Physical Environment
Great Exhibition Bay is the eastern shoreline of the Aupouri Peninsula. This area includes Great Exhibition Bay from the mouth of the Parengarenga Harbour south to the mouth of the Houhora Harbour, including Rarawa Beach, Grenville, Perforated, Farmer and Perpendicular Points, and the embayments in between. South of the Houhora Heads, East Beach sweeps in an easterly direction to the mouth of the Rangaunu Harbour.
To the north, the coast of Great Exhibition Bay is sand backed by dunes. To the south the coast is a series of rocky headlands, reefs and points with white sand beaches between. East Beach is a broad band of mobile and semi-consolidated fore-dunes. Behind this is a large area of low-lying gumland swamp and peaty sands.
The Great Exhibition Bay-East Beach area is a low energy shore, with prevailing winds from the west. The area is influenced by subtropical water of the East Auckland Current.
DOC (1990) record this area as nationally important because of dotterel nesting sites and important dunefield wetland habitats.
Flora & Fauna
North of Paxton Point the flora and fauna of the coastal zone of Great Exhibition Bay is typical of northern soft shores - clean, mobile and consolidated sands dominated by small robust crustacea (usually amphipods) and molluscs (tuatua). South of Paxton Point the series of rocky headlands and platform reefs support a high diversity of algae, molluscs and crustacea.
The northern coastal zone of Great Exhibition Bay is an important area for New Zealand dotterel ( Charadrius obscurus ) and variable oystercatcher ( Haematopus unicolor ). Both species have been recorded nesting in the area. Caspian tern ( Hydroprogne caspia ), Australasian gannet ( Sula bassana serrator ) and a variety of other species also utilise the coastal area. Bittern ( Botaurus poiciloptilus ), fernbird ( Bowdleria punctata vealeae ) and New Zealand scaup ( Aythya novaeseelandiae ) have been recorded in the dune wetlands and scrub areas behind the coast. Kowhai Beach and Henderson Bay are reported by DOC (1990) as important nesting sites for coast birds, including NZ dotterel, banded dotterel, variable oystercatcher, white-fronted tern, red-billed gull, and black-backed gull. The very high value of these areas has been maintained by poor access and their remote location.
On shore, the dunes are vegetated by a variety of indigenous coastal plants (manuka, pingao, pohuehue, Coprosma species) as well as exotic sand-binders (marram, lupin). A large area of the dunefield is planted in pasture and pine forest. Henderson Bay has an area of natural coastal heathland at the northern end.
At East Beach, pingao, spinifex and marram grow on the mobile dunes, with manuka/kanuka shrubland, raupo, rushes, flax and Baumea in wetland areas. This area contains 18 threatened species, and is one of Northland's most diverse orchid habitats. The Kaimaumau swamp behind East Beach is a large area of oligotrophic swamp/wetland, vegetated by manuka shrubland, rushes, raupo, and Baumea .
Scallops and surf clams of Dosinia species are important molluscs found sub-tidally along the coast in the Great Exhibition Bay-East Beach area.
References:
Department of Conservation (1990). Coastal Resource Inventory - First order survey: Northland Conservancy. Compiled by Tim Shaw & Joan Maingay.
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