Murphy's Bush
| Murphy's Bush | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Coordinates | 36°40′05″S 174°42′50″E / 36.668°S 174.714°E |
| Area | 26 hectares (64 acres)[1] |
Murphy's Bush is a protected forested area in Flat Bush in East Auckland, New Zealand. The reserve features a remnant kahikatea forest, and is the largest remaining lowland bush in metropolitan Auckland.
Geography and biodiversity
[edit]
Murphy's Bush is located in Flat Bush, along Murphys Road. The forest is dominated by kahikatea trees, and also consists of mature rimu, pūriri and tōtara.[1] It is the largest remaining area of mature lowland bush in Auckland.[2]
History
[edit]The area is part of traditional Tāmaki Māori lands, including those of Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki, Ngāti Pāoa, Waiohua and Ngāti Tamaterā.[3] The Flat Bush School House was built adjacent to the forest in 1877, and actively used until 1929.[3] The forest was a part of the Murphy family's farm. Conway Murphy purposefully kept his cattle away from the forest in order to preserve it.[4] The bush was occasionally used by the Pakuranga Hunt for hare hunting.[5][6]
The forest was gifted to the Manukau City Council in 1981 by the Murphy family.[1] In 2012, Stancombe Cottage, a farmhouse constructed in the 1870s, was moved from its original location on Stancombe Road to the reserve adjacent to the Flat Bush School House,[3] where a heritage precinct is being constructed.[7]
Amenities
[edit]Murphy's Bush Reserve has several walking tracks, and a mix of forested and open grassland areas.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Janssen, Peter (January 2021). Greater Auckland Walks. New Holland Publishers. p. 176-177. ISBN 978-1-86966-516-6. Wikidata Q118136068.
- ^ Ngāti Te Ata Waiohua (December 2012). Redoubt Road – Mill Road Corridor Project Maori Values Assessment for Auckland Transport (PDF) (Report). Auckland Transport. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
- ^ a b c "Discover Murphy's Bush: Self-Guided Walk" (PDF). Auckland Council. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
- ^ Fleming, Donna (18 August 2012). "Going bush: Wilderness walks in the city". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
- ^ "Day with the Hounds". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. L, no. 15370. 4 August 1913. p. 9 – via Papers Past.
- ^ "Pakuranga Hunt Club". Auckland Star. Vol. XLIV, no. 184. 4 August 1913. p. 7 – via Papers Past.
- ^ Williams, Nicola (11 February 2011). "Historic cottage home at last". Stuff. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
- ^ "Murphy's Bush Reserve". Auckland Council. Retrieved 22 June 2023.