Rangaunu Harbour is a shallow harbour in the far north of New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. It is situated on the east coast at the base of the Aupouri Peninsula

Aupouri Peninsula

The Aupouri Peninsula is a tombolo at the northern tip of the North Island of New Zealand. It projects between the Tasman Sea to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east...

. The name in Māori

Maori language

Māori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...

 means "To pull out a shoal of fish". With an area of 115 sqkm it is the fifth-largest harbour in New Zealand.

Geography

The harbour entrance is a 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) wide channel to Rangaunu Bay to the north. The eastern side of the harbour is a 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) wide tombolo

Tombolo

A tombolo, from the Italian tombolo, derived from the Latin tumulus, meaning 'mound,' and sometimes translated as ayre , is a deposition landform in which an island is attached to the mainland by a narrow piece of land such as a spit or bar. Once attached, the island is then known as a tied island...

 separating it from Doubtless Bay and connecting the hillier Karikari Peninsula

Karikari Peninsula

The Karikari Peninsula is a right-angled land mass of two relatively-distinct parts. The rocky northern part, which has an east-west orientation and is approximately 17km long, was originally an island.. It is connected to the rest of the Northland Region of New Zealand by a low sandy strip...

 to the mainland.
The small settlement of Rangiputa sits on the eastern side of the harbour entrance, and Kaimaumau is located on the western shore about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) southwest of the entrance. Unahi, at the mouth of the Awanui River, has a wharf and a fish processing plant which is now closed.

An extensive wetland, the Waihuahua swamp lies to the west of the harbour, north of Kaimaumau.

The harbour has extensive areas of mangrove

Mangrove

Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...

s, tidal sand flats and areas of eelgrass, plus several small islands, with deeper channels between.

A number of rivers flow into the harbour. Clockwise from the entrance, these are:

• Te Putaaraukai River
• Mangatete River
  Mangatete River
  The Mangatete River or Mangatete Stream is a river of the Northland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It flows northwest from its origins to the east of Kaitaia, reaching the Rangaunu Harbour to the east of Awanui.-References:...
  
  
• Pairatahi River
  Pairatahi River
  The Pairatahi River is a river of the Northland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It flows generally north to reach Rangaunu Harbour to the northeast of Awanui.-References:...
  
  
• Awanui River
  Awanui River
  The Awanui River is a river in the far north of New Zealand. It is located in Northland, close to the point at which the Aupouri Peninsula joins the rest of the North Auckland Peninsula. The Awanui flows first west and then north, for a total of , before flowing into Rangaunu Harbour. The town of...
  
  
• Waimanoni Creek
• Waipapakauri Creek
• Waiparera Stream

Ecology

Rangaunu harbour contains about 15% of the mangrove habitat in New Zealand. It is a habitat of international significance for migratory wading birds, with 10,000 birds of approximately 70 species using the harbour in the autumn. Birds observed to nest in the area include NZ dotterel, variable oystercatcher, black-backed gull, red-billed gull, white-fronted tern, Caspian tern, black shag, little shag, pied shag, pied stilts, white-faced herons, ducks and swans.