Farewell Spit

Farewell Spit (Māori: Onetahua) is a narrow sand spit at the northern end of the Golden Bay, in the South Island of New Zealand. The spit includes around 25 kilometres (16 mi) of stable land and another 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) of mobile sand spit running eastwards from Cape Farewell, the northern-most point of the South Island. Farewell Spit is the longest sand spit in New Zealand, and is a legally protected Nature Reserve. The area is designated as a Ramsar wetland site and an East Asian–Australasian Flyway Shorebird Network site. Farewell Spit is administered by the New Zealand Department of Conservation as a seabird and wildlife reserve. Apart from a small area at the base of the spit, it is closed to the public except through organised tours.

Farewell Spit
IUCN category Ia (strict nature reserve)
NASA satellite image of Farewell Spit
Location	Golden Bay, New Zealand
Area	11,388 hectares (28,140 acres)
Ramsar Wetland
Designated	13 August 1976
Reference no.	103

Location

Farewell Spit is located about 50 kilometres (31 mi) north of Tākaka and 20 kilometres (12 mi) from Collingwood. The small settlement of Pūponga is situated close to the western (landward) end of the spit.

Toponymy

The Māori name for the spit is Onetahua, translated as "heaped up sand".^[1]

Abel Tasman in 1642 was the first European to see the spit, calling it Sand Duining Hoeck. Captain James Cook was the next European visitor in 1770,^[2] showing Farewell Spit as a broad peninsula on his maps. He named close-by Cape Farewell, and the name stuck, with early European settlers originally calling the sandbanks 'Cape Farewell Spit' before it was shortened to its present name. It was the last land Cook sighted after leaving New Zealand for Australia at the end of his first voyage.^[3]

Geography

 

Farewell Spit looking east from Pūponga

Farewell Spit forms the northern side of Golden Bay and is the longest sandspit in New Zealand, including around 25 kilometres (16 mi) of stable land and another 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) of mobile sand spit. The spit runs from west to east, and is formed from fine golden-coloured quartz sands, derived from the erosion of granites and other rocks in the Southern Alps, and transported northwards along the West Coast by longshore drift with the Westland current.^[2][4]

The area of the spit is about 11,388 hectares (28,140 acres). Approximately 1,961 hectares (4,850 acres) is above mean high water, with an intertidal zone of about 9,427 hectares (23,290 acres).^[5]

The sand structures of Farewell Spit consist of two interacting systems. On the southern side of the spit there are older and relatively stable sand masses, separated by shallow lakes and swamps. On the northern side are more recent sand masses that undergo active erosion and accumulation as a result of winds and the deposition from the longshore current.^[6] Sand dunes known as barchans are formed on the spit because of the influence of winds predominantly from the west, and these dunes move in an easterly direction. The downwind face is steep and has a crescent shape.^[7]

The northern side of the dunes are steeper and unstable being constantly exposed to the prevailing winds that average over 25 km/h (16 mph). The southern side that faces Golden Bay is more stable and largely covered with vegetation. The tide here can recede as much as seven kilometres (4.3 mi) exposing some 80 square kilometres (31 sq mi) of mud flats; a rich feeding ground for the many seabirds in the area but also a trap for frequently stranded whales.

Protected area

Farewell Spit is a legally protected area of Crown property, and is classified as a Nature Reserve under s20 of the Reserves Act 1977.^[8] The spit was originally established as a Flora and Fauna Reserve in 1938. In 1980, the status was altered to Nature Reserve, and the adjacent inter-tidal zone designated as a Wildlife Sanctuary.^[9]

Farewell Spit was designated as a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention in 1976, when the convention came into effect in New Zealand.^[10][11] In 2000, to recognise the importance of the site to migratory birds, Farewell Spit was designated an East Asian–Australasian Flyway Shorebird Network Site.^[12] New Zealand became a partner in the East Asian – Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP) in September 2011.^[13]

Birds

Farewell Spit provides a wide variety of habitat for birds, including ocean sand beaches, bare and vegetated sand dunes, salt marshes, and lakes both freshwater and brackish.^[2] These habitats support internationally important numbers of bar-tailed godwit, red knot, ruddy turnstone and banded dotterel, as well as the endemic variable and South Island pied oystercatchers.^[14] The dunes at the end of the spit support the only sea-level colony of Australasian gannets in the world. The eelgrass (Zostera) beds on the tidal flats are used by the largest moulting population of black swans in New Zealand.^[15]

Shorebirds

A study of shorebirds in the top of the South Island, commissioned by the Nelson City and Tasman District councils, was published in 2013. This study reported that from 2006 to 2009, the population of coastal shorebirds found in the estuaries in the top of the South Island represented between 14 and 22% of the total New Zealand shorebird population. Over the period of one year, between 45% and 66% of shorebirds in the study region were found at Farewell Spit.^[16] During summer, there is an average of about 29,000 shorebirds at Farewell Spit, representing 10.2% of the national population. During winter (June), there is an average of 8,500 birds, representing 6.5% of the national population, and in spring (November) there is an average of 20,000, representing 13.2% of the national population. Farewell Spit typically has more than 20,000 shorebirds present during summer and spring, and this meets the criteria for recognition under Ramsar Convention Criterion 5 as a wetland site of international importance.^[17][18]

