Matiatia, Waiheke Island

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Contents 1 Context 1.1 New Zealand 1.2 hauraki gulf 1.3 Waiheke Island 2 Waiheke Geography 3 Population 3.1 Local 3.2 2001 census statistics 3.3 Population Growth 3.4 Visitors/Tourists 3.5 Seasonal Change 4 Politics 5 Connections 5.1 Ferry 5.2 Plane 5.3 Bus 5.4 Car 5.5 Freight 5.6 Other 6 History 6.1 Name 6.2 Ecology 6.3 Inhabitants 6.3.1 1000's 6.3.2 1200's 6.3.3 1300’s 6.3.4 1600's 6.3.5 1700's 6.3.6 1800’s 6.3.7 1900's 6.4 Ferry 7 Geology 8 Ecology/Vegetation 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Nature and Quality of Rock Wall Habitats 8.3 Subtidal Silt/Sandy Habitat 8.3.1 Nature and Quality 8.4 Marine Organisms of Subtidal Silty Sand habitat 8.5 Gravel and Rock Intertidal Area at the South east Corner of the Bay 8.6 Fish 8.7 Birds 8.8 Vegetation 9 Cultural Fabric 9.1 Existing facilities 9.2 Demographic 9.3 Areas usage of Tourism and Residential 10 HOW WAIHEKE IS MARKETED 10.1 ATTRIBUTES THE ISLAND IS SOLD ON 10.2 ACTIVITIES THE ISLAND IS SOLD ON 10.3 WHO THE MARKETING IS AIMED AT 10.3.1 Up-Market tourist 10.3.2 Family day out/day visit/events 10.3.3 Backpacker/traveller 10.3.4 Adventure seeker 10.3.5 Living 11 Existing Programme 11.1 Car Park 11.2 Ferry Port 11.3 Cafe 11.4 Car Rental 11.5 Bus 11.6 Activities & Adventure 12 Waitemata Infrastructure Limited 13 Design Competition 14 References 15 External links

Context

New Zealand

hauraki gulf

• The Hauraki Gulf consists of 10 large islands and more than 55 smaller ones. The gulf stretches from Great Barrier (the largest), 90 kilometres off central Auckland, down to Waiheke, 17 kilometres off the city. The gulf is within the ring of fire and some areas are still volcanicly active such as Rangitoto island.

• Aucklanders have the highest amount of boat ownership in the country with up to 30% of people owning boats of some kind and the Hauraki gulf is their play ground
• The Hauraki gulf is sheltered by its islands on its seaward side it has many harbours and havens and this is what makes it reknown to boaties throughout the southern hemisphere.
• These islands are warm and could be considered subtropical it is estimated that between 50-100,000 boats regularly use these waters.

Waiheke Island

• Waiheke Island is connected to auckland by air and launch services by Tamaki Strait
• Matiatia bay is located at the western end of the Island semi enclosed with its entrance to the west.
• Matiatia Ferry Terminal is the main arrival point for the passenger ferries from Auckland.
• Matiatia is the start of the Waiheke Island walkways with the Matiatia / Owhanake loop

Waiheke Geography

• It is the fifth largest island of New Zealand
• It is very hilly with few flat areas
• the highest point is Maunganui at 231 m
• maitaita is 17.7 km from Auckland
• eastern end is 21.4 km from Coromandel
• climate= (marintine)compared to auckland: warmer temperature by more than 4degrees, less humidity, less rain, more sunshine
• Area= 92 square km
• length=19.3 km (from east to west)
• width=9.65 km (at widest point)

=0.64 km(at narrowest point)

• coastline=96 km
• beaches=43 km
• tidal flats=24 km
• reserves=14 km
• freehold=100 km
• Approximately 2,000 acres of the island is under public ownership administered by either Auckland City Council, Auckland Regional Council, Royal Forest and Bird Society or Dept. of Conservation.
• When looking from oneroa the view of the pacific is uninterupted by a large landform or island until chile is in the sights.
• Northern coast is mostly spectacular and dramatic rocky headlands
• Southern coastline is mostly sheltered bays with mudflats, shellbanks and mangroves
• eastern half of the island has many areas of mature bush and swamp
• Western half of the island is mostly farmland or farmland reverting back to bush
• The island has many beautiful fine sand beaches
• Lots of deep sheltered bays provide good anchorage
• consist of low, rolling hills of greywacke (Waipapa Group) and basal Waitemata Group sediments that rise to 121 m asl and, in places, are bounded by steep coastal cliffs.

Population

Local

• Waiheke is the most populated of the islands in the gulf and the third most populated island after the north and south islands.
• A mix of weekend residents, farmers and those seeking a change of lifestyle dominate the population though recently it has become popular for people working in auckland city creating a population growth.
• Accessability to and within the island has been a major determining factor in the population growth, as the island became more accessable with increased ferrys ect the population also increased.
• In 2002 there were 628 business locations (geographic units) in Waiheke Island

2001 census statistics

                                   Waiheke           New Zealand
European   ethnic group             92.7 %                 80.1%
Maori         ethnic group           11.9%                 14.7%
Pacific islands ethnic group          3.3%                  6.5%
Asian ethnic group                    2.2%                  6.6%
Female population                    51.1%                 51.2%
Under the age of 15                  20.2%                 22.7%
Over 65 y of age                     13.9%                 12.1%
Post school education                36.1%                 32.2%
Unemployment                          8.8%                  7.5%
People working
in sales and sevices                 15.7%                 14.8%
access to telephone                  95.8%                 96.3%
access to internet                   36.3%                 37.4%
access to motor vehicles             82.5%                 89.9%
owned own house                      69.2%                 67.8%
Couples with child(ren)              29.6%                 42.1%
Couples without children             46.6%                 39.0%
Solo parents                         23.9%                 18.9%
average house hold size             2.2people          2.7people
Medium income                         $15,600            $18,500
Average annual spending               $40,242            $43,682
            On transportation          $5,618             $7,358   
            On housing                $11,513            $10,159   
  

• In 2001 census there were 1,833 families in Waiheke Island
• There were 3,117 households in Waiheke Island.

