The
Awarua Plain is a large area of wetland to the east of
Bluff, New ZealandBluff is a town and seaport in the Southland region, on the southern coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is the southern-most town in New Zealand and, despite Slope Point being further to the south, is colloquially used to refer to the southern extremity of the country...
. Covering an area of around 600 km², the plain stretches for 35 kilometres along the coast of
Foveaux StraitFoveaux Strait separates Stewart Island/Rakiura, New Zealand's third largest island, from the South Island. Three large bays, Te Waewae Bay, Oreti Beach and Toetoes Bay, sweep along the strait's northern coast, which also hosts Bluff township and harbour. Across the strait lie the Solander Islands,...
. This stretch of coast includes the peninsula of
Tiwai PointTiwai Point lies at the entrance to Bluff Harbour on the southern coast of the South Island of New Zealand. A spit which extends from the western end of the Awarua Plain, it lies between Awarua Bay to the north and Foveaux Strait to the south...
, Awarua Bay, the Waituna Lagoon, and
Toetoes BayToetoes Bay is the easternmost of three large bays lying on the Foveaux Strait coast of Southland, New Zealand, the others being Te Waewae Bay and Oreti Beach. Thirty kilometres in length, the bay is the southern end of the Awarua Plain, an area of swampy land stretching inland for about fifteen...
. The
Mataura RiverThe Mataura River is in the Southland Region of the South Island of New Zealand. It is 190 kilometres in length.The river's headwaters are located in mountains to the south of Lake Wakatipu. From there it flows southeast towards Gore, where it turns southward...
is the major river responsible for the presence of the Awarua Plain; along with the
Oreti RiverThe Oreti River is one of the main rivers of Southland, New Zealand, and is 170 kilometres in length.The Oreti has its headwaters close to the Mavora Lakes between Lake Te Anau and Lake Wakatipu, and flows south across the Southland Plains to its outflow into Foveaux Strait at the southeastern end...
, it is a remnant of the rivers from the Ice Ages that formed the Southland Plains (Murihiku).
Discussion
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The
Awarua Plain is a large area of wetland to the east of
Bluff, New ZealandBluff is a town and seaport in the Southland region, on the southern coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is the southern-most town in New Zealand and, despite Slope Point being further to the south, is colloquially used to refer to the southern extremity of the country...
. Covering an area of around 600 km², the plain stretches for 35 kilometres along the coast of
Foveaux StraitFoveaux Strait separates Stewart Island/Rakiura, New Zealand's third largest island, from the South Island. Three large bays, Te Waewae Bay, Oreti Beach and Toetoes Bay, sweep along the strait's northern coast, which also hosts Bluff township and harbour. Across the strait lie the Solander Islands,...
. This stretch of coast includes the peninsula of
Tiwai PointTiwai Point lies at the entrance to Bluff Harbour on the southern coast of the South Island of New Zealand. A spit which extends from the western end of the Awarua Plain, it lies between Awarua Bay to the north and Foveaux Strait to the south...
, Awarua Bay, the Waituna Lagoon, and
Toetoes BayToetoes Bay is the easternmost of three large bays lying on the Foveaux Strait coast of Southland, New Zealand, the others being Te Waewae Bay and Oreti Beach. Thirty kilometres in length, the bay is the southern end of the Awarua Plain, an area of swampy land stretching inland for about fifteen...
. The
Mataura RiverThe Mataura River is in the Southland Region of the South Island of New Zealand. It is 190 kilometres in length.The river's headwaters are located in mountains to the south of Lake Wakatipu. From there it flows southeast towards Gore, where it turns southward...
is the major river responsible for the presence of the Awarua Plain; along with the
Oreti RiverThe Oreti River is one of the main rivers of Southland, New Zealand, and is 170 kilometres in length.The Oreti has its headwaters close to the Mavora Lakes between Lake Te Anau and Lake Wakatipu, and flows south across the Southland Plains to its outflow into Foveaux Strait at the southeastern end...
, it is a remnant of the rivers from the Ice Ages that formed the Southland Plains (Murihiku). In addition, several small streams enter Foveaux Strait along this stretch of coast, mainly via Awarua Bay and Waituna Lagoon.
Radio facilities
The Awarua Plain is suitable for
radioRadio is the transmission of signals by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
facilities, due to low distant skylines and high ground conductivity. Radio-related facilities here are
- Unwin Radar
The Unwin Radar is a scientific radar array at Awarua, near Invercargill, New Zealand. It is part of the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network , an international radar network for studying the upper atmosphere and ionosphere that operates in the High Frequency bands between 8 and 22 MHz.The facility is...
of La Trobe UniversityLa Trobe University is a multi-campus university in Victoria, Australia. It was established in 1964 as Victoria’s third university by an Act of Parliament. The main campus of La Trobe is located in the Melbourne suburb of Bundoora; two other major campuses are located in the Victorian city of...
- Awarua Tracking Station of the European Space Agency
|owner = |headquarters = Paris|spaceport = Guiana Space Centre|image = ESA LOGO.svg|size = 240px|acronym = ESA|established = 1975|administrator = Jean-Jacques Dordain...
- (formerly) Awarua Radio
Awarua Radio was New Zealand's main receiving and transmitting radio station providing worldwide Morse communications with ships at sea. Some facilities were built by Telefunken of Germany. It closed on August 30, 1991....
, historic ship-to-shore telegraph station of the new Zealand Post OfficeThe New Zealand Post Office was a New Zealand government department until 1 April 1987. At that date, the department was abolished under the Postal Services Act 1987, and three state-owned enterprises were formed:* New Zealand Post Limited,...