Ngawi is a small fishing / holiday town within five kilometers of Cape Palliser

Cape Palliser

Cape Palliser is a promontory on the southern coast of New Zealand's North Island and the southernmost point of the North Island - it is in fact considerably further south than Nelson or Blenheim in the South Island....

, the southernmost point of New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

's North Island

North Island

The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...

. The town is made up of mainly small wooden houses, which are often called baches

Bach (New Zealand)

A bach is a small, often very modest holiday home or beach house. Alternatively called a crib, they are an iconic part of New Zealand history and culture, especially in the middle of the 20th century, where they symbolized the beach holiday lifestyle that was becoming more accessible to the...

.

Ngawi has one claim to fame - more bulldozer

Bulldozer

A bulldozer is a crawler equipped with a substantial metal plate used to push large quantities of soil, sand, rubble, etc., during construction work and typically equipped at the rear with a claw-like device to loosen densely-compacted materials.Bulldozers can be found on a wide range of sites,...

s per head of population than anywhere else. The bulldozers are used to haul the fishing boats into and out of the water as there is no wharf or other access to the ocean other than the beach, which can be notoriously rough at times.http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,25830163-5018663,00.html

The location is also famous for a large population of fur seal

Fur seal

Fur seals are any of nine species of pinnipeds in the Otariidae family. One species, the northern fur seal inhabits the North Pacific, while seven species in the Arctocephalus genus are found primarily in the Southern hemisphere...

s and sea lions, and is popular not just with commercial fisherman but also with recreational fishermen. The best fish to catch are Paua

Paua

Pāua is the Māori name given to three species of large edible sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs which belong to the family Haliotidae , known in the United States and Australia as abalone, and in the United Kingdom as ormer shells.-Species:There are three species of New Zealand pāua:New...

 (a type of abalone which is prized for its iridescent shell as well as the flesh), crayfish

Crayfish

Crayfish, crawfish, or crawdads – members of the superfamilies Astacoidea and Parastacoidea – are freshwater crustaceans resembling small lobsters, to which they are related...

 (also known as rock lobster), and cod. The place is popular with all type of fishermen including spear fishing.

Ngawi is also known for its "exposed" climate, relating to the intense and prolonged wind and the fact that there are almost no trees on this isolated coast. A number of ships that have become victim to this notorious coast. However, the weather can also become extremely hot in summer.

Notoriety

In September 2006, 2 young burglars (aged 19 and 15) were chased by Ngawi residents in a car after being disturbed while burgling a local bach. The same youths had ransacked baches the week prior and stolen two vehicles, and had not been caught by Police, who are based 90 minutes away, despite prior convictions.http://www.nzherald.co.nz/theft/news/article.cfm?c_id=344&objectid=10404891&pnum=0 Shots were fired at the tyres to try and stop the youths' car. The burglars eventually turned their stolen car around and returned to the house where the 3rd burglar (also aged 19) was still located. The youths then all fled on foot and were eventually found hiding on a hillside by police after having been pelted with rocks by the local residents.

The two 19-year-old burglars, Joshua Diamond and Owen Guthrie, pleaded guilty to their burglary charges and were convicted, with prison terms. They had skipped bail while awaiting trial.http://www.times-age.co.nz/local/news/accused-ngawi-burglars-jump-bail/3704085/ The 15-year-old burglar, whose name was suppressed, was dealt with in the Youth Court.Court for 'protecting' town from 'scumbags'

Local charter fisherman, Garth Gadsby, 61, a volunteer fireman and search and rescue volunteer, pleaded not guilty to charges of recklessly discharging a firearm, but was found guilty and fined $3000 - and had his shotgun confiscated.http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10512728 Supporters in Ngawi had donated more than $12000 towards his defence.http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10513701&pnum=0 Garth McVicar of the Sensible Sentencing Trust

Sensible Sentencing Trust

The Sensible Sentencing Trust, a lobby group based in Napier in New Zealand, promotes harsher court sentences as a means of reducing crime.The Trust states its vision as "A Safe New Zealand" and its mission as "o obtain a large base of community support, and ensure safety for all New Zealanders...

 noted that the conviction was another example of a criminal friendly mentality protecting criminals over a community-minded citizen.http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0804/S00211.htm

Film Location

In May 2006, filmmaker Peter Salmon

Peter Salmon (Filmmaker)

Peter Salmon was born 9 February 1976 in Auckland, New Zealand. He is a New Zealand based film and television writer/director.Salmon has directed many successful short films since graduating from film school in 1996....

, in association with Maxim Films and the New Zealand Film Commission

New Zealand Film Commission

The New Zealand Film Commission is a New Zealand government agency formed to assist with creating and promoting New Zealand films...

 shot a short film, 'Fog' on location in Ngawi. Salmon was drawn to the area's unique landscape and isolated feel. 'Fog' premiered at Critic's Week at the Cannes Film Festival

Cannes Film Festival

The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...

in 2007. It stars Joe Dekkers-Reihana, Chelsie Crayford Preston, Jim Moriarty and Tina Cook.