During spring and summer, migratory waders make up a large proportion of the shorebirds at Farewell Spit (up to 93% during spring).^[19] Farewell Spit is a site of international importance for migratory bar-tailed godwits. Surveys have found an average of 11,872 godwits are present in the summer period, representing 9.1% of the total estimated numbers of this species in the flyway.^[20]

Farewell Spit is also of international importance for shorebirds such as the South Island pied oyster-catcher. Surveys have found an average of 6,980 of these birds during summer, representing 7% of the estimated national population.^[21] The spit is also an important wintering area and a site of international importance for the banded dotterel.^[22]

Australasian gannets

A breeding colony of Australasian gannets was identified at Farewell Spit in 1983. The size of the colony increased from 75 nests in 1983 to 3,060 nests in 2001, and a 2006 survey recorded 3,300 pairs. The breeding area comprises several discrete sub-colonies at the end of the spit, around 30 minutes walk past the lighthouse. They are only a few metres above sea level. This gannet breeding area is unusual because other gannet colonies are well above sea level on high, stable rock formations.^[2] In January 1997, three of the sub-colonies were completely washed away during Cyclone Drena. In most years, some of the colonies are washed over during very high tides or major storms.^[23][24]

Other seabirds

Other seabirds that nest on shellbanks on Farewell Spit include Caspian terns and white-fronted terns.^[25]

Waterfowl

Farewell Spit has been identified as the largest moulting site for black swans in the country, with up to 15% of the total population present between November and March. Significant numbers of Australasian shoveler have also been reported.^[26]

Conservation initiatives

 

Sand dunes on Farewell Spit

Farewell Spit was leased for grazing from around the 1850s, and extensive damage to vegetation was caused by grazing and fires. In 1938, the area was given protection and designated as a sanctuary. However, wild cattle remained in the area, and 258 were removed in the 1970s.^[7]

The adjoining Puponga Farm was originally purchased by the Crown to serve primarily as a buffer zone to protect the Farewell Spit Nature Reserve. Later purchases of Whararaki and Cape Farewell Farms helped to create a viable farm management unit, conserve biological and landscape values, and provide opportunities for public recreation. Puponga Farm Park serves as a visitor management and servicing area for the Farewell Spit Nature Reserve .^[9]

As at 2021, there are still feral pigs on Farewell Spit, and these animals are a significant threat to nesting birds.

The Onetahua Restoration project has been launched with the aim of eradicating pests from Whanganui Inlet on the West Coast, all the way to Farewell Spit, covering an area of more than 12,000 hectares (30,000 acres). The project is a joint initiative between Farewell Wharariki HealthPost Nature Trust, Tasman Environmental Trust and Manawhenua ki Mohua.^[27][28]

Lighthouse

 

The automated lighthouse at the end of Farewell Spit

Main article: Farewell Spit Lighthouse

The Farewell Spit Lighthouse at the end of the spit was first lit on 17 June 1870 in response to many ships having been wrecked upon the spit.^[29] The original timber tower did not stand up well to the frequent blasting by the sand and salt-laden winds experienced at the end of the spit. The hardwood used started to decay rapidly and the original tower was replaced in 1897 by the present structure, the only steel latticework lighthouse in New Zealand.^[30]

The foundations of the lighthouse are only just above sea level, so the lighthouse tower has to be taller than usual for other lighthouses around New Zealand's coast. The light of the 27-metre-high (89 ft) tower can be seen for 35 kilometres (22 mi). The light was fully automated and the last lighthouse keeper was withdrawn in 1984.^[30] The lighthouse keeper's house and two accommodation buildings are still being maintained for use by the Department of Conservation, Maritime New Zealand, and tour groups.

Tourism

Four-wheel drive bus tours from Collingwood or Pūponga operated by concession-holders include the opportunity to jump off a sand dune, a visit to the lighthouse and the gannet colony.

Shipwrecks

 

Valmarie aground in 1922

Farewell Spit has been the site of many shipwrecks and vessel strandings, particularly in the era of merchant sailing vessels. Most of these incidents occurred when a vessel became grounded on sand in shallow water near the Spit either through navigational errors or being driven ashore in adverse weather. Particularly notable losses include the Queen Bee that ran aground off Farewell Spit in 1877^[31][32] and the SS Port Kembla that was sunk by a mine 17 km off the spit in 1917.^[33]

