Nugget Point
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Nugget Point Māori : Tokatā |
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 Nugget Point with lighthouse |
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| Geographical location | ||
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| Coordinates | 46 ° 27 ′ S , 169 ° 49 ′ E | |
| location | Clutha District , Otago , South Island | |
| Waters | Pacific Ocean | |
| length | 2 000 m | |
| width | 650 m | |
| surface | 47 ha | |
| height | 133 m | |
| lighthouse | Nugget Point Lighthouse | |
| particularities | As an extension of the cape, rocks protruding from the water | |
The Nugget Point , in the language of the Māori Tokata called, is a chapter in the Clutha District of Region Otago on the South Island of New Zealand .
geography
The Nugget Point is located 24 km south-southeast of Balclutha and approximately 12 km east of Owaka of, northeast Catlins , a mountain range on the southern border of Otago . In front of the cape there are numerous rocks protruding from shallow water over a length of around 750 m, like the nuggets (gold nuggets in the evening sun), which gave the cape its name.
The up to 133 m high cape from Balclutha can be reached via the small village of Kaka Point along the coast to a parking lot and from there via an 850 m long footpath that leads directly to the Nugget Point Lighthouse .
Nugget Point Lighthouse
The cape with its offshore rocks and the nine meter high Nugget Point Lighthouse attracts an estimated 45,000 visitors every year. The lighthouse, which was built in 1870, is located on an exposed part of the cape, 76 m above sea level. It is operated by Maritime New Zealand . In 1989 the beacon, which has a range of 18 km, was automated.
Flora and fauna
The coast is endowed with robust vegetation due to the rough and salty wind. The Cape many seabirds, such as living spotted shag ( spotted shag ), the Australasian Gannet ( australia gannet ), the Sooty Shearwater ( sooty shearwater ) and the red-billed gull ( red-billed gull ) and fairy penguins ( southern blue penguin ) and in the evenings copies of the rare yellow-eyed penguin ( yellow-eyed penguin ) to watch. Even populations of New Zealand fur seals ( fur seal ), New Zealand sea lions ( hooker's sea lion ) and elephant ( elephant seal ) are about to be found on the rocks around the Cape.
Proposal for a marine reserve
While 47 hectares of the Cape have been under protection since 1986, there is no special protection for the surrounding marine area. The establishment of a marine reserve has already been proposed twice by the Department of Conservation , but many of the small communities in the area, some of which still live from fishing, opposed these efforts. Fishing industry lobby organizations such as the Seafood Industry Council have also argued against it. On the other hand, many scientists from the University of Otago support a reserve. The second proposal by the DOC seeks to protect less area than the original. The Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society has made its own proposals to protect an area more than three times as large.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Topo maps . Land Information New Zealand , accessed July 1, 2018 .
- ^ The Catlins - Nugget Point to Waipapa Point . (PDF 166 kB) Department of Conservation , 2006, accessed on July 1, 2018 (English).
- ^ A b Fiona Hall : Nugget Point Visitor Survey 2007 Report . (PDF 513 kB) Department of Conservation , May 2007, accessed on July 1, 2018 (English).
- ^ Nugget Point Lighthouse . Maritime New Zealand , accessed February 9, 2016 .
- ^ Walks in the Clutha District - Owaka - Balclutha - Kaka Point - Nugget Point . (PDF 199 kB) Clutha Information Center , accessed on July 1, 2018 (English).
- ^ Nugget Point Mar 2005 - Wrong place, wrong reasons for marine reserve . option4.co.nz , accessed September 2, 2014 (the article was originally published in the Otago Daily Times on March 10, 2005 ).
- ↑ Steve Dawson : Scientists support marine reserve proposal . University of Otago May 11, 2005, archived from the original May 14, 2005 ; accessed on September 2, 2014 (English, original website no longer available).
- ^ Nugget Point / Tokata Marine Reserve . Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand , April 28, 2005, archived from the original on April 30, 2005 ; accessed on September 2, 2014 (English, original website no longer available).