Whakanewha

On the south side of the Waiheke Island, Whakanewha Regional Park is known for its mature coastal forest with taraire, kohekohe and old kanuka trees, cascading streams, and sweeping crescent-shaped beach cut in two by a forested headland.

A large wetland is home to some uncommon birds, bittern, banded rail, spotless crake and the New Zealand dotterel. 

At high tide the water is shallow, warm and ideal for children. Picnic spots on the foreshore are plentiful. At low tide a broad expanse of sandy tidal flats is revealed. The beach is divided into two sections by the pa promontory.

Whakanewha means "to shade the eyes from the setting sun." The site became a regional park in 1994 and was officially opened in 2007.

History 

Whakanewha is steeped in Maori and European history. The flat land was cultivated by Maori for centuries, once supplying the growing needs of early Auckland. Above the beach's rocky promontory is the remains of an extensive pa. Near the Poukaraka wetland you can see the remains of the hearth from a 19th century settler's cottage. 

Wildlife

The dotterel (tuturiwhatu) is a ground dwelling bird that is very vulnerable to predators, including cats and dogs. With the help of volunteers, the Whakanewha dotterel breeding programme has become one of the most successful in the country. Variable oystercatchers (torea-pango), white-faced heron (matukumoana), pied stilts (poaka), Caspian terns (Taranui), paradise ducks (putangitangi) and godwits (kuaka) are also sometimes spotted on the tidal flats while to the south of the beach a large wetland is home to bittern (matuku), banded rail (mohopereru) and spotless crake (puweto).

Native bush

Waiheke Island carefully guards is status as a possum free island. The absence of these pests means forests and wildlife in and around them to thrive. There are five main vegetation types on the park, including coastal forest in the valleys and hill slopes, pasture, manuka and kanuka scrub, dune vegetation of both saline and wetland species, and wetland vegetation. Taraire, puriri, karaka, kohekohe, pohutukawa and tawa dominate the coastal broadleaf forest and emerging nikau and tree ferns occur in the gullies. A few kahikatea, tanekaha, rimu kauri, miro and matai are present. Kowhai occur in the Cascades area and there are kowhai groves on the pa site and Upland Road track.