Population Growth

• 1996- 6,522people
• 2001- 7,449people
• 2006- 8,000people

• From 2001 to 2006 waiheke population grew 7.4%, where as the whole of new zealand only grew 3.3%.
• The provisional figures also show an increase in occupied dwellings on the Island, up 249 to 3480 on 2001 figures

Visitors/Tourists

• Tourists come without a destination, at peak times,

seeking to be entertained, generally they spend less, & cluster at Oneroa & the beaches. Their spending is discretionary & is affected by the global economy.

• Visitors come to a specific experience, event, job,

meeting or booking. They come all year round, every day of the week, and they tend to disperse around the island. Specific attractions will attract different types of visitors and different spending levels.

Seasonal Change

• The standing population of around 8,000 permanent residents swells to over 30,000 over the summer weekends and holidays.

Politics

Waiheke Island is administered by Auckland City Council. From 1970 until 1989, Waiheke Island was self governing by the Waiheke County Council, until amalgamation with Auckland City Council in 1989 as part of Local Government restructuring of that year. The following year in 1990 the Waiheke Community Board requested the right to deamalgamate from Auckland City. A Deamalgamation Committee was established by Auckland City Council. However, this proved not to be to the liking of most of the residents. In 1991, Auckland City Council held a democratic referendum in response to a campaign run by a pro-union group , the Waiheke Island Residents & Ratepayers Association (Inc). The deamalgamation proposal sponsored by the Community Board was defeated

The island now has a locally elected community board with limited powers, similar to other neighbourhoods in Auckland City. One councillor represents all the inhabited Hauraki Gulf Islands, i.e. Waiheke, Great Barrier and Rakino.

The island is less developed than the mainland suburbs, with less infrastructure, which creates lower rates. The roads are still unsealed in many places, especially on tbe eastern half of the island.

Currently there is no reticulated water or wastewater provided. Each house must maintain its own water supply, most collecting rainwater, and install a septic tank and septic field.

Auckland City Council's rule on the island is still contentious with islanders because of the rapid gentrification and property value increases which has lead to the City imposing higher rates on local properties, forcing some locals from the island.

Connections

Ferry

• Waiheke Ferry Timetables
• There are two main passenger ferry companies servicing the Island, Fullers Ferries and Subritzky The Subritzky ferries also have a vehicle service arriving at Kennedy Point from Half Moon Bay.
• Mataitia wharf is the destination of about 90% of passengers, Sailing from Devonport and auckland taking aproximately 35-45 minutes.
• the quickcat ferries fit up to 650 passengers
• In recent years the western part of the island has become a marine suburb of Auckland, with about 1,000-1,500 people making a daily ferry commute to town for work.
• Matiatia is the coastal Gateway to Waiheke Island where the primary pedestrian ferry lands over 1 million passengers per year.In 2004 almost 2 million people crossed the walf at mataitia.

Plane

• Daily flights run from Waiheke to Auckland, Ardmore, Thames and Coromandel
• flights from auckland to waiheke cost approximately NZ$80 per person one way and bookings are required
• Scenic flights are also available from waiheke from NZ$25 per person.
• sky diving over waiheke is also available where you have a 20 minute flight over hauraki before a 35 minute freefall
• The airfield, Reeve Airfield is on Gordons Road, Waiheke

http://www.waihekeair.co.nz

Bus

• there are five bus routers on the island, all of which originate at the Matiatia Wharf ferry terminal
• The Fullers buses run around the island very regularly, they meet all Ferry sailings.
• They weave their way around all the popular spots, and residential areas.

• Fullers Waiheke Island Explorer scenic and Vineyard bus tours provides a bus service, that does tours of the islands and the vineyards, and then you have a bus pass to explore as you wish for the rest of the day.

Car

• To get your car over to the island, you need to ferry it
• Most roads on Waiheke are sealed, but caution is recommended, if you are driving south of Onetangi beach. due to the hilly terrrain and partially unsealed roads.
• Recommended time for Driving the Loop of the island is 4 to 8 hours, and the driving distance is approx 65 km
• There are petrol stations in Ostend and Onetangi
• Most people on Waiheke travel by car hire cars are available from Waiheke Rental Cars and Waiheke Auto Rentals

-http://www.waihekerentals.co.nz -http://www.waiheke.co.nz/auto_new/main.html

• For special occasions Waiheke has its on luxury Chauffeured Car service

-http://www.waihekechauffeuredcars.co.nz/about.html

Freight

• Everything the islanders require has to be brought in by sea: all food, milk,groceries, hardware, supplies and petrol and also mail and news papers.
• Before the 1940's waiheke was important to auckland as a source of timbre, firewood, shingle, livestock and food. Back then exports far outwayed the imports but in recent times when these resources have been expended this trend has reversed with it greatly been imports.
• At Matiatia frieght distribution vans meet the ships and disperse the smaller cargo and parcels to their waiheke addresses.
• The larger freight boats carry across cars and transport containers these boats are fitted with special cranes and ramps for loading and unloading.
• Today there are many boats carrying cargo backwards and forward but the main carryers are subritzky shipping line, gulf ferries and gulf trans.

