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Whitireia Park

http://www.gwrc.govt.nz/whitireia-park

Parks and recreation / Whitireia Park

Parks and recreation

Whitireia Park

Whitireia Road, Titahi Bay

The main entrance via Whitireia Rd Titahi Bay. Turn off SH1 at Porirua and follow Titahi Bay Road, to the end of Main Road, turn right into Bay Drive & then left into Thornley Street then Transmitter St, then turn left into Whitireia Road to enter the park.
For more information about other entrances check the Getting there page.

Opening hours

6am till Dusk

Dogs are welcome but must be kept under control at all times. Onehunga Bay is a dogs on lead area.

Total Fire Ban all year round. Fireworks are prohibited in all Regional Parks and Forests.

Park may be closed at any time due to weather.

Park notices

New transmission mast

Posted 28/11/19

Radio New Zealand will be installing a new transmission mast in the park, beginning Thursday 28 November. Traffic management will be present in the park to help minimise disruptions.

Read more >

Little blue penguin breeding season

Posted 11/9/19

Penguin breeding season runs between July and February and is currently in full swing! Please keep your dogs on leash during the nesting season.

Read more >

About Whitireia

Whitireia Park is a headland with commanding views over Mana Island and Porirua Harbour. The park comprises around 180 hectares of predominantly open space grasslands with some native bush.

It provides leisure activities such as fishing, mountain biking, horse riding, rock climbing, bird spotting and walking. The park also provides a unique opportunity for people to undertake a variety of leisure activities in or on the water including swimming, kite surfing and diving.

Steeped in Māori history, it is believed that the anchor stone of the canoe of legendary Māori explorer, Kupe, lay on Onehunga Beach for centuries. The stone is now housed in Te Papa Museum.

Things to do

Recreation

Whitireia bay overview

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Park history

From the mid-1820s the area was dominated by the Ngati Toa tribe of Te Rauparaha who had come south from Kawhia and conquered the area. Evidence of Maori occupation, in the form of kumara-growing terraces above the cliffs, can still be seen today.

The anchor stone of the canoe of legendary Maori explore Kupe is believed to have lain near Paremata for centuries. Kupe left the stone, named Maungaroa, to mark the spot where his canoe returned after floating out to sea. The stone was respected by Maori tribes over the centuries, but during the 1840s British troops stationed at Porirua broke chips off it. When some of them later drowned in the harbour it was seen by some Maori as punishment for their act of sacrilege. The stone is now housed in the National Museum in Wellington.

 

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Get in touch

Ranger:
Gary Wheaton
Phone: 0800 496 734
Fax: not available
whitireia.ranger@gw.govt.nz