Meola Musing

The Meola Creek is Auckland City's second internal waterway of note, in my opinion, after the Oakley Creek which is judged to be the longest completely within the city's boundaries. Unlike the Oakley, Meola was important to land surveyors in the early days of post-contact settlement of this area: it forms the boundary over much of its course between the Parish of Titirangi and the Suburbs of Auckland, in terms of the legal description of land.

These photos were taken just before the waterway spills into the Waitemata Harbour, between Great North and Moran Roads. To the north is the Meola Reef, secondary and intermediate schools, a marae, the zoo, and housing.

When William Edgecombe took up farming across the road in the late 1850s, his land was full of scoria rocks like this. He didn't have far to look for materials for his stone Great Northern Hotel.

It's a bit of a dumping ground, being so close to Western Springs park, the zoo, and surrounding residences and schools. First time I've ever photographed rats.

That said, there are ducks here, too.