Whites Beach
36°55′49″S 174°27′22″E / 36.9304°S 174.4561°E / -36.9304; 174.4561 (Whites Beach)
Whites Beach is a small beach on the west coast of the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located between Piha and Anawhata.
Geography
Whites Beach is directly north of Piha, between Te Waha Point to the south and Fishermans Rock Point to the north.[1] The beach is only accessible by foot.[2] Whites Bay formed as a part of a volcanic eruption that occurred around 16 million years ago.[2] A subvertical volcanic pipe is exposed on the cliffs to the south of the beach.[3]
Biodiversity
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/30/New_Zealand_Pied_Shag_at_Whites_Beach.jpg/220px-New_Zealand_Pied_Shag_at_Whites_Beach.jpg)
Much of the flora of the beach ares is dominated by Coprosma, toetoe and marram grass,[4] the latter of which is commonly found in the sand dunes which border the grass.[2]
History
The beach was named after settlers John and Francis White.[4] Francis White was a blacksmith who was an early settler in the area who purchased land from Te Kawerau ā Maki. In 1925, land above the beach was purchased by Jim Rose, who constructed a batch on the cliffs.[5] Sir Edmund Hillary built a bach at Whites Beach.[6]
Prison escapee and folk hero George Wilder spent some months living at Whites Beach in early 1963 after escaping from Mount Eden Prison.[4][7]
Accessibility
Whites Beach is accessible by the Rose Track, a walking track between the beach and Anawhata Road. Additionally, the Laird Thompson Track connects Whites Beach to Piha in the south.[8]
References
- ^ "Whites Beach". New Zealand Gazetteer. Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
- ^ a b c Janssen, Peter (January 2021). Greater Auckland Walks. New Holland Publishers. p. 209. ISBN 978-1-86966-516-6. Wikidata Q118136068.
- ^ Hayward, B. W. (1977). "Miocene volcanic centres of the Waitakere Ranges, North Auckland, New Zealand". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 7 (2): 123–141. Bibcode:1977JRSNZ...7..123H. doi:10.1080/03036758.1977.10427155.
- ^ a b c Harvey, Bob (2012). Untamed Coast: Auckland's Waitakere Ranges and Heritage Area (revised and updated ed.). Auckland: Exisle Publishing. p. 144-145. ISBN 978-0-908988-67-9.
- ^ "Whites Beach, West Auckland". West Auckland. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
- ^ "Sir Ed's bach a place of solace". Nor-west News. Huapai, New Zealand: Fairfax New Zealand. January 2008. OCLC 276732793. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
- ^ "George Wilder, 1962–63". An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand 1966. Te Ara. 1966. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ Dench, Alison; Parore, Lee-Anne (2014). Walking the Waitakere Ranges: 45 Coastal and Bush Walks (4th ed.). Auckland: New Holland Publishers. pp. 99–102. ISBN 978-1-86966-426-8. OCLC 894037427. OL 30857674M. Wikidata Q123383221.
External links
Media related to Whites Beach, Auckland at Wikimedia Commons
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