Okura River facts for kids

The Okura River is a river in the north of the Auckland Region in the North Island of New Zealand. The river rises in the low hills to the south of Silverdale and flows into Karepiro Bay on the Hauraki Gulf. The river is extremely tidal with only a narrow channel being navigable by small craft at low tide. The area is popular for horse riding, riders wait till low tide and then ford the boating channel to ride the estuary and beaches on the northern side.

The village of Okura is situated on the southern bank. The Long Bay-Okura Marine Reserve extends from the Okura River to the Weiti River. The sand banks (above high tide mark) in Karepiro Bay are Dotterel breeding areas, protected by DOC (Department of Conservation).

Development works with no limit to sediment dumping in the river are causing mass die off of shellfish in the river.