Section outline

  • LO's

    We are planning to create a heritage guide for our local community that resembles this one (linked to below)

    https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/arts-culture-heritage/heritage-walks-places/Documents/duder-regional-park.pdf 

    OUR HISTORY is a booklet series produced by the Heritage Department of the Auckland Regional Council (ARC).

     It is a cultural heritage education and advocacy project established to provide information about local history and regionally significant historic resources. 

    For further information: • Contact the Auckland Regional Council Ph: 09 366 2000 • See the Auckland Regional Council website (www.arc.govt.nz) Please do not remove or disturb any archaeological remains. They are an important record of our history and are protected by law. 

    Duder Regional Park is on the Whakakaiwhara Peninsula at the entrance to the Wairoa River near Clevedon. The Peninsula has a long and rich history, which begins with the visit of the famous Tainui canoe in the 1300s. Ngäi Tai were the first people to live on the Whakakaiwhara Peninsula. They lived there for hundreds of years, building gardens and a pä (defended fortification) on the point. It is an important place to Ngäi Tai because of its Tainui history, the excellent views over the Hauraki Gulf and the availability of food such as shellfish, eels, sharks, and berries and birds from the forest. Thomas Duder purchased the Peninsula and surrounding land from Ngäi Tai in 1866. The Duder family farmed the Peninsula for the next 130 years. For many years, the Peninsula was used as an unfenced grazing area for sheep, while the rest of the farm was developed. From the 1930s, the Duders began converting the Peninsula into a productive farm. This involved 30 years of clearing the scrub, putting up fences, ploughing the land and sowing the pasture. The Peninsula was also a popular place for fishing, picnics, boating and camping. The Auckland Regional Council bought the Whakakaiwhara Peninsula in 1994. Today, visitors can still see signs of the past on the Peninsula, as well as enjoying the pockets of original native forest and some of the best coastal views in the Auckland region. 

    What to see and do... 

    • Follow the Farm Loop Walk to Whakakaiwhara Pä and see the earthwork remains of this fortified Mäori settlement (2½ hours return). 

    • Follow the coastal walk to one of the many beaches. Take your togs, a picnic or your fishing rod, as visitors have done for over 100 years. 

    • Visit the pockets of original native forest and see the trees and plants Mäori used for eating, weaving, dyeing and building. 

    • Watch the birdlife and hunt for shells at Duck Bay (Waipokaia). • Join an Auckland Regional Council volunteer day to help out with planting and conservation work. • Follow the orienteering course, go horse-riding (with a permit) or mountain-biking.