March 2013 1 Appendix 3.1: Schedule Of
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Draft Auckland Unitary Plan – March 2013 Appendix 3.1: Schedule of Outstanding Natural Features Introduction The following criteria are used to determine the contents of this schedule, and will be used to consider any proposed additions to it. a. the extent to which the landform feature or geological site contributes to the understanding of the geology or evolution of the biota in the region, New Zealand or the earth (includes type localities of rock formations, minerals and fossils) b. the rarity or unusual nature of the site or feature; c. the extent to which the feature or site is an outstanding representative example of the diversity of natural landforms and geological features in Auckland; d. the extent to which the landform or geological feature or site is a component of a recognisable group of geologically associated features; e. the extent to which the landform or geological feature or site contributes to the aesthetic value or visual legibility of the wider natural landscape; f. the community association with, or public appreciation of the values of the feature or site g. the potential value of the feature or site for public education; h. the potential value of the feature or site to provide additional understanding of the geological or biotic history of the region; i. the state of preservation of the feature or site; j. the extent to which a feature or site is associated with an historically important natural event, geologically related industry, or individual involved in earth science research k. the importance of the feature or site to Mana Whenua; l. the contribution of the feature to the more publicly valued groups of landforms and geological sites associated with the region’s volcanoes, coastlines, the Hauraki Gulf Islands, and the Waitakere Ranges. 1 Draft Auckland Unitary Plan – March 2013 Schedule ID Name Location Site type draft UP Description Unitary Plan Criteria system 1 Alfriston earthflows Flat Bush C Best examples of typical earthflows in the a, c, g, i Auckland area. 2 Algies Beach melange Algies Bay E This site is one of the best examples of an a, b, g exposure of the contact between Northland Allocthon and Miocene Waitemata Group rocks. 3 Ambury Road lava Mangere Bridge F A complex 140 m long lava cave with two a, b, c, d, g, i cave branches and many well-preserved flow features. Part of the cave contains unusual lava stalagmites with corresponding stalactites above. 4 Anawhata gorge and Waitakere A This locality includes a combination of a, c, e, g, i, l beach unmodified landforms, produced by the dynamic geomorphic processes of the Waitakere coast. Anawhata Beach is an exposed sandy beach, accumulated between dramatic rocky headlands. Inland from the beach, the Anawhata Stream has incised a deep gorge into the surrounding conglomerate rock. 5 Anawhata intrusion Waitakere E A well-exposed, and unusual mushroom-shaped a, b, g, l andesite intrusion in sea cliffs in a small embayment around rocks at the north side of Anawhata Beach. 6 Arataki volcanic Titirangi E The best and most easily accessible exposure in a, c, l breccia and sandstone the eastern Waitakere Ranges illustrating the interfingering nature of the coarse volcanic breccias from the Waitakere Volcano with the volcanic-poor Waitemata Basin sandstone and siltstones. Road cutting on south side of Scenic Drive. 2 Draft Auckland Unitary Plan – March 2013 Schedule ID Name Location Site type draft UP Description Unitary Plan Criteria system 7 Auckland Domain Parnell V Auckland Domain volcano consists of a large a, c, d, f, g, h, i Volcano tuff ring about 700m in diameter, which extends between the Auckland War Memorial Museum and Auckland City Hospital. A central scoria cone, Pukekaroa, forms a knoll surrounded with alluvium (castle and moat) at the centre of the tuff ring. The adjoining Outhwaite Park scoria mound may be associated with an external, subsurface lava flow located to the west of Auckland Domain. An accessible example of lithic tuff deposits from the volcano occurs in a natural cliff exposure about 300m north of the Domain duck pond. 8 Auckland Grammar Epsom D An excellent exposures of a very thick lava unit a, c, d, f, g, School lava exposures from Mount Eden volcano is located in the former prison quarry. The rock face is up to 25 m high and exhibits columnar jointing that formed as the lava cooled. 9 Barriball Road tuff ring Waiuku A This site is one of the larger and best-preserved a, c, d, e, g, i and cone tuff rings in the South Auckland basalt field. It has a diameter of approximately 1.8 km, with Bald Hill forming a high point on the southern rim. A small scoria cone is preserved within the east side of the tuff ring. 10 Beachlands fault Pohutukawa Bay B Best exposure of a fault in the Auckland area a, b, g, h that has been active during the Quaternary. 