The Little Muddy Creek is a river of the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It flows south from its source in Titirangi, meets the tributaries Waituna Stream and Waiohua Creek which run through the suburbs of Waima and Woodlands Park, before reaching the Manukau Harbour.
Between 3 and 5 million years ago, tectonic forces between the Pacific Plate and Australian Plate uplifted the WaitÃÂkere 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.
The creek was known by Te Kawerau àMaki and other TÃÂmaki MÃÂori as Waikà «mete, 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 WaitÃÂkere 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 tà Âtara wood. The area was protected with a fortified pàat modern-day Laingholm named Te Tokaroa.
In 1825 during the Musket Wars, Te Taoà «, Te Uri-o-Hau and other TÃÂmaki MÃÂori allies re-organised their forces at Waikà «mete after the battle of Te Ika a Ranganui on the Kaipara Harbour. Most warriors among the group left for the Waikato after further battles with NgÃÂpuhi, however a small number of Te Taoà « under chief Awarua stayed at Waikà «mete temporarily, tending to pig farms. Waka construction continued at Waikà «mete after Te Kawerau àMaki returned to the TÃÂmaki area after the wars, up until the 1860s.
From the 1830s, kauri trees were felled by European settlers for the logging industry in the southern WaitÃÂkere Ranges. A rural community developed in the area in the 1860s. A dock was constructed on Little Muddy Creek, which connected the community to the commercial centre of Onehunga, until road access became the main means of transportation.