The Ōtuataua Stonefields Historic Reserve lies about 7km southwest of Māngere, on the shore of the Manukau Harbour.
It’s an internationally significant heritage landscape and an important archaeological site, with spectacular views over the harbour and surrounding countryside.
Early settlement history
According to tradition, the Ngā Oho people were the earliest inhabitants of the area. Their descendants, the Te-Wai-o-Hua iwi, controlled the Tāmaki isthmus during the 16th and 17th centuries, before being briefly displaced by Ngā Puhi during the Musket Wars of the 1800s.
Evidence of early Māori settlement is easily seen across the reserve, as are dry-stone walls built by European settlers, who started to arrive from the 1840s.
Wildlife and rare bird species
You may also spot pīwakawaka, tūī and kererū, as well as seabirds and skinks.
How to get there
The entrance to the reserve is at the end of Ihumatao Quarry Road. From Auckland Airport, turn left off SH20A onto Ihumatao Road, right at Oruarangi Road and left onto Ihumatao Quarry Road.
