Cornwallis Peninsula Flora and Fauna

Cornwallis Peninsula, also known as Karangāhape Peninsula, is a finger of land that stretches into the Manukau Harbour, New Zealand's second largest natural harbour, from the southern end of the Waitakere Ranges, Auckland.

In the late 1830s to early 1840s, the drive to establish a new settlement to take advantage of the abundance of timber, and what was assumed would be equally fertile and productive farming land, resulted in 27 passengers (including 2 born on the way) arriving at Cornwallis on the Brilliant in October 1841. Their 301-day voyage had been the longest ever by a passenger ship between Great Britain and New Zealand. Unfortunately the attempt at settlement which included a sawmill, farms, and a hotel, soon failed dismally due to the trying and difficult conditions of the location.

Today, the peninsula is a fragile ecosystem for native and endemic flora & fauna, including a diverse range of marine life. A lack of TLC over the years has seen rampant weeds flourish, and pests and predators like rats, stoats and possums have severely impacted on the survival of inhabiting birds and invertebrates.

The good news - in 2016, a group of locals heard about a small wreckage colony of Grey-faced petrels nesting at the end of the peninsula, and formed the Petrelheads to help protect the petrels. Since then a wide network of bait and trap lines has been installed across the peninsula, and further along Cornwallis Beach. The long term goal of the project is to reintroduce new bird populations, eliminate all predators and tackle weed control.

The purpose of this iNatNZ project is to document the flora & fauna of Cornwallis Peninsula and surrounding area.

Read more about the Petrelhead's work:
https://www.cornwallis.org.nz/environment less ↑