Oratia Stream

The Oratia Stream is a stream of the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It flows north-east from its source at the township of Waiatarua in the Waitākere Ranges, before entering into the Te Wai-o-Pareira / Henderson Creek, which flows into the western the Waitematā Harbour. After beginning at Waiatarua, the stream passes through the rural locality of Oratia and the West Auckland suburbs of Sunnyvale and Henderson. Since the mid-2000s, the Oratia Stream has been forested with native flora.

Oratia Stream
The Oratia Stream near WestCity Waitakere
Route of the Oratia Stream
Mouth of the Oratia Stream Show map of Auckland Oratia Stream (New Zealand) Show map of New Zealand
Location
Country	New Zealand
Region	Auckland Region
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Waiatarua
Mouth	Te Wai-o-Pareira / Henderson Creek
• location	Henderson
• coordinates	36°52′21″S 174°38′6″E
Length	9 km (6 mi)
Basin features
Progression	Oratia Stream → Te Wai-o-Pareira / Henderson Creek → Waitematā Harbour
River system	Te Wai-o-Pareira / Henderson Creek

Geography

The stream begins south of the Waiatarua, flowing north-east through the rural locality of Oratia.^[1] At Glen Eden, the stream changes course, flowing north-west towards Parrs Park.^[1] The stream meets the Waikumete Stream and the Millbrook Esplanade in the suburb of Sunnyvale, and continues to flow north, adjacent to the WestCity Waitakere shopping centre in Henderson. At Te Kōpua (modern-day Falls Park / Tui Glen Reserve), the stream becomes Te Wai-o-Pareira / Henderson Creek, an estuarine arm of the Waitematā Harbour.

The stream has six tributaries. Five of these, the Potter Stream,^[2] Bendall Creek,^[3] Cantys Stream,^[4] Cochran Stream^[5] and Kaurimu Stream,^[6] flow in rural Oratia, while one the Waikumete Stream, flows north from Titirangi through Glen Eden.^[7]

The land adjacent to the stream form an alluvial flood zone, which was historically forested by tōtara, tītoki and west coast kōwhai.^[8] The stream is a location where a population of the freshwater crab Amarinus lacustris is found.^[9][10]

History

The stream is in the traditional rohe of Te Kawerau ā Maki,^[11] Radiocarbon evidence shows occupation of the Oratia Stream from at least the 16th century.^[12] The name is taken from the pā which existed on the western banks of the stream in modern-day Oratia/Sunnyvale, near Holdens Road.^[11] Oratia is the traditional name for areas of the middle and lower catchments of the stream, while the upper catchment near Waiatarua was known as Waihorotiu, due to the landslips which often occurred there.^[13] The end of the Oratia Stream, Te Kōpua (modern-day Falls Park / Tui Glen Reserve), was the location of a strategic Te Kawerau ā Maki pā, as this was the end point where Te Wai-o-Pareira / Henderson Creek could be navigated by canoe.^[13] Carbon dating of shells in the bottom layer of a midden near the Oratia pā showed occupation from at least 1570.^[14]

The Oratia Stream was first milled for kauri timber in 1841 by early settler Thomas Canty,^[15] who obtained logging rights in the area in 1843.^[16] In the mid-19th century, European settlers used the stream to drive logs downstream to Henderson.^[11] During early colonial days, the stream was known by the name Cantys Creek,^[17] a name now used for one of the steam's tributaries.

In 1855, the stream was dammed in the southern Henderson area by settler George Pirrit and his son William Pirrit. The Pirrits installed a water turbine, which they used to manufacture iron heel and toe plates for boots.^[18]

Between the mid-2000s and the 2020s, large-scale riparian planting was undertaken along the Oratia Stream as a part of Project Twin Streams.^[11]

See also

• List of rivers of New Zealand

References

1. "Oratia Stream". New Zealand Gazetteer. Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
2. "Potter Stream". New Zealand Gazetteer. Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
3. "Bendall Creek". New Zealand Gazetteer. Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
4. "Cantys Stream". New Zealand Gazetteer. Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
5. "Cochran Stream". New Zealand Gazetteer. Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
6. "Kaurimu Stream". New Zealand Gazetteer. Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
7. "Waikumete Stream". New Zealand Gazetteer. Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
8. "Native to the West: A Guide for Planting and Restoring the Nature of Waitakere City" (PDF). Waitakere City Council. April 2005. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
9. Clint McCullough. "Freshwater Crab (Hymenosomatidae: Amarinus lacustris)". New Zealand Native Freshwater Life. Archived from the original on November 16, 2010. Retrieved June 4, 2010.
10. McQueen, Stella (2010). The New Zealand Native Freshwater Aquarium. New Zealand: Wet Sock Publications. pp. 105–106. ISBN 9780473179359.
11. "Oratia Stream" (PDF). Project Twin Streams. Auckland Council. 2012. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
12. Hayward, B. W.; Diamond, J. T. (1980). "Radiocarbon dates from the Waitakere Ranges, West Auckland". New Zealand Archaeological Association Newsletter. 23: 226–231. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
13. Te Kawerau ā Maki; The Trustees of Te Kawerau Iwi Settlement Trust; The Crown (12 December 2013). "Deed of Settlement Schedule: Documents" (PDF). Retrieved 26 April 2022.
14. Diamond, John T.; Hayward, Bruce W. (1990). "Prehistoric Sites in West Auckland". In Northcote-Bade, James (ed.). West Auckland Remembers, Volume 1. West Auckland Historical Society. p. 39. ISBN 0-473-00983-8.
15. Hayward, B. W.; Diamond, J. T. (1975). "Kauri Dam Sites in the Waitakere Ranges" (PDF). Tane. 6: 105–120. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
16. "Cantys Stream". New Zealand Gazetteer. Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
17. "Oratia". New Zealand Gazetteer. Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
18. Flude, Anthony G. (2008). Henderson's Mill: a history of Henderson 1849-1939. West Auckland Historical Society. p. 51. ISBN 9781877431210.