Stony Batter refers to a privately-owned farm and large vineyards at the northeastern edge of the Waiheke Island, Auckland in New Zealand. The large isle of Waiheke lies in the Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand, between the mainland of Auckland and the Coromandel Peninsula. Inside this farm there is a 50 acre (200,000 m²) picturesque reserve known as Stony Batter.
Stony Batter got its name from some extraordinary rock formations that were formed owing to volcanic activity about 8 million years ago.
This reserve of Stony Batter was set up during 1930s as a part of a bigger coastal defense arrangement for the protection of the Auckland Harbor during the World War II. With its concrete gun emplacements and historic background, the Stony Batter has been internationally acclaimed as an engineering site of historical significance.
In fact, the Stony Batter housing the peculiar rock formations, three major bush blocks and the gun emplacements has emerged as a natural as well as a historical reserve.Stony Batter, the place that stands as a testimony to the events of World War is worth exploring. The guns are linked by hand-dug tunnels extending for one km thus forming the coastal defense gun battery of the World War II.
This battery was established in 1942 to make sure that the anchorage in Auckland Harbour for Allied shipping was safe. However the first gun was test fired in 1946(after the culmination of the war).
The battery resembles the design if the Wrights Hill Fortress in Wellington. The battery is now owned by a preservation society under the New Zealand Department of Conservation (DOC).
This historical site is now well preserved and even without the guns it reminds of the threats of the World War experienced by New Zealand. You can also have a fabulous vista of the eastern seacoast of Auckland and the Kawau Island to the Great Barrier Island. An interesting way to visit Stony Batter is to - Drive the Loop - by yourself.
Please maintain the following while visiting the Stony Batter-
- Do not take dogs or other animals on the Stony Batter Walkway or into the reserves as they are a threat to farm animals and wildlife.
- Do not light fires.
- Do not remove or displace any artifacts or relics.
- Do not camp on the reserves.
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