Walk 16 – Miranda Shorebird Centre, 21 April 2019

 

Miranda on the Firth of Thames is a wetland of international significance.  It’s a really important place for migratory birds as it’s part of the East Asian Australasian flyway. 

Birds like the Godwit make a non-stop 11,000 km flight from Siberia.  Godwits are not big gliding birds, they flap their wings the whole way.  There are many different kinds of shorebirds here, but Godwits are my favourite.

The shell banks are unusual – they’re a succession of beach ridges  called cheniers.  This area is regarded as the finest example in the world of an active shell chenier plain.

We were on our way home from Whangamata so didn’t visit at the best time.  You need to go 2-3 hours either side of high-tide.  The Shorebird Centre is a good place to start – it has excellent information on the bird life.  The walking track begins from the Bird Centre.

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Waikato land wars

In 1863  the Maori village of Pukorokoro was shelled by the British gunboat Miranda at the beginning of the war in the Waikato.  Should this area be named after a British gunboat?

Walk: Waikato 11