Visit Waitemata Harbour, Auckland | The city of sails

A ucklanders like to say that one in three of the city’s residents owns some kind of waterborne craft – whether it be a luxury yacht or a homemade canoe. That figure has never been confirmed or denied, maybe because Aucklanders are too engrossed in sailing, powerboating, paddling, fishing or swimming in the waters of Waitemata Harbour to take time out to count.

There are probably at least eighty thousand motorboats and yachts regularly plying the one hundred and eighty square kilometres of the Waitemata. The name aptly translates from the Maori language as ‘sparkling waters’, so it is nowonder that it is irresistible to all butthe staunchest landlubber. Even for those who prefer to be close to shore, kilometres of beaches and coastal walks provide vistas across the islands and glittering sea of the Hauraki Gulf. Safe beaches are so close to the centre of the city that downtown workers can swim and sunbathe during their lunchtimes.

 

From the arrival of the first Maori waka(canoes), followed by the sailing ships of the nineteenth-century European settlers, Waitemata Harbour has played a pivotal role in Auckland’s development. Captain James Cook might have missed the harbour entrance when he sailed past in 1769, but today no one is in any doubt about the Waitemata’s value.

On its shores is the largest international container port in New Zealand and the Royal New Zealand Navy’s mainnaval base at Devonport. Cruise ships are regular visitors and the harbour is a welcome sight for yachties who have battled their way through thetumultuous southern oceans on round-the-world races.