View source for Firth of Thames

{{short description|Bay in New Zealand}}
{{distinguish|text=the [[Thames Estuary]], which is in the southeast of Great Britain}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=April 2024}}
{{use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox protected area
| name = Firth of Thames
| photo = Coromandel.arp.375pix.jpg
| photo_alt = 
| photo_caption = An image showing the Hauraki Gulf. The Firth of Thames is the large bay to the southeast.
| photo_width = 
| map_image = 
| map_alt = 
| map_caption = 
| map_width = 
| location = [[North Island]] of New Zealand
| nearest_city = 
| coordinates = 
| coords_ref = 
| area = {{convert|8927|ha}}
| refnum = 
| visitation_num = 
| visitation_year = 
| governing_body = 
| url = 
| embedded = {{Designation list
| embed = yes
| designation1 = Ramsar
| designation1_date = 29 January 1990
| designation1_number = 459<ref>{{Cite web|title=Firth of Thames|website=[[Ramsar Convention|Ramsar]] Sites Information Service|url=https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/459|access-date=25 April 2018|archive-date=15 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180615190654/https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/459|url-status=live}}</ref>}}
}}

The '''Firth of Thames''' ({{langx|mi|Tikapa Moana-o-Hauraki}}) is a large bay located in the north of the [[North Island]] of New Zealand. It is the [[firth]] of the rivers [[Waihou River|Waihou]] and [[Piako River|Piako]], the former of which was formerly named the Thames River, and the town of [[Thames, New Zealand|Thames]] lies on its southeastern coast.

Its Maori name is ''Tikapa''. In traditional legend, the firth and the greater [[Hauraki Gulf]] are protected by a [[taniwha]] named Ureia, who takes the form of a whale.<ref name="Wilson">{{cite web |url=https://www.justice.govt.nz/assets/Documents/Publications/E80-Karen-Wilson-EIC-Te-Akitai-Waiohua.pdf |title=Brief of Evidence of Karen Akamira Wilson on Behalf of Te Ākitai Waiohua |date=28 August 2018 |first=Karen |last=Wilson |publisher=[[Ministry of Justice (New Zealand)|Ministry of Justice]] |accessdate=17 May 2022 |archive-date=27 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190127112406/https://www.justice.govt.nz/assets/Documents/Publications/E80-Karen-Wilson-EIC-Te-Akitai-Waiohua.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The firth lies at the southern end of the [[Hauraki Gulf]], southeast of the city of [[Auckland]]. It occupies a [[rift valley]] or [[graben]] between the [[Coromandel Peninsula]] and [[Hunua Ranges]], which continues into the [[Hauraki Plains]] to the south.

==Conservation==
The Firth of Thames is an important site for [[wader]]s or shorebirds, and is listed as a wetland of international importance under the [[Ramsar Convention]]. The Miranda Shorebird Centre, operated by the [[Miranda Naturalists' Trust]], is located on the [[Seabird Coast]], on the western shore of the bay at [[Miranda, New Zealand|Miranda]].

However, the firth overall is severely damaged by man-made influences, especially dairy-farm run-off, and has not recovered from large-scale mussel dredging over 40 years after the practice ceased (more information in the [[Hauraki Gulf]] article).<ref name=COLLAPSE>{{cite news|title=Health of gulf in danger of collapsing|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/auckland-region/news/article.cfm?l_id=117&objectid=10734540|access-date=30 June 2011|newspaper=[[The New Zealand Herald]]|date=26 June 2011|first=Kieran|last=Nash|archive-date=25 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025141123/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/auckland-region/news/article.cfm?l_id=117&objectid=10734540|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="PART2-P4">{{cite news|title=The Hauraki Gulf Marine Park, Part 2|date=3 March 2010|work=Inset to [[The New Zealand Herald]]|pages=4}}</ref>

[[Whale]]s such as [[southern right whale]]s (one of two of the first confirmed birth records in main islands waters since the end of commercial and illegal whaling was observed in [[Browns Bay, New Zealand|Browns Bay]] region in 2012) and [[Bryde's whale]]s can be seen in the bay to calve and rest.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.fishing.net.nz/asp_forums/huge-whale-calf-in-the-firth-of-thames-today_topic81602_page2.html | title=Huge whale & calf in the Firth of Thames today }}</ref>

==Climate==

{{Weather box|width=auto
|metric first=y
|single line=y 
|collapsed = Y
|location = Firth Of Thames (1991–2020)
|Jan high C = 	25.0
|Feb high C = 	25.5
|Mar high C = 	23.8
|Apr high C = 	21.2
|May high C = 	18.0
|Jun high C = 	15.3
|Jul high C = 	14.6
|Aug high C = 	15.5
|Sep high C = 	17.1
|Oct high C = 	18.7
|Nov high C = 	20.6
|Dec high C = 	22.9
| year high C = 	
|Jan mean C = 	18.9
|Feb mean C = 	19.4
|Mar mean C = 	17.6
|Apr mean C = 	15.2
|May mean C = 	12.6
|Jun mean C = 	10.3
|Jul mean C = 	9.6
|Aug mean C = 	10.5
|Sep mean C = 	12.2
|Oct mean C = 	13.6
|Nov mean C = 	15.2
|Dec mean C = 	17.5
| year mean C = 	
|Jan low C = 	12.9
|Feb low C = 	13.3
|Mar low C = 	11.3
|Apr low C = 	9.3
|May low C = 	7.1
|Jun low C = 	5.3
|Jul low C = 	4.5
|Aug low C = 	5.5
|Sep low C = 	7.2
|Oct low C = 	8.4
|Nov low C = 	9.7
|Dec low C = 	12.1
| year low C = 	
|rain colour = green	
|Jan rain mm = 	82.5
|Feb rain mm = 	69.9
|Mar rain mm = 	97.7
|Apr rain mm = 	123.1
|May rain mm = 	99.3
|Jun rain mm = 	105.3
|Jul rain mm = 	112.1
|Aug rain mm = 	125.0
|Sep rain mm = 	99.8
|Oct rain mm = 	72.1
|Nov rain mm = 	64.8
|Dec rain mm = 	66.8
|year rain mm = 	
|source 1 = NIWA<ref name= NIWA>{{cite web
|url = http://cliflo.niwa.co.nz/
|title = CliFlo – National Climate Database : Firth Of Thames Ews
|publisher = NIWA
|access-date = 20 May 2024
|archive-date = 27 November 2015
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151127002612/http://cliflo.niwa.co.nz/
|url-status = live
}}</ref>
}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Coord|37|00|S|175|25|E|region:NZ_type:waterbody_scale:1000000|display=title}}

{{Thames-Coromandel District}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Firth Of Thames}}
[[Category:Bays of Waikato]]
[[Category:Wetlands of Waikato]]
[[Category:Thames-Coromandel District]]
[[Category:Ramsar sites in New Zealand]]
[[Category:Rifts and grabens]]
[[Category:Firth of Thames|*]]
[[Category:Important Bird Areas of New Zealand]]