Atiu Creek
The farm was gifted to the ARC by Jackie and Pierre Chatelanat who wanted to ensure that all New Zealanders could enjoy access to the Kaipara Harbour and that the cultural and heritage values of the area would be protected in perpetuity. In 2004, the Chatelanats placed a QE II Open Space covenant on Atiu Creek Farm.
Atiu Creek became a Regional Park on July 1, 2006. The ARC will develop the park as a countryside Regional Park, managed and operated on the principles of protection, preservation and enhancement of its natural and cultural values. This park was officially opened to the public on Saturday 5 April 2008.
Park facilities
- Bach -
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- Mobility access (partial)
This farm park is accessible using all-terrain mobility equipment, and some paths are suitable for the more powerful models of mobility scooter. For special access provisions contact us on 09 366 2000, or click here for a PDF fact sheet about limited mobility access at Atiu Creek.
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- Accessible picnic table
The picnic table has been designed to accommodate a wheelchair at the end. Some assistance may be required to push the wheelchair to the table.
- Campervan access
Summer and Winter: Self contained campervans can stay for 1 night in the SCC carparking area.
- Interpretation
- Limited mobility parking
The surface of the car park is loose gravel, however there are wide grassed areas on the perimeter of the car park where it is possible to park your car and push your wheelchair over the grass. There is no defined parking and none designated for mobility parking.
- Limited mobility toilet
There are wheelchair accessible toilets in the main car park toilet block.
- Native bush
- Parking
In main area
- Pram access
Access for prams is possible around most of the park following the formed roads. The roads have a good surface for off-road prams to explore the views or walk to the harbour. There are steep sections of road and you may need to lift your pram over gates at times.
- Toilet block
History
The cultural and historical assets of Atiu Creek are equally impressive.
There are 17 known historic places on the farm plus a canoe portage area and an abandoned nineteenth-century oyster farm adjacent to the site.
The tangata whenua are Te Uri o Hau. There are numerous pa sites, including the extensive ridge pa which defended the strategic Opou Portage. The early European presence in the area is marked by the remnants of a nineteenth-century settler camp.
Native bush
The park enjoys extensive harbour frontage and has large tracts of native forest supporting a range of flora and fauna. In addition to 450 ha of easy, rolling grassed land, the property contains a number of significant areas of native forest and wetlands in the gullies.
It provides significant habitats for the three nationally threatened bird species: the NZ dabchick, brown teal, and the North Island brown kiwi.
Forest types present on Atiu Creek include regenerating kanuka forest and scrubland, mature pohutukawa coastal forest, kauri forest on the ridges, and totara forest with broadleaved forest in the gullies.
On the prominent Kauri Point there are sequences of totara forest on ridges to coastal pohutukawa-puriri forest to mangroves in the estuary. The park has intact areas of coastal forest which are now rare nationally.
