Pākiri
Place in Auckland Region, New Zealand / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pākiri is a locality in Auckland, in the former Rodney District of New Zealand. Leigh is about 9 kilometres (6 mi) to the south-east. The Pākiri River flows through the area and into the Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana to the north-east.[3][4]
Pākiri | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 36°15′51″S 174°43′38″E | |
Country | New Zealand |
Region | Auckland Region |
District | Auckland Council |
Area | |
• Total | 28.52 km2 (11.01 sq mi) |
Population (2018 Census)[2] | 171 |
The area is named for the Ngāti Wai chief, Te Kiri.[5] The beach was originally known by the name Ngā One Haea o Pākiri ("The Gleaming White Sands of Pakiri"), Pākiri being the name of the Ngāti Wai pā found at the headlands of the Pākiri River.[6] Ngāti Manuhiri, an iwi descended from the early Ngāti Wai ancestors in the area, are the mana whenua for the Pākiri area.[6]
Pākiri Beach is a 14-kilometre-long (8.7 mi) white sandy beach to the north.[5] It is a tourist destination known for its natural environment.[7] The Auckland Regional Council purchased two blocks of land in 2005, totalling 178 hectares (440 acres), with three kilometres (2 mi) of beach frontage,[8][9] and is developed this into the Pākiri Regional Park.[10]
During the 1860s, Pākiri Beach was the location of a kauri sawmill at the mouth of the Pākiri River.[6]
Suction dredging has been used to mine sand from the sea floor off the coast since the 1950s.[11][12] This caused controversy in 1994, when 170,000 cubic metres (222,000 cu yd) of sand was to be extracted to bolster the popular Mission Bay in Auckland, and was brought to the Planning Tribunal in the case Haddon v Auckland Regional Council for violation of the Resource Management Act 1991, and its provisions for kaitiakitanga.