Whatipu is a remote beach on the west coast of the Auckland Region in the North Island of New Zealand. The Whatipu area has been managed as a scientific reserve by the Auckland Regional Council since 2002. The road to it is unsealed. To the south of Whatipu is Manukau Harbour. To the north is Karekare. Whatipu is located at the southern end of the Waitākere Ranges. Shifting sands have substantially changed the beach since the 1940s. Over 6 square kilometres has been added to the beach since then. Geography Between 3 and 5 million years ago, tectonic forces between the Pacific Plate and Australian Plate uplifted the Waitākere Ranges and subsided the Manukau Harbour. Major features of Whatipu include Te Toka-Tapu-a-Kupe / Ninepin Rock and Paratutae Island, which are remnants of the Miocene era Waitākere Volcano. From the 1930s to the 1960s, sandy material began accumulating at Whatipu, creating a 1.5km strip of sand, where plants and fresh water swamps developed. Much of the sandy material was formed from Paorae, a former flat sand dune that eroded in the 18th century. The Whatipu area is predominantly an Exposed Coastal Ecosystem, dominated by sand dunes and pōhutukawa trees, as well as saltspray tolerant species such as Urostemon kirkii, taupata, Veronica obtusata and horokaka. The hilly Waitākere Ranges areas further from the beaches are dominated by a warm lowlands pūriri forest, with a narrow band of mānuka-dominated band of Stormy Coastal Hill Ecosystem. Pre-European history The legendary voyager Kupe is said to have visited Whatipu when exploring Aotearoa. Te Toka-Tapu-a-Kupe / Ninepin Rock at the southern end of Whatipu are named after his visit. In pre-European times the area was actively used by Māori, living along the coastline and river valleys. There are caves about 20 minutes walk from the carpark, but there is no access from the caves to the beach. These caves and rock shelters were used as refuges during times of war between the 16th and 18th centuries. Textile remains such as fishing nets, baskets, cloak fragments were collected from four archeological sites in the area in the early 1900s: one at Whatipu and three on Paratutae Island to the south east. European history HMS Orpheus ran aground just inside the Manukau Harbour entrance south of Whatipu in 1863 with the loss of 189 lives. It was the biggest shipping disaster in New Zealand history. A timber mill