Papakura is a suburb of South Auckland, in northern New Zealand. It is located on the shores of the Pahurehure Inlet, approximately 32 kilometres (20 mi) south of the Auckland City Centre. It is under the authority of the Auckland Council.
Aerial view of Papakura and the Auckland Southern Motorway
Kirk's Bush is a remnant of the dense native forest formerly found across southern Papakura and Drury
Drawing by Carl Frank Fischer of the forests near Papakura in the 1850s
Great South Road at Papakura, photographed between 1863 and 1867
South Auckland ) is one of the major geographical regions of Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand. The area is south of the Auckland isthmus, and on the eastern shores of the Manukau Harbour. The area has been populated by Tāmaki Māori since at least the 14th century, and has important archaeological sites, such as the Ōtuataua stonefield gardens at Ihumātao, and Māngere Mountain, a former pā site important to Waiohua tribes.
A satellite view of South Auckland in 2006
South Auckland is home to many volcanic maars along the coast of the Manukau Harbour, such as Māngere Lagoon
Māngere Mountain / Te Pane-o-Mataaho / Te Ara Pueru was an important pā site for Waiohua and Ngāti Whātua
A depiction of the first coal mining at Drury (1850)
