Ohiwa village

A small settlement on Ohiwa Spit is all that remains of the Ohiwa Township which boasted a school, an
hotel and ferry crossing in the 1870s. Erosion of the spit put paid to this village in the 1920s. A number of houses remained further east of the spit but in the 1970s several of these were removed due to continuing erosion.
The spit has now partly re-established and new dwellings have been built.
A well-appointed holiday park has been established on the seaward side of Ohiwa Domain and this
Domain is now part of the Onekawa Te Mawhai regional park which incorporates the two major pa sites
as well as several smaller sites.
There are extensive views from this park out to White Island, an active volcano, and over the Eastern bay of Plenty and Ohiwa Harbour.
Walking tracks access the Puriri and Pohutukawa dominant native forest of Ohiwa Domain as well as a glow-worm grotto under a waterfall and walks to the pa sites and down the hills to Ohiwa and Bryans Beaches.

Words and Images by Mike Collins - Images include:

• Ohiwa Beach Holiday Park,Ohiwa Village, Ohope Spit from Regional Park
• Whale Island – Motuhora, from regional park
• White Island - Whakaari from regional park