Turakirae Head

	Turakirae Head
	; Remutaka Range with Turakirae Head
	Geographical location
Coordinates	41 ° 36 ′ S , 174 ° 55 ′ E Coordinates: 41 ° 36 ′ S , 174 ° 55 ′ E
location	Hutt City , Wellington Region, North Island
Waters	Cook Strait
length	1 700 m
width	2 900 m
height	406 m
particularities	The cape is part of the Turakirae Head Scientific Reserve

Turakirae Head is a cape at the southwest end of the Remutaka Range on the North Island of New Zealand . It is designated as a Scientific Reserve and is also known as the Turakirae Head Scientific Reserve .

Origin of name

In the Māori language , rae means headland or headland and turaki means the place where the Remutaka Range comes down to the sea.

geography

Turakirae Head is located at the western end of Palliser Bay , southeast, a good 20 km as the crow flies from Wellington city center. The cape, which was given a terraced coastline by earthquakes, is also the southernmost foothill of the Remutaka Range . The cape is still part of the urban area of Hutt City .

geology

The coastline of Turakirae Head is clearly visible by three major earthquakes in the past 5000 years and recognizable to geologists by five earthquakes in the past 7000 years.

During the last earthquake, the Wairarapa earthquake in 1855 , the shoreline of the cape was raised by about 2.5 meters. A quake around 1460 had similar effects. 3000 years ago, tectonic shifts lifted the bank by around 16 meters. Two other marks of uplift are no longer so clearly recognizable today, as they are somewhat obscured by masses of rubble. The earthquakes were between around 5000 and 7000 years ago and raised the shoreline by around 22 and 25 meters.

Scientific reserve

Turakirae Head was designated as a Scientific Reserve on May 22, 2009. In addition to the geological aspects and as a visual object of the effects of tectonic shifts, the protected area is particularly interesting from an ecological point of view. Seals have been settling on the shores of the Cape since 1950 at the latest , and their colonies will grow to up to 500 animals by the New Zealand winter.

A large variety of native birds and reptiles can also be found on the Cape. Among others, birds, such as double-banded plover , Caspian tern and the New Zealand Oystercatchers observed and reptiles in New Zealand as copper skink and skink common designated skinks , and the common gecko be easily found.

Web links

J. Rolfe : Turakirae Head Scientific Reserve - Wellington . (PDF (272 kB)) Department of Conservation , accessed on October 17, 2014 (English).

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Turakirae Head Scientific Reserve . Department of Conservation , accessed July 9, 2018 .
↑ ^a ^b Chris Maclean : Wellington places - Raised beaches , Turakirae Head . Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand , March 1, 2016, accessed July 9, 2018 .
↑ Topo maps . Land Information New Zealand , accessed July 9, 2018 .
^ Wellington Conservancy - Notice of Valid Crown Protected Area Names . Land Information New Zealand , May 22, 2009, archived from the original on October 24, 2014 ; accessed on February 19, 2016 (English, original website no longer available).

[DOC_Sientific_Reserve-1] Turakirae Head Scientific Reserve . Department of Conservation , accessed July 9, 2018 .

[TeAra_Turakirae_Head-2] Chris Maclean : Wellington places - Raised beaches , Turakirae Head . Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand , March 1, 2016, accessed July 9, 2018 .

[LINZ_Topo_Maps-3] Topo maps . Land Information New Zealand , accessed July 9, 2018 .

[LINZ_PLace_Names-4] Wellington Conservancy - Notice of Valid Crown Protected Area Names . Land Information New Zealand , May 22, 2009, archived from the original on October 24, 2014 ; accessed on February 19, 2016 (English, original website no longer available).