Onehunga

The Onehunga Port is a small facility near Onehunga on the Manukau Harbour, south of Auckland City.

While it is much closer to the industrialized parts of southern Auckland and Manukau City, the access via the shallow entrance of Manukau Harbour, and the generally less extensive facilities mean that it is of much less significance than the main port of Auckland located on Waitemata Harbour on the East Coast of Auckland, and is used mostly for coastal reshipment within New Zealand, such as for bringing in cement from Westport.

With the arrival of the Europeans, settlement of the Manukau Harbour area was begun from and long focused on Onehunga. Raiding of enemy settlements also occurred from here as a base during the Māori Wars. During the 19th century most shipping between New Zealand and Great Britain came via South Africa and Australia. While some shipping entered the Waitemata Harbour and docked at Auckland, much of it entered the Manukau Heads and docked at Onehunga, thus saving several days sailing around North Cape. Onehunga was also the main route south. Until 1908 the steamer from Onehunga was the fastest means of travel from Auckland to Wellington, the capital of the colony (direct until 1886, to New Plymouth, then by train onwards to Wellington until 1908).