Huia is a western coastal settlement in West Auckland, New Zealand and forms part of the Waitākere Ranges Regional Park. The majority of houses in Huia are located along Huia Road, which arcs around Huia Bay and heads west towards Little Huia. Geology and 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. The Huia creek and valley is likely a part of a fault-line that formed during this event. After the Last Glacial Maximum when sea levels rose, the river mouths of West Auckland flooded. While beaches formed at the mouths of Tasman Sea rivers, the relative lack of sand in the Manukau Harbour meant that Huia, Big Muddy Creek and Little Muddy Creek became tidal mudflats. The Huia area is dominated by a warm lowlands pūriri forest, with a band of diverse pōhutukawa/rata sheltered coastal fringe forest on the western shores of Huia Bay. History Huia was originally known as Te Huia as the area is thought to be named after a Waikato Tainui chief, Te Huia, who would seasonally live on the northern shores of the Manukau Harbour. Over time, Te Huia decided to remain at the bay, as he liked it so much. A long form of the traditional name is Te Rau-o-te-Huia ("The Plumes of Te Huia", the plumes also being a metaphor for his pride in the location). The English translation "The Huia" was used into the 1970s, but simply "Huia" has now become more commonplace. Carbon dating of shell middens at Hinge Bay, Huia, showed occupancy of Huia by Tāmaki Māori from at least the year 1520. In 1853 the Gibbons family from Newfoundland arrived at Huia, setting up a mill for kauri logging. The Karamatura Stream to the west of Huia was one of the first streams in the Waitākere Ranges to be dammed for kauri logging, followed by the Marama and Kakamatua streams in the 1860s and the Huia Stream in the 1870s. The Gibbons family were joined by William and Mary Kilgour, who established a farm in the flatlands at Huia, and the Foote family, relatives of the Gibbons also from Newfoundland. Construction on the Upper Huia Dam began in 1924, leading to wider development in the area as houses were constructed for workers' families. Material for the dam was brought by barge