important education centre and a birdwatchers paradise with a volcanic history - all just 15km from central Auckland.

The park sits on ash-covered lava flows from Mangere Mountain and has views across the harbour to the Manukau Heads and Waitakere Ranges. It takes its name from the Ambury Milk Company, which milked cows and ran a town milk supply farm here from 1893-1965. Free to wander through the park but please leave gates as you find them.

The farm animals at Ambury are family favourites. You will see sheep, goats, cows, pigs, pet lambs (in spring), a horse, chickens, turkeys, rabbits and peacocks. Grassy lanes between the animal enclosures help you get up close to the animals safely.

Alternatively feel free to go into the paddocks to mingle with them (except during lambing in late July and August). Also, between the months of April and November, jersey cows are milked once a day at 10.30am. This milk is used to feed calves and pigs.

History

Nearby Mangere Mountain was once the site of large fortified Māori pa and the area now known as Ambury Regional Park was used by Māori for gardening. Mangere Mountain erupted approximately 18,000 years ago and the park sits atop a lava field made fertile by ash from the volcano.

The area also provided easy access to seafood (kaimoana) and canoe launching sites for the various iwi (including Wia-o-Hua and Ngāti Whatua) who lived in and around the pa. The park and the Otuataua Stonefields to the south of it are the only places in Auckland where Māori stone structures remain on public land. Stone mounds at Ambury mark pre-European gardening sites.

The dry stone walls bordering the drive into the park date from the mid 1800s when farmers from Cornwall and Scotland built them. Volunteers have worked to restore the walls. You can also see the remains of a windmill and wells that were part of the Ambury Milk company. 

Wildlife

The coastal marine area adjoining the park is rich in marine life and is an important local feeding ground for wading birds, including those migrating from the Northern Hemisphere. The Manukau Harbour is recognized as being of international importance for shore bird habitats. Two artificial shell islands lying off the coast in the area formerly occupied by the oxidation ponds are important roosting sites for waders at high tide.

The coastline of the park is irregular with rocky lava outcrops and islands, small muddy or shelly inlets and large mudflat areas. Each habitat type is occupied by characteristics assemblages of animals and plants. Above high-tide mark, the rocks are covered in yellow lichen and in moist crevices there are small coastal plants such as shore pimpernel, remuremu, yellow bachelor's button and occasional seas spurry.

Small patches of mangroves occur amongst the rocky outcrops, particularly on the southern coastal boundary of the park. Here also are scattered small rock oysters. Large numbers of mud snails and mud crabs inhabit the mudflat surfaces.

Beneath overhangs and under rock, mud crabs, small anemones, snapping shrimps, sandhoppers, small whelks, black rock snails and catseyes can be found. There are also large numbers of rubbery shore slugs. Cockles, pipi and large wedge shells inhabit the sandy mud.

Native bush

Comprises mainly of pastures with shelter belts of native and exotic species along fencelines. Most native plantings occur along Ambury Road and around the Visitor Reception Centre.

The foreshore comprises areas of salt-tolerant plants, interspersed with some gorse. In some places this grades through salt meadows of glasswort, remuremu, Muehlenbeckia, and sea rush into small estuarine pockets of mangrove.

Two springs supply ephemeral ponds in the north-west areas of the park. Few aquatic plants have established in the ponds as these area are grazed to the water's edge and the ponds have silted up.