Whangamoa Inlet - Kokorua (68ha) is a shallow, well flushed, intertidal dominated, tidal lagoon located on the eastern side of Tasman Bay between Delaware Inlet and Cape Soucis. The catchment (3787ha) is relatively steep and modified, with the dominant land use being exotic forestry (44%). Pasture (5%) covers most of the valley floors around the margins of Whangamoa River and the smaller streams that flow into the eastern estuary.
The estuary has low human use (primarily due to restricted public access), and high ecological values including regionally rare pockets of mature native forest and native dune plants adjacent to the estuary.
The estuary supports extensive intertidal rushlands and herbfields (20ha, 35%), and small areas of seagrass (<1%). There are a variety of substrate types in the estuary, with extensive cobble and gravel beds in the lower estuary, and firm muddy sands and soft muds elsewhere.
In the upper northeast and southeast arms of the estuary, ~25ha (44%) of intertidal habitat has elevated mud contents (>25% mud), with relatively high concentrations of nickel, chromium and other trace metals from naturally enriched catchment soils. Identified stressors are mud inputs, and potential nutrient enrichment, and the presence of invasive species such as Pacific oysters and ice plant.
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