Waikumete Stream
The Waikumete Stream is a stream of the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It flows north from its sources in Titirangi, before joining the Oratia Stream. Both bodies are tributaries of Te Wai-o-Pareira / Henderson Creek, which flows into the western Waitematā Harbour. The stream passes through the suburbs of Titirangi, Kaurilands, Glen Eden and Sunnyvale, and since the mid-2000s has been forested with native flora.
| Waikumete Stream | |
|---|---|
 The Waikumete Stream at Glen Eden | |
Route of the Waikumete Stream | |
  Mouth of the Waikumete Stream   Waikumete Stream (New Zealand) | |
| Location | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Auckland Region |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Titirangi |
| Mouth | Oratia Stream |
• location | Sunnyvale |
• coordinates | 36°53′38″S 174°37′57″E |
| Length | 6 km (4 mi) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Waikumete Stream → Oratia Stream → Te Wai-o-Pareira / Henderson Creek → Waitematā Harbour |
| River system | Te Wai-o-Pareira / Henderson Creek |
Description
The stream begins north of Titirangi township, flowing north through the suburbs of Kaurilands and Glen Eden.[1] At Glen Eden, the stream changes course, flowing north-west towards Parrs Park.[1] The stream finishes its course at Millbrook Esplanade in the suburb of Sunnyvale, where it flows into the Oratia Stream.[1]
The stream has one tributary, the Hibernia Stream,[2] which flows parallel to the Waikumete Stream to the west, flowing through Wirihana Park and Kowhai Reserve, meeting the Waikumete Stream at Ceramco Park.
The stream is a habitat for the New Zealand longfin eel, the short-finned eel, cran's bully, common bully (toitoi), redfin bully, New Zealand smelt, banded kōkopu, common galaxias (īnanga) and torrentfish (panoko).[3]
History
The stream is in the traditional rohe of Te Kawerau ā Maki.[3] While the stream's traditional name has been lost, the upper catchments of Te Wai-o-Pareira / Henderson Creek were known as Ōkaurirahi, due to the large kauri trees in the area.[3] When the area was settled by Europeans, the stream was given the name Waikumete, a name applied to the area (but originally referring to Little Muddy Creek to the south of Titirangi.[3] The area was milled for kauri timber in the mid-19th century.[3] The stream was officially gazetted as the Waikumete Stream in 1988.[1]
On 23 May 1992, the Waikumete Stream was polluted with tributyltin by a timber treatment yard, resulting in the death of wildlife and contaminated sediments over the next two years.[4] Between the mid-2000s and the 2020s, large-scale riparian planting was undertaken along the Waikumete Stream, as a part of Project Twin Streams.[3]
See also
References
- "Waikumete Stream". New Zealand Gazetteer. Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
- "Hibernia Stream". New Zealand Gazetteer. Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
- "Waikumete Stream" (PDF). Project Twin Streams. Auckland Council. 2012. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
- de Mora, S. J.; Phillips, D. R. (1997). "Tributyltin (TBT) Pollution in Riverine Sediments Following a Spill from a Timber Treatment Facility in Henderson, New Zealand". Environmental Technology. 18 (12): 1187–1193. doi:10.1080/09593331808616639. ISSN 0959-3330. Retrieved 1 May 2022.