Omokoiti

Omokoiti is a Scheduled Coastal Protection Area in the Operative Auckland Regional Plan: Coastal (CPA 9 a-b, Map Series 1, Sheet 3).  Schedule 3 describes the values of the area as: The large and diverse area of saltmarsh and mangrove vegetation (9b), comprised mainly of a sizeable area of mud and glasswort to landward of a broad band of mangroves. This glasswort flat provides a high tide roosting site for thousands of international migratory and New Zealand endemic wading birds and a variety of other coastal bird species, including a number of threatened species. Most importantly, four or five black stilts, or about 10% of the entire population of this endangered species, spend the winter at this site. The adjacent intertidal banks (9a) are a feeding ground for the thousands of waders that roost at Omokoiti. The saline vegetation is a habitat for threatened secretive coastal fringe birds. The Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society was one of a number of parties who successfully appealed a decision to approve a 30 ha mussel farm proposal (about 1km long by 300 metres wide) between Te Kawau Point and Omokoiti Bay in 2005.  A copy of the Court's decision can be download by clicking here (NB the pdf file is 1.5MB)

Photo: Suzi Phillips