Karaka Bay (Auckland)

Karaka Bay or Waiarohe ('the bay of shimmering waters') is on the western shore of the Tāmaki River mouth in the suburb of Glendowie, Auckland. The bay is bordered to the north by Te Pane o Horoiwi (West Tamaki Head) and looks out to the islands of the eastern Waitematā Harbour: Rangitoto, Motutapu, Motukorea (Browns Island), Motuihe and Waiheke as well as to Musick Point (East Tamaki Head) across the estuary. It is accessed by boat or by a steep path that winds down the hill from the end of Peacock Street; there is no road access to the bay itself. This lack of road access has given Karaka Bay a unique sense of identity; it is unlike anywhere else in Auckland.

History

In pre-European times, according to an account given by Māori chief Maihi Te Kampu Te Hinaki to George Graham, the Tainui canoe moored at Karaka Bay and some crew members settled in the area. There was once a Māori pā (fortified site) known as Taurere (also the name of nearby Taylors Hill) at the top of the bay, towards its south end , and many historical artefacts such as adzes and evidence of early habitation such as middens have been discovered. The bay is named after the karaka trees which were planted as a food source for the pā.

In 1827, the bay was thought to be the site of the last battle fought in Auckland when the Ngapuhi tribe was defeated by Ngati Tipa of Waikato with help from Ngāti Pāoa and Ngāti Maru refugees using the manu-kawhaki ambuscade. Also in 1827 French navigator Dumont d’Urville visited the bay in the ship Astrolabe and traded a rifle for a local woman.

In 1840 John Logan Campbell visited the bay and wrote "Before starting, the inevitable pork and potatoes were consumed, with a pannikin of tea, and an early hour, when the sun was not much above the horizon, saw us pulling out of the little nook of a bay, leaving it to resume its "solitude unbroken"-- for this was the first time it had been broken by Pakeha man"

On 4th March 1840 The Treaty of Waitangi was signed at Karaka Bay by 17 chiefs, mostly from Ngāti Pāoa and Ngāti Maru, witnessed by William Hobson . Captain David Rough, Auckland's first harbour master, described the event: "The Union Jack was hoisted and the Treaty of Waitangi spread out for signatures on a table at which stood His Excellency, and behind him mounted police in their showy uniform. The sun shone brightly and the gathering of natives (Māori) clad in their mats, the canoes drawn up on the white sandy, the cutter at anchor, and the small group of Europeans beside the flag, in front of the pine trees trees on the slope of the hills behind, formed a very picturesque and striking scene" Four months later, on 9th July 1840, Hobson returned and another six chiefs signed the Treaty.

On 28th May 1841, 24 Ngati Paoa chiefs sold the land block, then known as Kohimarama, which included Karaka Bay, to the Crown. The bay formed part of the Glendowie allotment which was created in 1842.

On 8th February 1845 John Commons and William McKenzie bought the block that included Karaka Bay from the Crown

In 1912 the Glendowie Estate was sold to grazier George Riddell after whom Riddell Rd at the top of the bay is named.

In 1921 the area was subdivided into sections to be auctioned. At that time, what is now Peacock St was known as Pah Road.

In 1923 the first permanent building, a boat shed, was erected. Later holiday baches were added in the 1920's. These were gradually replaced by more permanent residences

In 1925 a 1.9-metre (6 ft 2 in) leopard that had escaped from the Auckland Zoo three weeks earlier was found dead in the Tamaki river by a fishing party in Karaka Bay.

In 1931 it was proposed that the outfall for the discharge of Auckland’s raw sewage into the Waitematā, which was then at Orakei, should be relocated to Motukorea (Browns Island). The pipeline was completed to the northern end of Karaka Bay, but the idea was squashed in 1953 before the underwater pipeline to Motukorea (Browns Island) was completed following many years of strong opposition

In 1953 a drinking fountain, designed by Tibor Donner, and seat was erected by the City Council just off the path to commemorate the Treaty signing. The commemorative plaque was stolen from the memorial in 2010 but a replacement was installed shortly afterwards.

In July 1953 heavy rain led to a major slip which brought down a newly built house in Peacock St

In 1997 the bay gained notoriety when resident Tony Watkins unexpectedly won a 200kg pig in a raffle. She was named Piglet and was treated as a pet. She was kept in a pen but sometimes went onto the beach and into the estuary. She was popular with visitors but unpopular with some residents. Following a petition, the Auckland City Council issued a court order demanding her removal on the basis that livestock should not be kept in a residentially zoned area. Tony later wrote a children's book, Piglet the Great of Karaka Bay, based on the story, about what sustainable development means and how it can be achieved.

On 1st December 2012 representatives from Ngāti Pāoa signed the Tāmaki Makaurau Collective Redress Deed at Karaka Bay.

On 4th March 2015 Ngāti Pāoa Iwi Trust organised an event to commemorate 175 years since the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi.

In 2018 a group of children found some remains of a wrecked boat that a family used to sleep in around 1925.