Little Muddy Creek (New Zealand)

Between 3 and 5 million years ago, tectonic forces between the Pacific Plate and Australian Plate uplifted the Waitākere Ranges and subsided the Manukau Harbour. Little Muddy Creek is likely a part of a fault-line that formed during this event. After the Last Glacial Maximum when sea levels rose, the river mouths of West Auckland flooded. While beaches formed at the mouths of Tasman Sea rivers, the relative lack of sand in the Manukau Harbour meant that Huia, Big Muddy Creek and Little Muddy Creek became tidal mudflats. == History ==

The creek was known by Te Kawerau ā Maki and other Tāmaki Māori as Waikūmete, a name that was later applied to the greater Glen Eden area during the time of European settlement. It was a traditionally strategic location, linking the southern Waitākere Ranges to the Manukau Harbour, and a place at the end of a major north-south walking track which was accessible for travel by canoe. The area was known as a place for canoe construction, with many traditional place names referencing the construction of waka made from tōtara wood. Most warriors among the group left for the Waikato after further battles with Ngāpuhi, however a small number of Te Taoū under chief Awarua stayed at Waikūmete temporarily, tending to pig farms. ==See also==