MUDDY FEET - Auckland Regional Council

List of Figures
Figure 1-1 Southern Hauraki Gulf and the Firth of Thames. The Ramsar Site sits
between the low tide mark and the coast, extending from the Waihou River
to Kaiaua. The five political districts and two regions bordering the Firth
are shown ................................................................................................................3
Figure 1-2 Aerial view of the eastern end of the Ramsar Site, showing the
Waihou and Piako river mouths, the stopbanks, farmland and the band of
coastal mangroves. ..................................................................................................4
Figure 1-3 Aerial composite of the Firth of Thames, with a close-up of one point
along the stop bank near the Piako River mouth.....................................................6
Figure - 5-1 June, 1963 aerial photo of Waitakaruru River to Karito Canal area,
showing minimal coastal mangrove coverage. .....................................................41
Figure - 5-2 Waitakaruru-Karito area in 1996, showing mangrove advancement. .........42
Figure - 5-3: Waitakaruru River to Karito Canal - February 2002.....................................43
Figure - 5-4 Three time series photos of the dredge spoils strip along the Karito
Canal .....................................................................................................................45
Figure - 5-5 Photo of Karito Canal before dredging, and 2 time series photos of
the Karito mangrove dieback area.........................................................................47
Figure 5-6 December 2004 updated mangroves photos ...................................................48
Figure 6-1 Important Sites for waders and shorebirds in New Zealand (indicated
by bold italics).......................................................................................................55
Figure 6-2 Wader habitats at Firth of Thames Ramsar Site .............................................56
Figure 6-3 Changing habitats at Miranda (adapted from Veitch and Habraken
1999, by permission).............................................................................................57
Figure 6-4 Wader watchers: a common sight at Miranda and Taramaire from
October to April (photo K. Woodley)...................................................................73
Figure 8-1 Study area and location of 10 transects (sites) and 30 sampling stations
at 3 approximate tidal elevations within the Firth of Thames Ramsar Site
and nearby Thames Coast. Note: The Miranda near-shore sampling station
(see section 2) is approximately beneath the letter ‘a’ of station 9a. ....................92
Figure 8-2 Scale approximation of size and density of M. ovata tristis as recorded
in one core sample station (6a)..............................................................................96
Figure 8-3 Estimated abundances/m2 of main benthic faunal groups at each site:
Polychaeta, Decapoda, Crustacea and Bivalvia. Note: Capitellidae
abundances have been omitted because they were only scored on a
present/absent basis, n = 9 cores.........................................................................96
Figure 8-4 Estimated abundance/m2 of the six most prevalent bivalve species
recorded per transect from 9 × 15 cm dia. cores (3 samples × 3 sites). ................97
Figure 8-5 Estimated abundances (m2) of four main benthic faunal groups for each
tidal elevation. Sites ‘A’ » MHW, sites ‘B’ » mid tide, sites ‘C’ » MLWS.
Note: Oligochaete abundances have been omitted because they were only
scored on a present/absent basis............................................................................97
Figure 8-6 Estimated abundance (m2) of four most prevalent bivalve species
recorded for each tidal elevation. Note: 9 × 15 cm dia. cores (3 samples × 3
sites). Sites ‘A’ » MHW, sites ‘B’ » mid tide, sites ‘C’ » MLWS.......................98
Figure 8-7 Dominant taxa divided into functional feeding groups for stations A-C........99
Figure 9-1 Zoning map of Thames-Kopu area showing Waihou River, Firth of
Thames and coastal land uses .............................................................................115
Figure 9-2 Zoning map of Kaiaua-Miranda Coast showing designation and land
status (Dept. of Conservation and Franklin District Council jurisdictions)........117
Figure 9-3 Planning Framework of the Resource Management Act ..............................120