Henderson Valley

Waiatarua is a small settlement near the top of the Waitākere Ranges in West Auckland, close to the junction of Scenic Drive, West Coast Road and Piha Road to Piha and runs east until the junction of Scenic Drive and Mountain Road. Surrounded by native bush in the Centennial Memorial Park and the water catchment area, Waiatarua is over 300 metres above sea level and some houses are over 400 metres above sea level (higher than the Auckland Sky Tower). Waiatarua means “song of two waters”, possibly referring to the ability to see both the wild west coast, and the still, sparkling waters of the Manukau and Waitemata harbours from certain points in the area.

Oratia is a semi-rural locality on the western edge of metropolitan West Auckland in New Zealand. It is approximately 16 km (9.9 mi) to the south west of Auckland CBD (Central Business District), and sits at the eastern edge of the Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area. It is a relatively quiet community, bridging metropolitan Auckland with the wild forests and beaches of western Auckland. The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "place of long-lingering sun" for Ōrātia.

McLaren Park is a suburb of West Auckland, New Zealand. It is named after New Zealand Formula One driver and founder of the McLaren Formula One Team Bruce McLaren. The local State secondary schools are Henderson High School, Rutherford College, St Dominic's College and Liston College.

The Fairy Falls are a waterfall in the eastern Waitākere Ranges of Auckland, New Zealand.

Western Heights is a neighbourhood of Henderson, in West Auckland, New Zealand. Western Heights School and the nearby shops are the centre of the community. Western Heights is a "frontier suburb", separating suburban Auckland from lifestyle farming blocks, orchards and the Waitākere Ranges.

Ruaotuwhenua is a hill in the Waitākere Ranges of the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island. At 440-metres, it is one of the tallest of the Waitākere Ranges, and the tallest of the eastern ranges adjacent to Auckland. The peak is the location of an air traffic radome, and a radio mast is located further down the slope of the hill in Waiatarua.

Scenic Drive is a road that runs through the bush-clad Waitākere Ranges from Titirangi to Swanson on the western outskirts of Auckland, New Zealand. It is part of Auckland urban route 24. As the name indicates, it is famous for the sweeping views over the western parts of the Auckland Region. The road passes through the village of Waiatarua, but most of it is through native bush (forest), in Centennial Memorial Park or the neighbouring water catchment area. It connects with West Coast Road, Shaw Road, Konini Road and Piha Road to the surf beaches at Karekare and Piha. It is paralleled by the disused Exhibition Drive, now used by pedestrians & cyclists. The Arataki Visitor Centre provides displays of the local flora, fauna and geology and well-maintained walking tracks. Along the parts of the road that pass through private land are a native-plant seller, several potters and a disused winery. Large parts of the Waitākere Ranges are now closed to the public for hiking and walking to help stop the spread of the incurable Kauri dieback disease.

The Waitakere Tramline is a 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) long industrial narrow gauge railway near Swanson in the Waitākere Ranges south-west of Auckland in New Zealand, which is being used since 1907 for building and maintaining the dam and water pipeline at the Upper Nihotupu Reservoir. It was used until 2014 also by the Waitakere Tramline Society Inc. for tourist excursions, which have been indefinitely ceased due to a risk assessment.

Swanson is an outlying suburb of West Auckland, New Zealand and is located west of Henderson, surrounded by the Waitākere Ranges. Developing as a service centre for the kauri logging and gumdigging trades in the 1880s along the trainline, the town developed as a rural centre and an early tourist destination for Aucklanders, who visited the Redwood Park on the banks of the Swanson Stream. In the 1940s, the park became a training centre for soldiers in World War II, and in 1970 hosted Redwood 70, the first modern music festival in New Zealand.

Bruce McLaren Intermediate is a school for children 11 to 12 years of age in Auckland, New Zealand.

Swanson railway station is a station on the North Auckland Line in Auckland, New Zealand. Western Line services of the Auckland rail network are operated between the station and Britomart in central Auckland by Auckland One Rail, on behalf of Auckland Transport. The station is the westernmost and northernmost point of the city's electrified network. It became the terminus of the Western Line in July 2015, when urban train services to Waitakere station ceased because the Waitakere-Swanson section of track was not electrified. A bus shuttle service operates between Waitakere and Swanson stations.The current station building was relocated from Avondale railway station following an upgrade there.

Rānui railway station is located on the Western Line of the Auckland rail network in New Zealand. It serves the communities of Rānui and Pooks Road, in the West Auckland suburb of Rānui. The station was opened on 16 November 1925.