Other

• there are many areas of the island that are acessable by walking, otherwise for the more adventuress traveller try hiring mountain bikes or scooters to get around.
• south of Onetangi beach. Scooters are unable to travel in this area due to the hilly terrrain and partially unsealed roads.
• Helilink flights run on demand but the island allows a restricted number of landings, so booking ahead is a requirement.Helilink is based at Auckland's only downtown helipad.

http://www.helilink.co.nz

History

Name

Originally named Te Motu Arai Roa (The Long Sheltering Island) and then Te Motunui O Kahu by the chief Kahu (after himself) (Monin, 1992: pg 14).

There is no agreement as to the origin of the name "Waiheke Island"

One story says: "Waiheke Island was named as we know it today by mistake. European surveyors misunderstood a conversation they had with local Maori. Instead of being told the name of the island the surveyors had been told the name of the stream they were standing next to. From this point onwards the whole island was labelled as Waiheke" (Cascading Waters) (Henderson, 2006: website). [Note: whilst this website is frequently cited as a factual reference, its author does not claim to be a historian, and no attribution for this story is cited. See http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~sarah/content/whoami.html for the credentials presented].

Another story made popular by the tourism industry says it was named for the Cascades in the Regional Park on the island. In fact according to the Herbert W. Williams Dictionary of the Maori Language, first published in 1844 and updated periodically since then the word "hukere" means "Cascade (not a clear fall of water)", not Heke. It should be Waihukere Island if we were to mean Cascading Waters, not Waiheke Island.

A third story has a less than flattering attribution related to bodily functions.

One member of the Ngati Whatua tribe privately suggested that the name in fact is an ancestral name (of a person) from their Iwi. This bears further investigation.

Historian Paul Monin, when asked about why he attributes no explanation in his history, as referenced above (1992), states that having conducted a thorough study of the historical documents, he can find no written evidence whatsoever, except more recent hearsay. He stated that his belief is that the people who knew the answer were killed in the internecine tribal wars before historical records (such as the Maori land court transcripts) could record the story.

In any case, as noted above, Williams does not include "cascade" or "cascading" as a meaning for "Heke" in his dictionary. Instead it has 9 definitions including the verb to descend, deteriorate, decrease, ebb, drip, migrate, miss (a mark), practising surf riding, One who migrates, a party of emigrants, migration, rafter (as in roof), a species of eel.

Similarly, the word "Wai" has multiple meanings as well, and to appreciate such meanings, one needs to understand that Te Reo Maori has a vastly different view of reality than English. Williams says Wai means "water, liquid, oil, etc., vessel to hold water, calabash," "Memory, recollection of words heard or instructions given, or perhaps rather "tenor, gist"," also "simultaneous use or movement" and finally "bag of a fishing net" and "food cooked as part of the tohi rite, of which males only might partake".

To selectively translate Wai as water, and Heke as cascading tends to either reflect an invented Pakeha translation, or a "tell them a likely story" Maori explanation as sometimes happened when Pakeha intruded where Maori elders rather not have them go.

Waiheke could just as easily mean the water to practice surf riding (reasonable for the northern beaches), or we could even go into the esoteric. While Williams only gives the esoteric meaning of Wai as a form of memory, and suggests he has not tied it down by saying "or perhaps...", in fact Maori elders use Wai to describe a very different view of time, one in which the past and the future co-exist with the present, in which Wai is the memory of all that was and all that will be. If we took this meaning... that this is the place of migrants remembering who they are, it might be an accurate description of an awful lot of present day residents of the island.

To summarise, therefore, unless historians or collectors of reasonably reliable Maori lore find some evidence, the facts as of this writing are simple. No one knows why the island was called Matiatia and likely stories are nothing more than likely stories. In the absence of historical fact, we may weave stories from Williams Dictionary or other forensic evidence, or we can just make up nice tales. But just because someone writes it on the internet does not make it true.

The historic origin of the name "Waiheke Island" is not known.

Matiatia is a type of beach grass, which is now rare. The grass is known to grow in the ferry terminal area, hence its name Matiatia Harbour

Ecology

“Ancient kauri and podocarp forest clad much of the island”(Monin, 1992: pg 14)

Waiheke Island was visited by Thomas Kirk, the botanist in 1878 and the below plant life was found:

• Kanuka forest large traces (this points to ancient volcanic damage)
• Kauri plentiful (east Awaawaroa)
• Pohutukawa exposed areas
• Puriri exposed areas
• Red Beech common at sea level
• Rimu less common but large specimens
• Taraire coastal areas & valley bottoms
• Tawa common
• Totara & Matai rare and small (Monin, 1992: pg 14)

Inhabitants

“For two simple reasons Waiheke was not an appropriate home for people seeking long and unchallenged tenure: its location was too critical and its natural environment too attractive” (Monin, 1992, pg 13)

1000's

• Waiheke Island was said to be first settled by the Maruiwi people who travelled to New Zealand from the east Pacific (Picard, 1993, pg 29)
• It is thought Kupe visited Waiheke Island at this time.(Picard, 1993, pg 29)

1200's

• 'Toi the Navigator' and his people arrived in the year 1200 from Hawaii.(Picard, 1993, pg 30)

