Shag Point
township
Shag Point headland
Shag Point headland
Coordinates: 45°27′40″S 170°48′50″E / 45.46111°S 170.81389°E / -45.46111; 170.81389
CountryNew Zealand
RegionOtago
Territorial authorityWaitaki District
WardWaihemo Ward
Government
 • Local authorityWaitaki District Council
 • Regional councilOtago Regional Council
Time zoneUTC+12 (NZST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+13 (NZDT)
Local iwiNgāi Tahu

Shag Point / Matakaea[1] is a headland and township in East Otago, New Zealand. Both the point and the nearby Shag River take their English name from a seabird, the pied shag.

The township extends along a single road, which leaves State Highway 1 nine kilometres to the northeast of Palmerston, at the southern end of a long open bay known as Katiki Beach. The road links the highway with the point itself, three kilometres southeast of the junction. The point is a hilly promontory between Katiki Beach and the mouth of the Shag River. The headland is within the Matakaea Scenic Reserve, which is known for its population of New Zealand fur seals.[2]

A historic Māori site, the Matakaea/Shag Point Occupation Site, is located close to the headland. It is listed as a Category II site by Heritage New Zealand.[3]

Geologically, the area is an exemplar of the Katiki Formation, and the site of the discovery of the plesiosaur Kaiwhekea katiki. It is also the location of the oldest characterised ignimbrite deposit in the South Island at 112 million years ago.[4]

Panorama overlooking the area, on the north side of the mouth of the Shag River

References

  1. ↑ "Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998 No 97 (As at 28 October 2021), Public Act Schedule 96 Alteration of place names – New Zealand Legislation".
  2. ↑ Algie, J., "Searching for fur seals at Shag Point, Coastal Otago," See the South Island tour guide. 4 June 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  3. ↑ "Matakaea/Shag Point Occupation Site". New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero. Heritage New Zealand.
  4. ↑ Tulloch, AJ; Ramezani, J; Mortimer, N; Mortensen; J; van den Bogaard, P; Maas, R (2009). "Cretaceous felsic volcanism in New Zealand and Lord Howe Rise (Zealandia) as a precursor to final Gondwana break-up". Geological Society, London, Special Publications. 321 (1): 89–118. doi:10.1144/SP321.5.


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