Waitematā Harbour (Upper)

The Upper Waitematā Harbour is an estuary system that consists of seven tidal creeks/sub-estuaries that converge into a main channel. The harbour enters the Central Waitematā Harbour through a narrow outlet. Some creeks contain ecologically valuable sections of vegetation that transition from mangroves into coastal forest, and intertidal flats around Herald Island house shellfish beds and are important roosting and foraging areas for shorebirds.

Monitoring was initiated to track the effects of ongoing urban development and intensification around the estuary. There have been elevated levels of copper at some sites since monitoring began, possibly due to historic herbicide and pesticide use, and changes in land use have led to very high mud content in all of the monitored creeks.

Estuary summary

What makes my estuary unique?

Explore the characteristics of this estuary

Overview

Estuary characteristics

Significant features
- Extensive natural connections between marine and terrestrial environments
- Within the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park
- Significant Ecological Areas identified within the estuary as defined in the Auckland Unitary Plan

Total area
1,000 hectares

Total shoreline length
~55 km

Key rivers
- Rangitopuni River
- Totara Creek
- Te Wharau Creek
- Paremoremo Creek
- Oteha Stream

Highlighted reports

These links are from your regional councils and unitary authorities and provide additional information about this estuary

Auckland Council's 2020 SOE reporting Marine Ecology State & Trends to 2019 Sediment Contaminants Summary Report: 2022

Related factsheets

For more details on particular topics see these factsheets

Understanding estuaries Estuary types

Department of Conservation

Want to connect with restoration groups or explore your local estuary? You can find more information on the DOC’s interactive maps.

Restoring estuaries map Experiencing estuaries map

What's happening upstream?

See results from monitored river quality sites influencing this estuary

River quality

What's happening upstream?

The physical characteristics and health of estuaries are influenced by the rivers and streams flowing into them. For instance, when it rains the mud and contaminants generated on land can be washed into rivers and eventually flow into the estuary. The health of our rivers and streams can therefore be very important for Estuary Health, and understanding the upstream pressures can help with interpreting estuary monitoring data.

Monitoring is undertaken for a range of river health indicators (e.g., water quality and ecology) in many catchments across the region. Where there are monitored river catchments that influence this estuary, these are shown below. You can click through to view monitoring results from these River Quality sites to see current state and how health has changed over time.

Rangitopuni River

1 site

Kaipatiki Creek

1 site

What surrounds my estuary?

See land cover information from monitored catchments that surround this estuary

Land cover

What surrounds my estuary?

The physical characteristics and health of estuaries are influenced by local geography and the way we use our land. This is because estuaries are the receiving environments for many of our land use activities. Land cover information can be used as an indicator of land use, therefore knowing the surrounding land cover can help us understand which pressures might be affecting Estuary Health.

Where there is land cover information available for nearby catchments, these are listed below. These figures show the types of vegetation and built or natural features that surround the estuary margins and the rivers that flow into this estuary. You can click through to the Land Cover topic to see these land cover classes broken down into further detail, and view changes over time.

Rangitopuni River

Kaipatiki Creek

What do the Broad Land Cover Classes mean?

Land cover information on LAWA is grouped into land cover classes at two levels of detail – broad and medium. For this overview we are showing the six broad-level classes for the catchment.

Forest

Inclusive of; indigenous and exotic forest.
Scrub / shrubland

Inclusive of; indigenous and exotic scrub / shrubland.
Grassland / other herbaceous vegetation

Inclusive of; tussock and exotic grassland and other herbaceous vegetation.
Cropland

Inclusive of; cropping / horticulture.
Urban / bare / lightly-vegetated surfaces

Inclusive of; natural bare/lightly-vegetated and artificial bare surfaces, and urban area
Water bodies