This page contains information about the Reserve Management Plan for the Parihaka and Hatea River Reserves.
Updated:
9/01/2013 3:00 p.m.
The Parihaka and Hatea River Reserves includes a series of linked reserves which form a dramatic natural backdrop on the eastern side of the Whangarei city centre.
The area is roughly bordered by Riverside Drive, Hatea Drive, Whareora Road and Abbey Caves Road, with a narrow corridor extending up the Hatea River to Ngunguru Road.
The Parihaka and Hatea River Reserves Management Plan includes Parihaka Forest, Mackesy Bush, Ross Park, Drummond Park, Mair Park, Dobbie Park, Lovatt Sanctuary Area, Whareora Road Reserve, A H Reed Kauri Memorial Park and Whangarei Falls.
This plan was approved in principle in December 2006. The plan became operative on 12 June 2009 (following the completion of classification).
To download the Management Plan, follow the link below.
Parihaka and Hatea River Reserves Management Plan [3.1mb]
Public walking tracks are a signifcant feature of the Parihaka and Hatea River areas. For further information about them, follow the link below.
Walking Tracks
Parihaka name change
In the whakapapa (‘genealogy’) of Te Parawhau hapu, it was, Kukupa, the paramount chief of Te Parawhau ki Whangarei, who with his hapu performed a fearsome haka on the top of the steep cliff defending Parihaka from the enemy in the late 1700’s.
Sometime after the battles, the name was changed and people referred to it as Parahaki.
The debate over the name continued for many years until in March 2004, Council forwarded a submission proposal to the New Zealand Geographic Board (who is responsible for place names), to amend the spelling of Mount Parahaki to Mount Parihaka.
In June 2005, the Board agreed to recommend to the Minister for Land Information to correct the spelling of Mount Parahaki to Mount Parihaka, on the basis that this is the original Maori name. The Minister’s decision on 12 July 2005 accepted the Board’s recommendation.