Meola Reef

Te Tokaroa Reef from Kauri Point, near Kendall Bay, looking south from North Shore City.

Te Tokaroa Reef, Auckland, looking north.

Looking along the line of the reef into the harbour.

The Meola Reef, or Te Tokaroa Reef in Māori ('toka'='rock', 'roa'='long')^{[citation needed]} is a lava flow forming a reef peninsula across part of Auckland's Waitemata Harbour, New Zealand. It was formed 20,000 years ago from the final portion of a 10 kilometer long lava flow that originated from the distant Three Kings volcano. The reef extends for over 2 kilometres across the Waitemata Harbour, to within 500 metres of Kauri Point, on the northern shore.^[1][2][3][4]

The reef is easily seen in the west from the Auckland Harbour Bridge at low tide, when much of it lies exposed. The best viewpoint is at Kauri Point, the headland to the east of Kendall Bay. The portion of the reef close to shore is covered by mangroves, and further out, the rocks are covered by rock oysters, then bare. Strong footwear is needed to walk on the lava.

Located between the Point Chevalier and Westmere suburbs, it was the site of the city's tip for many years.^[5] This has now been capped^[6] and replaced by a 15 ha public reserve, with mangrove swamps in the streams and tidal salt marshes either side.^[7][8]

In the 1970s, plans for a Second Harbour Crossing from the reef to Birkenhead were shelved after public outcry.^[9]

References

1. ^ Lava and Strata, A guide to the volcanoes and rock formations of Auckland, Lloyd Homer, Phil Moore and Les Kermode, Landscape Publications Ltd, ISBN 0-908800-02-9
2. ^ Geology of the Auckland Urban Area, Les Kermode, Institute of Geological & Nuclear Sciences, 1992, ISBN 0-478-07000-4
3. ^ Three Kings Volcano. (from Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa Collections Online. Retrieved 2009-07-26.)
4. ^ Auckland Museum Volcanoes Education Kit. Retrieved 2009-07-26.
5. ^ Annexure B - Contaminated Sites, City of Auckland - District Plan - Isthmus Section - Operative 1999. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
6. ^ Pollution of Western Bays Beaches - Going, Going, Gone (from a City Vision press release, 27 September 2007. Retrieved 2008-03-17.)
7. ^ Meola Reef (from an image entry of the Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 2008-03-17.)
8. ^ Waitemata Harbour - Natural features (from Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 2008-03-17.)
9. ^ Dearnaley, Mathew (30 May 2009). "Agency in no hurry to replace bridge with harbour 'tubes'". The New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/auckland-region/news/article.cfm?l_id=117&objectid=10575356. Retrieved 23 October 2011. 

Coordinates: 36°51′03″S 174°42′38″E / 36.850917°S 174.710598°E / -36.850917; 174.710598