11 Beehive Island, Kawau Kawau Bay B This small ‘old hat’ island surrounded by large a, c, e, g, i, l Bay intertidal platform with contrasting white shell sand high tide beach is a landform of scientific/educational and scenic value. 12 Belmont Cliffs fault Belmont B Belmont Cliffs Fault is a spectacular minor a, c, g, i reverse fault clearly exposed in the cliff and on the shore platform, with associated flysch deposition. 3 Draft Auckland Unitary Plan – March 2013 Schedule ID Name Location Site type draft UP Description Unitary Plan Criteria system 13 Blockhouse Bay to Blockhouse Bay D This site consists of cliff and foreshore a, c, g Green Bay cliffs exposures from west side of Blockhouse Bay around Te Whau Pt and along coast to east side of Green Bay. The area contains excellent exposures of a wide range of features that characterise this part of the Waitemata Basin. These include: thick and thin sandstone turbidite beds, graded and massive; thin-bedded and laminated siltstones and fine sandstone beds with carbonaceous laminae, ripples, trace fossils, microfaulting, sand fluidisation structures; large and small scale folding, vertical bedding, large and small scale normal, reverse and keystone faults; complex soft sediment deformation. Coastal landforms include a cliffed promontory (Te Whau Point) and a small sea stack. 14 Boggust Park crater Favona V 15 Browns Island Browns Island V Motukorea is an entire volcanic system in a, b, c, d, e, f, g, i, l (Motukorea) (Motukorea) miniature and is the least damaged of Auckland's volcanoes. Partly submerged by rising post-glacial sea level, the volcano features a main scoria cone and crater, surrounded by several smaller scoria mounds within a tuff ring remnant. Extensive, submerged, lava fields extend up to 2 km from the central cone. The island is of international significance as the type locality for the mineral motukoreaite, which forms a cement in tuff and beach rock on the southern beach. 16 Cascade Falls and Waitakere B An unusual waterfall eroded so far into a narrow a, b, e, f, l conglomerate bluffs slot in a Piha Conglomerate bluff that the actual fall is hidden. 4 Draft Auckland Unitary Plan – March 2013 Schedule ID Name Location Site type draft UP Description Unitary Plan Criteria system 17 Cave of a Thousand Greenlane F The Cave of a Thousand Press-ups is a a, b, c, d, i Press-ups complex network of small lava tubes totalling about 270m in length. It is one of the best for cleanliness, complexity, and size. The name for the cave stems from its low height, which varies from 0.2 m to 1.2 m. It ranges from from 0.8 m to 10 m wide. There are rock falls partly infilling the cave in several places. The general lava flow direction appears to have been to the east, with feeders joining from the north. 18 Claude Stream basal Whitford E This 300 m section of stream contains the best- a, c, i Waitemata Group exposed and most complete basal Waitemata sediments sequence of limestone and greensand in southeast Auckland. Three lenses of shallow limestone interbedded with shelf greensands rest on greywacke and pass up into Waitemata flysch. 19 Cochranes Gap Pollok E A low sea cliff forming a small point on the south a, c, g, h, i accretionary lapilli side of Cochranes Gap contains the best example of large (5-20 mm diameter) accretionary lapilli within a pyroclastic flow deposit in New Zealand. A horizon of large chalazoidites ('volcanic hailstones') occurs within 3-5 m thick rhyolitic ignimbrite that is 1 million years old. 20 Cochrane's Gap Pollok E This site contains well-exposed Quaternary a, b, g Quaternary sands coastal zone sediments and is the type section for the Awhitu formation. The sands are poor in the black sand minerals ilmenite and magnetite, so pre-date the eruptions of Taranaki and Taupo volcanic centres and the subsequent current transport of black sands northwards along the coast. 5 Draft Auckland Unitary Plan – March 2013 Schedule ID Name Location Site type draft UP Description Unitary Plan Criteria system 21 Cornwallis Peninsula Cornwallis D High cliffs and intertidal rocks bearing a good a, c, g, l proximal volcanic-rich exposure of a sequence of volcanic-rich flysch flysch beds that accumulated close to the contemporaneous late Miocene Waitakere volcanoes. 22 Crater Hill Mangere V Crater Hill is one of the two best remaining a, b, c, d, e, g, i F - Caves explosion craters and tuff rings in Manukau City. It is a complex volcanic centre including a large, embayed tuff ring 600 m in diameter, enclosing a (quarried) scoria cone and small lava flow.