Overview
The harbour is an arm of the Hauraki Gulf, extending west for eighteen kilometres from the end of the Rangitoto Channel. Its entrance is between North Head and Bastion Point in the south. The westernmost ends of the harbour extend past Whenuapai in the northwest, and to Te Atatu in the west, as well as forming the estuarial arm known as the Whau River in the southwest.
The north shore of the harbour is formed by North Shore City, one of several separate cities within Greater Auckland. Suburbs located close to the shore here include Birkenhead, Northcote and Devonport (west to east). To the south is the heart of Auckland City, with the Auckland waterfront, as well as coastal suburbs such as Mission Bay, Parnell, Herne Bay and Point Chevalier (east to west), the latter of which lies on a short triangular peninsula jutting into the harbour.
The harbour is crossed at its narrowest point by the Auckland Harbour Bridge. To the east of its southern end lie the marinas of Westhaven, as well as the suburbs of Freemans Bay and the Viaduct Basin. Further east from these, and close to the harbour's entrance, lies the Port of Auckland.
There are other wharves and ports within the harbour, notable among them the Devonport Naval Base, and its accompanying ammunition dump at Kauri Point, Birkenhead, and the Chelsea Sugar Refinery wharf, all capable of taking ships over 500 gross register tons (GRT). Smaller wharves at Birkenhead, Northcote, Devonport and West Harbour offer commuter ferry services to the Auckland CBD.
Read more about this topic: Waitemata Harbour