Tamaki River - Transport

Transport

Due to its extent north-south and its position between Auckland City and its eastern neighbour Manukau City, the River is a natural barrier to traffic, especially as only three bridges cross it, all heavily trafficked and increasingly incapable of taking the peak hour flows. The AMETI scheme has the resolution of this bottle-neck as one of its goals.

The Tamaki River also has a marina / ferry wharf at Half Moon Bay, from where commuter ferries depart for the Auckland CBD and car/passenger ferries for Waiheke Island. Many yachts are also moored in its relatively well protected interiors. The river channel is marked with large green buoys. Deep draught vessels should stay close to the buoys as the channel, although averaging 20 m deep is very narrow in many places. Near the large Point England sand spit there are numerous mudflats which are barely covered at high tide. The speed limit in the river is 10 km/h (5.4 kn). Rocks at the Western mouth of the river at St Heliers are marked by a distinctive barber's pole. Vessels of more than 4 m draught should not attempt the opening between Musick Point and Browns Island. The channel in this area is marked by port and starboard markers about 20m apart. It is 0.5 km North West of Musick Point. Large mussel beds extend out 200 m from Browns Island into the river.