1300’s

• Island renamed Te Motunui-o-Kahu after chief Kahu (The Official Waiheke Island Website, 2006: website)
• Kahu claimed Waiheke Island as the territory of the Te Arawa people(The Official Waiheke Island Website, 2006: website)(from Tahiti)(Picard, 1993, pg 30)

1600's

• 1650 - Waiheke Island invaded by Ngati Awa.(Picard, 1993, pg 30)

1700's

• 1769 - Island the domain of Ngati Paoa (The Official Waiheke Island Website, 2006: website), from Hauraki. There population grew to exceed 2000 before the end of the 17th Century. (Picard, 1993, pg 30)
• 1769 - Captain Cook anchored Endeavour off eastern end of the island (Henderson, 2006: website)

1800’s

• 1820's - Hongi Heke killed most of the inhabitants in a battle that occurred on Onetangi beach (The Official Waiheke Island Website, 2006: website)
• 1820 - Waiheke Island visited by Samuel Marsden who thought it appeared to be the same size as the Isle of Wight.(Picard, 1993, pg 36)
• 1833 - First church established at Church Bay by the Ngai Poa.(Picard, 1993, pg 30)
• 1850's - European settlement (The Official Waiheke Island Website, 2006: website)
• 1850's - Timber clearance begins (The Official Waiheke Island Website, 2006: website)
• 1860's - first small store on Waiheke situated at Awaawaroa (Picard, 1993, pg 38)
• 1865 - Settlement of Waiheke Island had shifted to Onetangi(Picard, 1993, pg 39)
• 1869 - First royal visit (and only)(Picard, 1993, pg 40)
• 1870's - Postal service started between Putiki and Woodside Bay settlements.(Picard, 1993, pg 40)
• 1876 - First post shop opened
• 1880's - First horse races held at Onetangi beach. (Picard, 1993, pg 41)
• 1882 - First school opened at Te Matuku Bay, with 27 pupils. (Picard, 1993, pg 41)
• 1882 - First regatta held at Man O'War Bay. (Picard, 1993, pg 41)

1900's

• 1901 - Oneroa bought by Fred Alison (Picard, 1993, pg 44). The Alison home is now the Harbour Master's Restaurant and arrived in pieces from 1916 (However was built circa 1850 in Devonport)(Picard, 1993, pg 45).
• 1901 - population 162. (Picard, 1993, pg 44)
• 1903 - First police station established in Omaru Bay.(Picard, 1993, pg 44)
• 1908 - An acre of land was leased in Awaawaroa Bay by the Northern Steamship Company and the first wharf was built. (Picard, 1993, pg 45)
• 1908 - Connection to the Auckland telephone network was made. (Picard, 1993, pg 45)
• 1910 - Construction of the Onetangi Hotel, and was completed by 1915. (Picard, 1993, pg 45)
• 1911 - First european family to settle in Matiatia, Croll family. (Picard, 1993, pg 45)
• 1914 - Departure of the last tangata whenua. (Monin, 1992: pg 16)
• 1916 - Ostend subdivided, sections sold from 10 to 20 pounds. (Picard, 1993, pg 45)
• 1916 - Wharf built at Putiki, and became the entrance from the city.(Picard, 1993, pg 45)
• 1916 - Seaview Road 'the yellow clay road' built.(Picard, 1993, pg 45)
• 1917 - First private hotel opened in Onetangi.(Picard, 1993, pg 45)
• 1918 - Ostend Hall built.(Picard, 1993, pg 45)
• 1918 - Orapiu Wharf built by William McIntosh.(Picard, 1993, pg 45)
• 1920's - Oneroa, Surfdale, Palm Beach and Onetangi subdivided. Rocky Bay was also formed from 300 acres of O'Brien land (in Omiha) as due to no ocean beach was named Rocky Bay.(Picard, 1993, pg 45) Schools were established in Blackpool, Onetangi and Surfdale.
• 1921 - Ostend Road Board formed.(Picard, 1993, pg 45)
• 1921 - First motor car.(Picard, 1993, pg 46)
• 1922 - Fred Alison sold Oneroa and allowed the urban development of Waiheke to flourish (Auckland City Council, 2006: website)
• 1923 - Building began for the Matiatia wharf.(Picard, 1993, pg 46)
• 1923 - Onetangi post office opened.(Picard, 1993, pg 46)
• 1930's - Slaughter house built at Matiatia.(Picard, 1993, pg 47)
• 1936 - The Baroona was purchased (previously a steam trawler) through finance provided by eastern Waiheke and Ponui settlers and Waiheke Passenger Service Limited was started.(Picard, 1993, pg 47)
• 1941 - Building of ‘Stony Batter’ commenced at the eastern end of Waiheke as a NZ defense against naval attack. The half mile long tunnel was completed in 1944. (Henderson, 2006: website)
• 1942 - Police station moved to Oneroa. .(Picard, 1993, pg 48)
• 1945 - A merger with Auckland City was rejected by the 835 residents of the island.(Picard, 1993, pg 48)
• 1947 - 'Waiheke Resident' started print.(Picard, 1993, pg 48)
• 1948 - Daily passanger service started from Surfdale beach on the Iris Moana.(Picard, 1993, pg 48)
• 1949 - Telephones installed.(Picard, 1993, pg 48)
• 1951 - St Peter's Catholic Churh opened in Oneroa(Picard, 1993, pg 48)
• 1951 - The Anglican Church of the Transfiguration overlooked Alison Park.(Picard, 1993, pg 48)
• 1952 - Waiheke Fire Brigade.(Picard, 1993, pg 48)
• 1955 - Amphibian seaplane service started by Captain Fred Ladd from Mechanics Bay to Surfdale.(Picard, 1993, pg 50)
• 1956 - Road connections made to Rocky Bay (previously reached by horse or boat).(Picard, 1993, pg 46)
• 1957 - Coucil offices built in Ostend.(Picard, 1993, pg 50)
• 1957 - Power was connected to the island through underwater electricity pipelines that were laid in 1950 & again in 1966.(Picard, 1993, pg 48)
• 1958 - 65-hectare land bought at Onetangi by the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society to become a reserve.(Picard, 1993, pg 50)
• 1961 - Causeway across the Okahuiti Creek constructed.(Picard, 1993, pg 50)
• 1965 - Road from Onetangi to Cowes bay constructed.(Picard, 1993, pg 50)
• 1965 - Oyster farm started in Putiki Bay.(Picard, 1993, pg 50)
• 1967 - Hydrofoil service began.(Picard, 1993, pg 50)
• 1970 - Waiheke County formed (after the Waiheke Roads Board was disestablished).(Picard, 1993, pg 50)
• 1970 - Waiheke Settler established.(Picard, 1993, pg 50)
• 1973 - Gulf News established.(Picard, 1993, pg 50)
• 1973 - Kennedy Point, Wilma Road, Junction Road and Thompsons Point subdivided.(Picard, 1993, pg 50)
• 1973 - Mau-Wai (hydrofoil) made its last trip to Waiheke.(Picard, 1993, pg 50)
• 1976 - Direct phone connection made with Auckland.(Picard, 1993, pg 50)
• 1978 - Matiatia to Oneroa footpath started.(Picard, 1993, pg 51)
• 1981 - Ferry service taken over by the Hudson family.(Picard, 1993, pg 51)
• 1985 - The school was split into two, Te Huruhu School and Waiheke High School.(Picard, 1993, pg 51)
• 1985 - Quickcat (built in Perth, $2.4 million) started its run from Auckland to Waiheke.(Picard, 1993, pg 51)
• 1988 - The spraying of herbicides were banned by the Waiheke County Council for 7 years.(Picard, 1993, pg 54)
• 1989 - Waiheke County Council joined Auckland City Council.(Picard, 1993, pg 54)
• 1993 - Matiatia's new wharf ($2.375 million) opened in May.(Picard, 1993, pg 54)

