Duder

From Maraetai the shoreline stretches for several kilometres of splendid unspoilt coastal scenery along the narrow Coast Road until it reaches Umupuia, also known as Duders Beach. Opposite the beach is Umupuia Park, a Maori cemetery and marae – the meeting place of the Ngai Tai people.

The Duder family have farmed in this area since 1866. The original homestead, Rozel, is named after a house on the Channel Island of Guernsey, where Mrs Duder had lived as a child. Umupuia is the heartland of Ngai Tai, the tangata whenua (indigenous people) of this part of the Pohutukawa Coast.
Along the coast, many of the once plentiful Ngai Tai pa and settlement sites are still visible. On the eastern headland of the bay(now Duder Regional Park) is the traditionally important pa, Wharekaiwhara.

Duder Regional Park

This park was purchased by the Auckland Regional Council in 1995 from the Duder Family who had owned and farmed the land since 1866. It has much early Maori history which is reflected in the many archaeological sites around the park.

This Auckland Council park has a peninsula jutting into the eastern end of the Hauraki Gulf. covering 148 hectares of mainly pasture with remnants of original native forest in the gullies. It is a working farm, offering magnificent views and landscapes, and activities diverse as walking, picnicking, horse riding (by permit only) fishing, swimming, mountain biking and orienteering. Dogs are prohibited from this park at all times.