A Quiet Tidal Bay East of Manukau South Head
Wattle Bay (Te Raroa) is a small bay on the northeastern tip of the Āwhitu Peninsula in Auckland, tucked just east of the Manukau South Head along the south shore of the Manukau Harbour. It is the quietest of the peninsula's harbour-side bays: a handful of houses and baches at the end of a side road, with extensive tidal flats exposed at low water, views across to the Waitākere Ranges and a small reserve with Māori heritage plaques. There are no facilities or services.
The Bay and Foreshore
Wattle Bay is a tidal inlet where the foreshore can extend a considerable distance at low water, exposing cockle beds and the feeding grounds of oystercatchers, pied stilts and herons. Like the other eastern bays of the peninsula, swimming is best timed around high tide.
The bay is used by local boaties for launching small craft and offers generally sheltered conditions within the harbour. The reserve at Wattle Bay (Te Raroa) includes interpretive plaques that cover aspects of the area's Māori history, reflecting the long occupation of the peninsula by Ngāti Te Ata, Ngāti Kahukōkā, and related iwi. The setting is quiet and undisturbed, with the Manukau southern head rising above the western end of the bay.
How to Get There
From Waiuku, follow Awhitu Road through the small township of Āwhitu onto Āwhitu Central Road, then turn north onto Tram Gully Road. Where this road becomes Graham Beach Road, turn sharply west onto Orua Bay Road and follow this until you see Wattle Bay Road, shortly before Ōrua Bay. The drive takes 42 minutes and is 41 km.
Nearby places to visit include Āwhitu Central, Āwhitu Regional Park, Grahams Beach and Big Bay, all short drives on the eastern side of the peninsula.
