Rangitoto Channel
Navigable waterway between Rangitoto Island and the Devonport Peninsula
title: "Rangitoto Channel" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["landforms-of-the-auckland-region", "hauraki-gulf", "straits-of-new-zealand"] description: "Navigable waterway between Rangitoto Island and the Devonport Peninsula" topic_path: "geography/new-zealand" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rangitoto_Channel" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Navigable waterway between Rangitoto Island and the Devonport Peninsula ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox body of water"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Rangitoto Channel |
| image | Rangitoto Island summit 3.jpg |
| alt | The Rangitoto Channel, looking west towards the North Shore from Rangitoto Island |
| caption | The Rangitoto Channel, looking west towards the North Shore from Rangitoto Island. |
| location | Auckland Region, New Zealand |
| length | |
| width | |
| islands | Duder Spit, Rangitoto Island |
| coords | |
| rivers | Wairau Creek |
| oceans | Hauraki Gulf, Pacific Ocean |
| countries | New Zealand |
| settlements | Belmont, Devonport, Hauraki, Milford, Narrow Neck, Takapuna |
| pushpin_map | Auckland |
| pushpin_label_position | right |
| pushpin_map_caption | Location within the Auckland Region |
| pushpin_map_alt | Location within the Auckland Region |
| :: |
| name = Rangitoto Channel | image = Rangitoto Island summit 3.jpg | alt = The Rangitoto Channel, looking west towards the North Shore from Rangitoto Island | caption = The Rangitoto Channel, looking west towards the North Shore from Rangitoto Island. | image_bathymetry = | alt_bathymetry = | caption_bathymetry = |location= Auckland Region, New Zealand |length= |width= |area= |depth= |frozen= |islands= Duder Spit, Rangitoto Island |coords= |rivers= Wairau Creek |oceans= Hauraki Gulf, Pacific Ocean |countries= New Zealand |settlements= Belmont, Devonport, Hauraki, Milford, Narrow Neck, Takapuna |sections= |references= | pushpin_map = Auckland | pushpin_label_position = right | pushpin_map_caption = Location within the Auckland Region | pushpin_map_alt = Location within the Auckland Region
The Rangitoto Channel is an area of the Hauraki Gulf in the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island. The channel is north-east of the Waitematā Harbour, and is located between the North Shore and Rangitoto Island. The channel's traditional Ngāi Tai name is Te Awanui o Peretū, and is an important deep water shipping channel to reach the Ports of Auckland.
Geography
The Rangitoto Channel is located in Auckland, between the North Shore and Rangitoto Island. During the Last Glacial Maximum (known locally as the Ōtira Glaciation), the area was a valley for the Waitematā River, which when sea levels rose between 12,000 and 7,000 years ago became the Waitematā Harbour. The channel is an important stretch of water as it is the only deep water approach to Auckland Port for large ships such as container cargo ships and passenger cruise liners.
History
The traditional Ngāi Tai name for the Rangitoto Channel is Te Awanui o Peretū or "The Great Channel of Peretū", named after an early ancestor in Tāmaki Makaurau, who lived at Narrow Neck and kept a kākā parrot reserve on Rangitoto Island. The channel was visited by the Tainui migratory canoe after arriving in Tāmaki Makaurau.
During the Russian scare of the 1880s, coastal fortifications were built along the Rangitoto Channel, including a fort at North Head and a military camp, Fort Cautley, at Narrow Neck. These were upgraded during World War II, and further gun emplacements were constructed at Castor Bay and other East Coast Bays areas to the north.
The channel was last dredged from a depth of 11.2m to 12.5m in a two-stage process in 2004. The first stage involved the mechanical excavation of hard rock. Blasting was not required. This was followed by the removal of softer material. All dredged material was used in the reclamation at Fergusson wharf.
Gallery
Rangitoto Lighthouse.jpg|The Rangitoto Lighthouse is located along the Rangitoto Channel Auckland, New Zealand by Planet Labs (Rangitoto Channel).jpg| Satellite view of Rangitoto Channel Volcano Under the Pohutukawa (15358219635).jpg| View of Rangitoto Island from Milford Beach
References
References
- "Rangitoto Channel". Land Information New Zealand.
- "Estuary origins". [[National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research]].
- Land Information New Zealand Marine chart NZ532
- [[Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki]]. (April 2016). "Cultural Values Assessment Report to New Zealand Transport Agency for Northern Corridor Improvements Project (NCI)". [[Waka Kotahi.
- {{cite q. Q58677091
- Heritage Consultancy Services. (1 July 2011). "North Shore Heritage - Thematic Review Report Volume 1". [[Auckland Council]].
- Willis, Jenny. (2018). "Early History of East Coast Bays".
- {{cite q. Q120520385
- Rock removed from shipping lane
- Rangitoto Shipping Lane Dredging & Wharf Reclamation
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::