Ferry

• 1887 - Steamship Transit made twice weekly visits to Waiheke. (Picard, 1993, pg 77)
• 1927 - Ostend was the main port. (Picard, 1993, pg 77)
• 1936 - Waiheke passenger service was started; the Baroona was purchased with finance provided by the eastern Waiheke and Ponui settlers. Baroona made stops at Rocky Bay, Awaawaroa, Orapiu, Cowes, Ponui and when required Man O’War Bay . (Picard, 1993, pg 77)
• 1955 – Amphibian seaplane service started by Fred Ladd from Surfdale, and ran for 30 years.
• 1967 – Manu-Wai hydrofoil operated until 1973. 25 min service, 73 passengers, 15 shillings return. (Picard, 1993, pg 78)
• 1976 – Shelter for Waiheke travellers at Auckland wharf opened. (Picard, 1993, pg 78)
• 1978 – Wakatere hovermarine service started to operate. (Picard, 1993, pg 78)
• 1987 – Quickcat started operating with a 650 passenger capacity. (Picard, 1993, pg 79)
• 1988 – The Quickcat service was merged with Fuller ferries. (Picard, 1993, pg 79)
• 1990 – Jet Raider started to operate; a fast mono-hull 400 passenger vessel. (Picard, 1993, pg 79)

Geology

• Waiheke Island, the largest of the islands immediately east of Auckland City, is hilly, and has few flat ares. The surface is finely dissected, and there is a ganeral north-south disposition of the ridges and stream courses. The heighest on the Island is Mt Maunguni (753ft), which is situated near the south coast between the heads of Awawaroa and Te Matuka bays.

• The coastline is mainly bound by cliffs. The northern coast is exposed to to the open sea and along it is developed sucession of long sandy beaches and steep, rugged cliffs. The south coast is deeply in embayed, with extensive mudflats and swamp.

• The first published account of the geology of Waiheke was by Hochstetter (1864), this report describe formation of reed jaspilite and associated manganese deposits near Te Matuka Bay. Other accounts which followed were devoted to mining.

• In 1927, fossil beds were discovered near Oneroa, and Powell and Bratrum (1929) noted that the fossil bed contianed marine molluca.

• The rocks of Waiheke Island are mainly greywacke sandstones and argillites, interbedded with cherts, jasilites, and fine-grained volcanic rock with some pillow structures.

Insert Waiheke Formation Map

• The Island formed during the late Palezoic and Mesozoic times, this was beecause of vocanic and the folding of plates, due to tectonic activity.

Ecology/Vegetation

Introduction

• The main types within the proposed wharf area:
• a) Placed rock retaining wall of the existing reclamation
• b) A gently graded sand flat extended from just below low water spring tide level to seaward of the seaward end of the wharf.

