Omaha is a small beach town on Omaha Bay in the Rodney District, in the north of New Zealand. It is located 74.7 km north of Auckland. [1] It is on a sandspit that adjoins Tawharanui Peninsula and separates Whangateau Harbour from Omaha Bay. The nearest sizable town is Warkworth which is situated 16.8 km south west of Omaha. [2]
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The sandspit of Omaha was formed during last glacial period, approximately 5000 to 6000 years BP. The Beach sediment composition is over 70% quartz sand, which gifted Omaha the natural "white" appearance. There are 3 artificial groynes had been placed at northern part of the sandspit, to accumulate sediment from Longshore Drift. Local council in last 2 decades had been placing various groups of plant to stabilize the dunes, including spinifex, pingao and marram grass.
The Omaha Spit has also been identified by the Department of Conservation as a "significant breeding site for the endangered New Zealand dotterel.[3] As a result The Omaha Shorebird Protection Trust was established in 2009 to monitor the dotterel population at Omaha.[4]
Omaha is currently the permanent home of over 200 families.[5]
Prime Minister and National Party leader John Key has owned property in Omaha for over 20 years.[6] New Zealand Fashion designer Trelise Cooper also has a property at Omaha as does former television presenter Louise Wallace.[7]
The Omaha community has a number of facilities including a boat ramp [8] and surf club.[9] There is also an 18 hole golf course, tennis courts, bowling club and kid's playgrounds.[10]