Tauranga Harbor
| Tauranga Harbor | ||
| Geographical location | ||
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| Coordinates | 37 ° 36 ′ S , 176 ° 0 ′ E | |
| Region ISO | NZ-BOP | |
| country | New Zealand | |
| region | Bay of Plenty | |
| Sea access | Pacific Ocean | |
| Data on the natural harbor | ||
| Port entrance | 485 m wide | |
| length | around 10 km | |
| width | Max. 33 km | |
| surface | 218 km 2 | |
| places | Tauranga , Katikati , Athenree , Omokoroa Beach | |
| Tributaries | Wairoa River , Waipapa River , Aongatete River , Wainui River | |
| Islands | Matakana Island , Motuhoa Island , Rangiwaea Island , Egg Island | |
| Industrial port | Port Tauranga | |
| Marina | two marinas in Port Tauranga | |
| Ferry dock |
Omokoroa Beach , Opureora on Matakana Island |
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| Photography of the natural harbor | ||
 South-eastern part of the natural harbor near the city of Tauranga |
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| Remarks | ||
| The natural harbor has two entrances, the southern Tauranga Entrance with a width of 485 m and the northern Katikati Entrance with a width of 620 m | ||
The Tauranga Harbor is a flat running lagoon and at the same time natural harbor in the region Bay of Plenty on the North Island of New Zealand . 62% of the surface of the water is in the intertidal zone . Part of the southeastern area was expanded to become the seaport of Tauranga .
geography
The Tauranga Harbor is located in the western part of the bay Bay of Plenty and extends there over a length of about 33 km parallel to the north-east lies Matakana Iceland that the ticking of the Pacific Ocean separates. The lagoon covers an area of 218 km², has two entrances to the Pacific, the Tauranga Entrance southeast at Mount Maunganui and northwest the Katikati Entrance , which can be found southeast of Athenree .
Tauranga Harbor drains an area of 1,275 km² via the tributaries, the most important of which are the Wairoa River , the Waipapa River , the Aongatete River and the Wainui River .
The three largest settlements in the area of Tauranga Harbor include, by far, Tauranga in the southeast of the basin with 177.7 to 277.5 million m³ of water, depending on the water level, Katikati further to the northwest and then Athenree at the upper end of the water.
traffic
The Tauranga Harbor can land from the State Highway 2 can be achieved from the beginning of Athenree of up to Tauranga accompanies the southwestern shore of its entire length. The East Coast Main Trunk Railway runs parallel to this, but it is only used for freight transport. From the sea, the port can be reached from the Katikati Entrance and Tauranga Entrance , the latter being developed for ocean-going ships that have the port of Tauranga as their destination.
From Omokoroa there is a ferry connection to Opureora to Matakana Island .
History of origin
From a geological point of view, the subsoil of the lagoon is approx. 2-3 million years old and belongs to the Tauranga Basin, a basin that has developed into the moat of the Taupo Volcanic Zone . Sediments of volcanic origin had developed into a 500 m thick layer, which is located below the deposits of the sea.
The lagoon itself was created by deposits in the estuaries of the rivers, especially the Wairoa River . These deposits formed Matakana Island , which today forms the end of the lagoon to the Pacific and which has constantly changed over the centuries. The island has grown steadily towards the southeast towards Mount Maunganui and would have closed the Tauranga Entrance if the currents of the tides and the runoff of the Wairoa River had not prevented this.
use
Apart from the economic use of the south-eastern part of Tauranga Harbor for the seaport, the entire rest of the lagoon serves as a recreation area. But here, too, use is mainly concentrated on the area around Tauranga , where by far the highest population density prevails on Tauranga Harbor . Sailing and rowing, water skiing, diving, swimming and fishing are popular.
See also
literature
- Environment Bay of Plenty (Ed.): Tauranga Harbor - ripples of life . Whakatane March 2009 (English, boprc.govt.nz [PDF; 2.0 MB ] booklet).
- Coastal Overview Report . In: Bay of Plenty Regional Council (Ed.): Technical Publication . No. 3. Whakatane August 1991 (English, boprc.govt.nz [PDF; 10.0 MB ]).
Web links
- Tauranga Harbor . Bay of Plenty regional Council,accessed August 25, 2012.