Whatipu
Whatipu is a mostly deserted beach on the coast in western Auckland , New Zealand .
The road to the beach is unpaved and the way to the beach is poorly signposted from the end of the road. Whatipu has no lifeguards, and like all beaches in west Auckland, swimmers are exposed to currents.
About 20 minutes from the parking lot there are beautiful caves, but they cannot be reached via the beach.
Before the colonization of New Zealand by Europeans, the caves were used by travelers as a shelter. At the beginning of the 20th century, the largest of the caves was used as a dance hall, but sand has been washed into it since then and the cave is now 5 m high filled with sand.
In the south of Whatipu is the port of Manukau , in the north Karekare .
In 1863 the HMS Orpheus ran aground shortly after she passed the entrance to Manukau Harbor . 189 people died.
In 1867 a sawmill was built to promote the kauri trade . There was a forerunner of the Piha Tramway from 1870 , which led to a second sawmill 3 km north. The forest railway was then extended to Piha and Anawhata . The factories were closed in 1886 when the trade in kauri wood stopped due to a lack of wood. Since the 40s of the 20th century, the beach has been continuously changed by the constant movement of the sand. Since then, more than 4 km² of land has been reclaimed by sand washed up on the beach.
Web links
- About this park . Whatipu,accessed September 21, 2014.
Coordinates: 37 ° 1 ′ 48 ″ S , 174 ° 28 ′ 48 ″ E