Stony Batter

Stony Batter is a historic defence installation at the northeastern end of Waiheke Island, Auckland, New Zealand. It is sited within a 50 acre (200,000 m²) scenic reserve of the same name, owned by the New Zealand Department of Conservation (DOC). The park serves double duty as a historical (Category 1 Historic Place) and nature reserve, containing unusual rock formations, three significant bush blocks and three concrete gun emplacements with an extensive tunnel system, reputed to be the largest in New Zealand.

An extensive vineyard on the surrounding privately owned farm is also named after the installation. For almost two decades, the farm's owner had a dispute with Auckland City over public access to the reserve, finally resolved in 2002 by the Privy Council agreeing with the Council's case providing public access. If one examines the lead up to the access dispute, one finds that the land owner was suffering huge losses through theft of his farm stock, some of which were barbecued on site, and others were trucked off the farm to be butchered elsewhere on the island. The thefts were of such a magnitude, tens of thousands of dollar value per annum, that the viability of the stock fattening part of the landowner's business was being jeopardised. Mr John Spencer, the landowner at the time, took one of the few options open to him and blocked access to his property.