Physical Environment
Houhora Harbour is an enclosed estuarine harbour. The harbour is 8.5 km long, and covers 1430 ha., most of which is exposed on low spring tides. The intertidal is mostly sandy mud flats. A narrow channel over 4 m deep extends about 3 km upstream from the heads. Mt Camel, a tall volcanic outcrop, forms the headland at the northern entrance to the harbour, and dunes at the northern end of East Beach form the southern head. Elsewhere, the surrounding land consists of relatively flat dune sand, and on the eastern side, an extensive belt of saltmarsh.
Houhora Harbour is listed by DOC (1990) as a site of international importance as a result of habitats used by international migratory waders.
Flora & Fauna
Houhora Harbour is estuarine with areas of mangrove and saltmarsh at the head of the harbour. The area is important for migratory waders such as turnstone ( Arenaria interpres ), knot ( Calidris canutus ), and godwit ( Limosa lapponica baueri ). Other birds recorded by DOC (1990) as using the harbour and surrounds include the New Zealand dotterel ( Charadrius obscurus ), reef heron ( Egretta sacra ), bittern ( Botaurus stellaris poiciloptilus ), banded dotterel ( Charadrius bicinctus ), wrybill ( Anarhynchus frontalis ), black stilt ( Himantopus novaezelandiae ) and in the coastal shrub, large numbers of fernbird ( Bowdleria punctata vealeae ).
The intertidal flats have a characteristic molluscan fauna including mud whelks ( Zeacumantus lutulentus, Z. subcrarinatus, Zediloma subrostrata ) and bivalves Nucula hartvigiana , wedge shell ( Macomona liliana ) and cockles ( Austrovenus stutchburyi ). Crustacea are relatively scarce, but are represented by the snapping shrimp, mantis shrimp, and pill-box crabs. Parore, snapper, spotties, john dory, flounder and stingrays frequent the harbour.
The coastal vegetation of Houhora Harbour is varied. Coastal forest remnants are present on Mt Camel. Pastoral farming is the dominant land use on the western shore, and the eastern shore is dominated by an extensive saltmarsh, grading into a freshwater marsh and into shrubland. Extensive areas on the eastern peninsula are utilised for forestry.
References:
Department of Conservation (1990). Coastal Resource Inventory - First order survey: Northland Conservancy. Compiled by Tim Shaw & Joan Maingay.
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