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Waitakere ... West Auckland's nature reserve! Framed by the bush-covered Waitakere Ranges and the curling breakers of the Tasman Sea, Waitakere City in West Auckland has a completely independent character. Waitakere City regards itself as an "eco-city", striving to combine business and environmental interests and to be at once productive, green and clean. The developed area extends into the Waitakere Ranges with houses perched on the slopes of the hills, hidden by native bush, and often with marvellous views of Auckland and the sea. |
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Centennial
Memorial Park, a nature reserve of over 10,000 hectares, is the showpiece
of the Waitakeres. It includes native bush and many of the varied west
coast beaches. Over 200 km of walking tracks and paths suitable for
all age groups and abilities can be explored. The attractions include
original native bush with waterfalls and streams.
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The
Waitakeres offer you a vast range of outdoor activities: bush- and beachwalks,
picnic, fishing and surfing, swimming and sunbathing, and many more... The Waitakere Wine Route leads you to wineries and wine boutiques where you can taste and buy the priced wines of the region at low prices. |
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Waitakeres have a rich heritage of Maori culture. Te Kawerau a Maki are
the Holders of the "mana whenua" over the Waitakere coastline,
the traditional inheritors of the mana and guardianship that dates back
towhen the legendary Maui first pulled the great fish Ika Roa a Maui,
the North Island, from the depth of the Tasman Sea. More than 50 pa sites (fortified villages) were guarding the coastline. Remnants of those settlements can still be visited in the Centennial Memorial Park. Today, Maori population amounts to approx. 11 % of the inhabitants of Waitakere City, their language and culture experiences a renaissance. Many Maori preschoolers learn their ancestor´s culture and language in the kohanga reo (language-nests), and Hoani Waiti Marae is a national Centerr for Maori culture, education and art. |
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