Whites Beach
| Whites Beach | |
|---|---|
 View of Whites Beach | |
  Whites Beach Location within the Auckland Region | |
| Location | Auckland Region, New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 36°55′49″S 174°27′22″E / 36.9304°S 174.4561°E |
| Ocean/sea sources | Tasman Sea |
Whites Beach is a small beach on the west coast of the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located between Piha and Anawhata.
Geography[edit]
Whites Beach is directly north of Piha, between Te Waha Point to the south and Fishermans Rock Point to the north.[1] The beach is only accessible by foot.[2] Whites Bay formed as a part of a volcanic eruption that occurred around 16 million years ago.[2] A subvertical volcanic pipe is exposed on the cliffs to the south of the beach.[3]
Biodiversity[edit]
Much of the flora of the beach ares is dominated by Coprosma, toetoe and marram grass,[4] the latter of which is commonly found in the sand dunes which border the grass.[2]
History[edit]
The beach was named after settlers John and Francis White.[4] Francis White was a blacksmith who was an early settler in the area who purchased land from Te Kawerau ā Maki. In 1925, land above the beach was purchased by Jim Rose, who constructed a batch on the cliffs.[5] Sir Edmund Hillary built a bach at Whites Beach.[6]
Prison escapee and folk hero George Wilder spent some months living at Whites Beach in early 1963 after escaping from Mount Eden Prison.[4][7]
Accessibility[edit]
Whites Beach is accessible by the Rose Track, a walking track between the beach and Anawhata Road. Additionally, the Laird Thompson Track connects Whites Beach to Piha in the south.[8]
References[edit]
- ^ "Whites Beach". New Zealand Gazetteer. Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
- ^ a b c Janssen, Peter (January 2021). Greater Auckland Walks. New Holland Publishers. p. 209. ISBN 978-1-86966-516-6. Wikidata Q118136068.
- ^ Hayward, B. W. (1977). "Miocene volcanic centres of the Waitakere Ranges, North Auckland, New Zealand". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 7 (2): 123–141. Bibcode:1977JRSNZ...7..123H. doi:10.1080/03036758.1977.10427155.
- ^ a b c Harvey, Bob (2012). Untamed Coast: Auckland's Waitakere Ranges and Heritage Area (revised and updated ed.). Auckland: Exisle Publishing. p. 144-145. ISBN 978-0-908988-67-9.
- ^ "Whites Beach, West Auckland". West Auckland. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
- ^ "Sir Ed's bach a place of solace". Nor-west News. Huapai, New Zealand: Fairfax New Zealand. January 2008. OCLC 276732793. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
- ^ "George Wilder, 1962–63". An Encyclopedia of New Zealand 1966. Te Ara. 1966. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ Dench, Alison; Parore, Lee-Anne (2014). Walking the Waitakere Ranges: 45 Coastal and Bush Walks (4th ed.). Auckland: New Holland Publishers. pp. 99–102. ISBN 978-1-86966-426-8. OCLC 894037427. OL 30857674M. Wikidata Q123383221.
External links[edit]
Media related to Whites Beach, Auckland at Wikimedia Commons