Tautuku Peninsula
Encyclopedia
The Tautuku Peninsula is a rocky headland on the south coast of Otago
on the South Island
of New Zealand
. It is located 25 km (15 mi) east of Waikawa
, at the western end of a bay (Tautuku Bay) in the area known as the Catlins
. In the 1830s and 1840s, a whaling
station was sited near the peninsula's neck, and a port was later developed for the fishing, flax and timber industries. When these industries declined, the port was closed. Today, Southern Right Whale
s still can be seen around the peninsula occasionally. There are now numerous cribs (holiday cottages) on the peninsula, but these are mainly reached by four-wheel drive or tractor as no roads reach the peninsula.
Otago
Otago is a region of New Zealand in the south of the South Island. The region covers an area of approximately making it the country's second largest region. The population of Otago is...
on the South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
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...
. It is located 25 km (15 mi) east of Waikawa
Waikawa, Southland
Waikawa is the name of a small settlement in Southland, New Zealand, at the southwestern edge of The Catlins.The township is now a small fishing settlement, but at one time in the late 19th century was a major port, shipping timber from the sawmills of the Catlins north to help build the new town...
, at the western end of a bay (Tautuku Bay) in the area known as the Catlins
The Catlins
The Catlins comprises an area in the southeastern corner of the South Island of New Zealand. The area lies between Balclutha and Invercargill, straddling the boundary between the Otago and Southland regions...
. In the 1830s and 1840s, a whaling
Whaling
Whaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil. Its earliest forms date to at least 3000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of sustenance whaling and harvesting beached whales...
station was sited near the peninsula's neck, and a port was later developed for the fishing, flax and timber industries. When these industries declined, the port was closed. Today, Southern Right Whale
Southern Right Whale
The southern right whale is a baleen whale, one of three species classified as right whales belonging to the genus Eubalaena. Like other right whales, the southern right whale is readily distinguished from others by the callosities on its head, a broad back without a dorsal fin, and a long arching...
s still can be seen around the peninsula occasionally. There are now numerous cribs (holiday cottages) on the peninsula, but these are mainly reached by four-wheel drive or tractor as no roads reach the peninsula.