Nature and Quality of Rock Wall Habitats

• The rocks retaining wall which is use to support the pedestrian/ road, are the rocks are large and loosely laid rocks, which vary in size up to 2m. (Refer to diagram)

• The retaining wall is clean and supports a high diversity of animals and algae which are characteristic of such a habitats. Some of the major organisms include:

• NZ rock oysters
• Brown algae
• Pipi
• Pacific oyster

Subtidal Silt/Sandy Habitat

Nature and Quality

• Around the wharf area the subtidal sandy habitat extends offshore from the base rock wall at about 0.5m
• Surface sediment is sand with variable amount of fine silt and broken shell, with small component of gravel less than 80cm below the surface. On the floor of the basin, gravel and fractured rock is exposed and this limit’s the manoeuvring of vessels

Marine Organisms of Subtidal Silty Sand habitat

• The tables below refers to the habitat which is in close proximity to the existing wharf an has been studied by Bioresearches.

(Refer to table)

• The diversity and abundance of the fauna was characteristic of shallow silty sand habitats. There were no rare species recorded, with no concentration of edible species.

In summary the subtidal habitat sampled was of low to moderate biological value due to the surrounding conditions.

Gravel and Rock Intertidal Area at the South east Corner of the Bay

• The gravel and stones made up the middle to low intertidal zone in the south-east corner of the bay, 150m from the proposed wharf site.
• Types of fauna which are know to habit this area are:

Pipis Pacific oysters

• All which were recorded in this area were to small to an edible size, making for a not attractive food source. This makes it highly unlikely that any seafood is taken from this area.

Fish

Matiatia

There was no special study of fishes conducted in the Waiheke landscape assessments, but any fish which were observed during the subtidal study were noted. The benthic organisms present in the sand provide food for the small number of fish which use the area for feeding . Some of the fishes which were noted were found on the sandy bottom areas:

• Triplefins
• Juvenile Red Mullet
• Spotties
• Blue maomao

Waiheke

In other parts of the island the recreational fishermen can realistically catch such fish as:

• Flounder
• Snapper
• Kahawai
• Kingfish
• Red moki
• Red gurnard

Birds

Matiatia Bay

Several birds were noted in the area, there are no important habitats for birds in the area.

• Several Pied shags
• Black-backed gulls
• Red-billed gulls

Waiheke

Te Matuku Bay is Waiheke’s is a haven for both rare and migrant birds. Waiheke is the home to such birds as:

• Reef heron
• Banded rail
• New Zealand dotterel
• Black shag
• Brown quail
• Kingfisher
• Fantail
• Grey warbler
• Little blue penguin
• Tui
• White faced heron
• Variable oyster-catcher

In the east of the Island the raupo swamps is a natural habitat and breeding ground for such birds as:

• Pukekeko
• Britten
• Spotless crake

Vegetation

Flora

To most visitors Waiheke means fine, unspoiled beaches, beautiful native reserves, and hill country.

(Refer to Coastal soil diagram)

Small pockets of mature bush including such trees as:

• Nikau
• Taraire
• Karaka
• Puriri
• Large areas of raupo swamp to the eastern side of the island.

Much of the rest of the island is predominately farm land and either covered in grass or reverting to scrub, with some areas of native bush well advanced. The crimson pohutukawa is iconic to the island used for shade on the coastal beaches, seemingly growing out of hard rock and growing at the highest point of the island. Other iconic flora to Waiheke is:

• Norfolk pine
• Tall white oleander in flower
• Raupo rushes with brown furry seeds
• Blue bells of dyanella
• Fushias
• Blue agapanthus planted along the edges of beaches

The island’s orchards bear such fruits as:

• Plums
• Peaches
• Pears
• Apples
• Mulberries
• Grapes
• Passionfruit
• Kiwifruit
• An ancient Quince on Church Bay Farm

The red dots are ecologically significant sites to visit that are listed with the Department of Conservation.

Cultural Fabric

Existing facilities

• Churches
• Pre-School facilities (under 5 years) 8 Centres
• Primary school Te Huruhi Primary (5-11 years) 650 Pupils
• Collage Waiheke High School (11-17 years) 500 Pupils
• Local community group called ‘Waiheke Island Residents & Ratepayers Association (Inc)’
• Waiheke Cinema
• Artworks theatre
• Waihake Island Historic Village
• Whittakers (live) musical experience
• Stony batter gun emplacements: the restored network of tunnels.
• Ridgeview farm house
• Camping: Sahkanewha Regional Park
• 3 medical center
• 1 BP
• 1 ATM money machine
• Rugby Fields - 4
• Soccer Fields - 3
• Tennis Courts - 8
• Golf Course - 9 Hole (to be extended to 18 holes)
• Community Marae - Maori Meeting House
• Public Halls - 5
• Boat Haulage Areas - 3
• Churches - 7

Demographic

• Permanent population numbers of people counted

Waihake Island - New Zealand

Males 3,489 - 1,823,007

Females 3,645 - 1,914,273

Total 7,137 - 3,737,277

Change since 1996 Census 849 - 118,974

• Statistics New Zealand at the 2001 Census

Age profile

20.2 percent of people in Waiheke Island were under the age of 15 years, compared with 22.7 percent for all of New Zealand. 13.9 percent of people in Waiheke Island were aged 65 years and over compared with 12.1 percent for all of New Zealand

Education

36.1 percent of people aged 15 years and over in Waiheke Island had a post-school qualification, compared with 32.2 percent for New Zealand as a whole.

Ethnic groups (total responses)

92.7 percent of people in Waiheke Island said they belong to the European ethnic group, compared with 80.1 percent for all of New Zealand.

