Ōkārito (New Zealand)

	Ōkārito
	Geographical location
Coordinates	43 ° 13 ′ S , 170 ° 10 ′ E Coordinates: 43 ° 13 ′ S , 170 ° 10 ′ E
Region ISO	NZ-WTC
Country	New Zealand
region	West coast
District	Westland District
Residents	30 (2017)
height	2 m
Post Code	7886
Telephone code	+64 (0) 3
	Photography of the place
	; Hut at Ōkārito Lagoon , ; on the east side of the settlement

Ōkārito is a small settlement in the Westland District of the West Coast regionon the South Island of New Zealand .

Origin of name

The name of the settlement is made up of the Maori terms " ō " for "place of" and " kārito " for "young scion of a cattail " .

geography

The settlement is located on an area of 800 by 300 meters at the southwest end of the Ōkārito Lagoon , directly at the entrance to the Tasman Sea . The Ōkārito River approaches the settlement from the east and flows into the lagoon almost 4 km east. The nearest town of Hokitika is 85 km to the northeast. The settlement, which has around 30 residents, can be reached via a 10 km long access road, which is 7.5 km southeast of a connection to the New Zealand State Highway 6 .

history

It is believed that Māori settled the place around 600 years ago and gave it its name because of the young sprouts of the bulrush that were edible for them. Despite its remote location, the place experienced a revival when gold was found on the west coast . With over 30 shops and numerous pubs , Ōkārito became one of the busiest places on the west coast during the gold rush , as ships came over from Australia between the late 1860s and 1880s , anchored in the lagoon and brought prospectors and equipment. At Christmas 1865 the population of the place counted around 800 inhabitants and at the end of summer the population of the place had doubled for a short time. When the gold rush was over, only 12 families remained.

Web links

Commons : Okarito - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

↑ Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori - Māori Language Week - Ōkārito . In: New Zealand History . New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage , August 6, 2019, accessed December 28, 2019 .
↑ ^a ^b Topo maps . Land Information New Zealand , accessed December 28, 2019 .
^ ^A ^b Elisabeth Easther : Okarito Small town glory . In: New Zealand Herald . NZME. Publishing , November 21, 2017, accessed December 28, 2019 .
↑ Narena Olliver : Okarito Lagoon . New Zealand Birds Limited , February 12, 2012, accessed December 28, 2019 .
↑ Simon Nathan : Ōkārito Lagoon . In: Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand . Ministry for Culture & Heritage , February 23, 2009, accessed December 28, 2019 .

[NZ_History-1] Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori - Māori Language Week - Ōkārito . In: New Zealand History . New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage , August 6, 2019, accessed December 28, 2019 .

[LINZ_Topo_Maps-2] Topo maps . Land Information New Zealand , accessed December 28, 2019 .

[NZ_Herald_2017_11_21-3] A ^b Elisabeth Easther : Okarito Small town glory . In: New Zealand Herald . NZME. Publishing , November 21, 2017, accessed December 28, 2019 .

[NZ_Birds-4] Narena Olliver : Okarito Lagoon . New Zealand Birds Limited , February 12, 2012, accessed December 28, 2019 .

[TeAra_Okarito_Lagoon-5] Simon Nathan : Ōkārito Lagoon . In: Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand . Ministry for Culture & Heritage , February 23, 2009, accessed December 28, 2019 .