Muriwai

Muriwai Beach is a coastal town in the Rodney District on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand.

Muriwai Beach is located about 17 kilometers west of Kumeu, 42 kilometers north- west of the center of Auckland City. It is the southern end of the 50 km long beach Muriwai Beach, which extends northward to the mouth of the Kaipara Harbour.

As one of several popular tourist sites in the region ( Piha and Karekare are others ) it is visited in summer by numerous Auckländern.

At the 2001 census the town had 2,037 inhabitants, 14.3 % more than in 1996. Median income is high for New Zealand conditions and in 2001 was NZ $ 24,500, compared with 19,500 NZ $ for the Rodney District and NZ $ 18,500 for all of New Zealand. The unemployment rate was 5.3% compared with 5.1% for the district and 7.5 % in New Zealand.

Leisure time

Surfing is in this area of ​​the coast, the most important leisure activity, added parasailing and hang-gliding, for which the prevailing westerly winds often offers good conditions. Beach sailors are rented on the coast.

Fishing is popular, but dangerous because of strong surf in many places.

Excursions into the bush be facilitated by Plank roads. There are also many mountain biking - trails in the pine forest, especially downhill and freeride trails.

Maori Bay in the south will separate from the Muriwai Beach through steep cliffs and rocks. Here is the only colony of gannets in the region.

A large part of the country at the southern end of the beach is part of the Muriwai Beach Regional Park.

Geology

Sand and rock, older material of volcanic origin with many concretions and layers form the cliffs. In them there is also a blowhole.

The coast is also known for her black ferruginous sand. This comes from the weathering of old volcanoes in the area. This black material is carried up by the currents from Mount Taranaki, the West Coast.

Photo Gallery

Gannet colony, Maori Bay in the background

' Muriwai Energy ' dangerous surf on the flat rocks

" Extreme Fishing " at Muriwai

Concretion - a marine fossil '

Blowhole