Employment

The unemployment rate in Waiheke Island was 8.8 percent, compared with 7.5 percent for all of New Zealand. The most popular occupational group in Waiheke Island was Service and Sales Workers (15.8 percent). The most popular occupational group for New Zealand as a whole was Service and Sales Workers (14.8 percent).

• Most of the population live close to the western end of the island. The eastern half of the island is usually privately owned farmland.
• During the period around Christmas the population on the island increases significantly.
• Island is highly diverse in socially, people living on the bottom of the earnings or public benefit scale to some of the wealthiest people in New Zealand.
• There is more ex-Greenpeace campaigners per capita than anywhere else in the country.
• The island has three weekly newspapers: gulf News, the Waiheke Week and the Waiheke marketplace.
• The island has its own radio station, Beach FM, broadcasting on 99.2FM and 107FM.

Areas usage of Tourism and Residential

Picture Right: Historical areas on the island

• Red dots: Maori Pa sites

• Brown dots: Old ferry sites (excluding Matiatia ferry terminal and Kennedy point terminal)

• Green spaces: Reserves in the island

Picture middle: Tourist attraction areas

• Black dots: Accomodation

• Pink dots: Tourist activities

• Red dots: Look outs

• Bike tracks in coloured roads

Picture left: Residential usage of island

• Green dots: Cafe/ Restaurant and shop facilities

• Blue dots: winery

• Red dots: existing ferry terminals

• Purple dots: Olive

• Pink area: Sports field/ golf

• Yellow area: Primary & high school facilities

• Bus routes in coloured roads

HOW WAIHEKE IS MARKETED

• perceived as relaxing seaside orientated destination there is a high appreciation of the beaches of the island as a selling point while a sub-theme relates to the cultural and artistic life-style that the Island offers.
• Marketing uses the selling point of its geographical closeness to Auckland but its distance in atmosphere for example 35minutes from Auckland but a million miles away in pace and beauty.
• The island is sold as a haven an escape from the outside world and its pressures, a scenic place that offers relaxation and friendship
• The island is marketed on its beauty, relaxed peaceful atmosphere and beautiful scenery. Using imagery of the beaches, scenery and views backed up by ideas of the wineries and relaxing, Friends, and friendly people, walking and restaurant going, to create the idea of an island of pleasure.

ATTRIBUTES THE ISLAND IS SOLD ON

• beautiful beaches- stunning white and golden sand beaches
• vineyards producing some of the best wines in NZ, and wine tours
• cafes and café culture
• A magical Island paradise
• Native forest reserves
• up market restaurants and fine dining with gourmet food.
• Indulgent relaxing,
• tropical paradise
• expansive sea and island views
• The scenery
• outstanding accommodation outlets to suit all tastes and wallets, from backpackers, to the kiwi traditional Bach to some of the world's most salubrious lodges.
• Peace
• Relaxed environment
• Escape from an urban life-style
• Mecca for the arts and local artists credited with producing some of the country's most respected work.
• Olive groves and pasture land

ACTIVITIES THE ISLAND IS SOLD ON

• bush walks
• sea kayaking and mountain biking
• horse riding and farm tours
• The Waiheke Island wine festival
• The Waiheke Island Jazz Festival
• The historical-Stony Batter Gun Emplacement, Waiheke Island Historical Village
• The colourful weekend markets
• Onetangi Beach Races
• Wharf to Wharf Half Marathon

WHO THE MARKETING IS AIMED AT

Up-Market tourist

Selling the arts, fine wine and luxury

• stay in luxury exclusive accommodation
• wine and dine at award winning vineyards- warm sunny island of wine, idyllic vineyards surroundings and a soft breeze from the pacific ocean deliver the perfect environment for the ultimate wine tasting experience.
• entertain yourself on a 9 hole golf course
• pamper yourself with a beauty therapy and spa treatment
• travel on luxury transport-charter a helicopter for your personal use as an exclusive touring vehicle or as a way to get you where you want to go quickly.

Family day out/day visit/events

Selling Waiheke in contrast to Auckland as a get away

• Enjoy the small village settings each with it's own local character
• Experience the slower pace of life and getaway from the city across the water
• A great place to relax and unwind.-You will lose ten years the moment you step ashore on Waiheke Island.
• Enjoy one of Waiheke's function venues for a truly memorable occasion

Backpacker/traveller

Selling Waiheke as a place of fun, holidays and scenic values.

• visit some of the beautiful beaches and native forest reserves
• visit the delightful cafes, vineyards, olive groves and art studios.
• Visit reserves and listen to the gentle sounds of nature.
• Discover a secluded waterfall or a beach away from other people.
• Breathe in the freshest of air on one of the many walkways,
• laze on a sundeck with a world famous local wine and let the days drift by.

Adventure seeker

Selling Waiheke as a place to be active, with adventure both on and off the water

• Swim or sail the Hauraki Gulf
• take a car, 4WD explore the island
• mountain bike explore the island
• Experience bird watching and nature walks
• go fishing,
• go kayaking.
• Harley Davidson tours around the island
• windsurfing,
• skydiving

Living

Selling Waiheke upon perceptions of the island being beautiful, relaxing and peaceful, especially when compared with Auckland.

