The Cradock Channel is one of three channels connecting the Hauraki Gulf with the Pacific Ocean to the northeast of Auckland, New Zealand.[1] It is the central channel, lying between Great Barrier Island to the east and Little Barrier Island to the west. The other two channels are the Jellicoe Channel and the Colville Channel.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/38/Little_Barrier_Island_From_Above_Great.jpg/220px-Little_Barrier_Island_From_Above_Great.jpg)
Approximately 17,000 years ago during the Last Glacial Period when sea levels were significantly lower, the area was a part of a vast coastal plain. The area where the Cradock Channel exists was where the Waitematā Harbour (then a river) and the Mahurangi River passed before reaching the Pacific Ocean.[2]
References
36°12′40″S 175°11′56″E / 36.211°S 175.199°E