St Pauls Historic Reserve (Ohakiri)
Human history
Extensive Māori terraces surround the St Pauls Rock. You can see midden (shell refuse) eroding out from areas of the St Pauls Track.
Europeans did not discover the Whangaroa Harbour until 1807, when Captain Wilkinson of the sealer ship Star sailed into the harbour. The name 'St Pauls' was given to this rock in the 19th century due to its domelike similarity with St Pauls cathedral.
St Pauls rock from the track facing
southwest
Historically the harbour has interesting and important stories attached to it.
Read about the burning of the HMS Boyd.
Stunning rock formations
The Whangaroa Harbour is one of the most stunning harbours in the world. The rock formations that dominate its scenery are remnants of ancient volcanoes that erupted about 20 million years ago. Angular fragments of the volcanic rocks were scattered thickly over the landscape and sea.
View from the top of St Pauls Rock
facing northeast to the entrance of the
harbour
The loose debris was rapidly eroded except where natural cementation had bonded the fragments into what now looks like a natural version of coarse, exposed aggregate concrete. You can see this geological phenomenon up close at St Pauls (Ohakiri Pa).
The reserve is well worth visiting as it offers stunning views over the upper Whangaroa Harbour.
DOC's work
St Pauls Rock was gazetted as a Historic Reserve in 1980. Today, it is under the care of the Department of Conservation.
Getting there
You can access the St Pauls Rock from the carpark at the end of Hospital Road, just north of Whangaroa.
References
The Story of the Bay of Islands Maritime and Historic Park. 1989. Department of Conservation.
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