• Island Style living,
• island lifestyle,
• island sanctuary,

- It's nothing short of paradise, luxury, privacy and a lifestyle only enjoyed by a privileged few

• Waiheke as a strong friendly community

• Waiheke as a relaxing, peaceful home

Existing Programme

Car Park

There are free car parking area and government charging areas near the Ferry terminal.

photo by Danbi on 10.07.2006

Ferry Port

There are two main wharfs in the island. Matiatia bay wharf in west end of the island and Kennedy point bay wharf in south-west point of the island. Matiatia ferry terminals is the main use of terminal for travellers and locals from auckland to Waiheke island. There are ferries every 30min in peak times (5:20am~7:15am, 6:30~7:15pm) and 1hour in other times in weekdays. In weekends the ferry is on every 1hour. There are many different ferry ticket due to the locals who works in Auckland. Usually the locals pay half the price tourists get for the ticket if purchased as monthly pass.

Cafe

There are many cafe/ restaurants in the island due to the wine and olive produce from an island. The Vineyard usually have their own lunch and dinner services as well as tour and wine testing.

Car Rental

There are few car rentals in the island. Mostly free pick up and drop off at Matiatia Ferry terminal and Kennedy Point. Vehicle rate per day includes petrol and unlimited kilometers. The prices are around $85 for each additional day’s hire.

Bus

• Bus routes

1a : Oneroa, blackpool, Surfdale, Ostend and Onetangi

1: Oneroa, blackpool, Surfdale, Ostend and Onetangi

2: Oneroa, Little Oneroa, Palm beach, Ostend and Rocky Bay

3: Oneroa, blackpool, surfdale,palm beach, Ostend, rocky bay and Onetangi

4: Onetangi Direct (Main road to Onetangi)

Maximum bus fair is $3.80 adult

Activities & Adventure

• Skydiving: Tandem skydive: free transfer to/from accommodation/ferry. $300 per person.
• Kayaking: Ross adventure Kayaking. Four hour tour= $70 adult, $50 child
• Vineyard Tour: $115 adult, $50 child
• Market: Ostend market Every Saturday at RSA Hall Ostend Reserve Local produce arts, books, food, crafts and design from 8:30am ~ 12:30
• Wharf to wharf fun run & walk event every January: Big local event with hundreds of locals/ visitors enter every year.
• Bike hire
• Fishing: Fishing charters
• Sailing: Sailing on flying carpet
• Cruising
• Motor assisted cycles
• Windsurfing

Waitemata Infrastructure Limited

In the year 2000 the gateway to Waiheke, the Matiatia harbor was purchased by three investors under the company name of Waitemata Infrastructure Limited (WIL). Two years later WIL proposed to change the Operative District Plan rules for the Matiatia area in an attempt to build a shopping and hotel complex and township at Matiatia which would take up approximately 3 hectares and cost $35 million. The Waiheke community in reaction to this proposal formed the local community group 'Community and People of Waiheke Island' (CAPOW). The community group won a court case to put a stop to the proposed change to the Operative District Plan and therefore a stop to WIL's development plan. In 2005 (WIL) now known as 'Matiatia Day' sold 100% of their stock to the Auckland City Council for $12.5 million, thus the Council now owns and runs the once private company.

Instant changes from the concils purchase of the land

• 1. The existing user pays car parking on the WIL land will be maintained.
• 2. $6 per day for the sealed Council carpark by the foreshore reserve will be introduced
• 3. $3 per day on metal and grassed Council (WIL) owned car parking will be introduced.
• 4. Free car parking at Owhanake and on Ocean View Road will be maintained

http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/council/members/councilmeetings/m200508251800.asp#top

Design Competition

To view all of the 75 submissions for the Mataitai intermational design competition visit http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/council/documents/matiatia/designs.asp

http://www.waihekeweek.co.nz/news_files/Aug24.htm

articcal on Matiatia comp

five finalists announced

http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/council/documents/matiatia/finalists.asp

References

• Auckland City Council. Introducing Auckland, Hauraki Gulf Islands, Island Information, Waiheke Island. Viewed on 12 July 2006, <http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/auckland/introduction/hauraki/default.asp#waiheke>
• Beca Carter Hollings & Ferner Ltd. Matiatia Bay, Waiheke Island proposed wharf and terminal : environmental impact assessment : prepared for Auckland City Council (1991) Auckland, N.Z.: Beca Carter Hollings and Ferner Ltd.
• Day, Dixie. Waiheke pioneers (1989) Waiheke Island [N.Z.]: Waiheke Historical Society.
• Fitzgibbon, T.D. and D.C. Slaven. Sites of ecological significance: Waiheke Island (1988) [Wellington, N.Z.] : New Zealand Dept. of Conservation. Northern Region.
• Forest and Brid. Waiheke Ecological History. Viewed on 12 July 2006,<http://www.forestandbird.org.nz/Enjoy_Nature/Reserves/waihekehistory.asp>
• Halcrow, Heather. The Geology of Waiheke Island, Auckland. (1956) Reprinted from the Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand, v. 84, pt. 1, pp. 51-69.
• Henderson, Sarah. Waiheke. Viewed on 12 July 2006, <http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/%7Esarah/content/waiheke.html>
• Monin, Paul. Waiheke Island a History (1992) Palmerston North New Zealand: The Dunmore Press Ltd.
• The Official Waiheke Island Website. Waiheke, Pre-European History. Viewed on 12 July 2006, <http://www.tourismwaiheke.co.nz/>

External links

• Matiatia competition entries
• Wikipedia Waiheke Island entry
• Waiheke Island tourism website
• Waiheke Island website
• Hauraki Gulf website
• The Community and People of Waiheke, Inc
• Whakanewha Regional Park
• Waiheke Island Of Wine