List of shipwrecks and groundings at Farewell Spit^[34]
Year	Month	Vessel name	Description	Tonnage	Notes
1840	February	Vittoria	Barque	281	Wrecked
1847	May	Louisa Campbell	Barque	274	Wrecked
1866	July	Deese	Schooner	96	Wrecked^[35]
1866	September	Wallaby	Steamer		Grounded but refloated^[36]
1866	October	Juno	Barque		Wrecked^[37]
1869	May	Necromancer	Schooner	16	Wrecked
1871	May	Foam	Ketch	40	Wrecked
1875	March	Melbourne	Schooner	53	Wrecked
1877	August	Queen Bee	Fully rigged	726	Wrecked
1879	September	Messenger	Barque	925	Wrecked
1885	June	Helena	Brigantine	149	Wrecked
1887	February	Hauraki	Steamship	87	Wrecked
1889	September	Koranni	Steamship		Refloated
1897	January	Ruapehu	Steamship	4202	Refloated^[38]
1898	July	Unknown	Barque		Refloated
1899	January	Sir Henry	Brigantine
1902	August	Oreti
1917	September	Port Kembla	Steamship	4000	Sunk, suspected struck a mine
1922	March	Valmarie	Schooner		Salvaged
1953		Arethusa	Yacht		Salvaged
2021	July	Mistral	Fishing vessel		Wrecked^[39]
2022	April		Fishing vessel		Sunk^[40]

Whale stranding

 

Volunteers attempt to keep body temperatures of beached pilot whales from rising at Farewell Spit

Farewell Spit has been the location of many herd strandings of long-finned pilot whales, and has been described as a ‘whale trap’, because of its protruding coastlines and long, gently sloping beaches.^[41]

List of cetacean strandings at Farewell Spit
Year	Month	Number stranded	Species	Notes
1867	June	1	Sperm whale	^[42]
1911	March	250	"Blackfish"	^[43]
1995	January	30	Pilot whale	^[44]
1996	February	34	Pilot whale	^[45]
1997	February	5	Sperm whale	^[46]
1998	December	28	Pilot whale	^[47]
2002	April	4	Pilot whale	^[48]
2002	September	1	Pygmy right whale	^[49]
2005	December	123	Pilot whale	^[50]
2005	December	49	Pilot whale	^[51]
2006	January	5	Pilot whale	^[52]
2011	February	70	Pilot whale	^[53]
2012	January	90	Pilot whale	^[54]
2012	November	28	Pilot whale	^[55]
2014	January	13	Pilot whale	^[56]
2015	February	198	Pilot whale	^[57]
2017	February	416	Pilot whale	third-largest stranding on record in NZ^[58]
2020	December	1	Sei whale	^[59]
2022	February	49	Pilot whale	^[60]
2022	March	36	Pilot whale	^[61]

References

1. "Golden Bays Maori History & Culture". Golden Bay Promotions Association. from the original on 10 November 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
2. "Farewell Spit and Puponga Farm Park" (PDF). Department of Conservation. October 2016. (PDF) from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
3. . Jasons Travel Media. Archived from the original on 17 February 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
4. Grindley, George W (1966). "An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand – Farewell Spit and Cape Farewell". Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. from the original on 12 August 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
5. Schuckard, R. and Melville, D.S., (2013), p6
6. Clark, A.B.S.; Thorns, S.C. (1978). "Notes on the Geology of Cape Farewell and Farewell Spit, North-west Nelson" (PDF). Tane. University of Auckland (24). (PDF) from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
7. "Farewell Spit Nature Reserve" (PDF). Department of Conservation. 2006. Retrieved 19 April 2022 – via Wetland Trust.
8. "Protected Areas – Farewell Spit Nature Reserve". Land Information New Zealand. from the original on 20 April 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
9. Farewell Spit Nature Reserve and Puponga Farm Park Conservation Management Plan (PDF). Department of Conservation. January 1990. ISBN 0-478-01264-0. (PDF) from the original on 20 April 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
10. "Farewell Spit". Ramsar Sites Information Service. from the original on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
11. Schuckard, R. and Melville, D.S., (2013), p1
12. "Flyway Network sites – New Zealand". East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership. February 2018. from the original on 27 February 2021. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
13. "A warm welcome to a new Partner, New Zealand". East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership. 9 November 2011. from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
14. "Farewell Spit". National Wetland Trust of New Zealand. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
15. Sagar, P. M.; Schwarz, A-M; Howard-Williams, C. (July 1995). "Review of the ecological role of Black Swan (Cygnus atratus)" (PDF). NIWA Science and Technology Series (25): 3.
16. Schuckard, R. and Melville, D.S., (2013), p13
17. Schuckard, R. and Melville, D.S., (2013), p17
18. "The Ramsar Sites Criteria" (PDF). Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. (PDF) from the original on 13 March 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
19. Schuckard, R. and Melville, D.S., (2013), p18
20. Schuckard, R. and Melville, D.S., (2013), p31
21. Schuckard, R. and Melville, D.S., (2013), p35
22. Schuckard, R. and Melville, D.S., (2013), p36
23. Butler, D.J. (2008), p20
24. Walrond, Carl (22 April 2015). "Nelson places – Western Golden Bay". Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. from the original on 20 April 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
25. Butler, D.J. (2008), p21
26. Butler, D.J. (2008), p27
27. Guthrie, Kate (28 January 2019). "Protection and accessibility are key goals for Wharariki Onetahua Restoration". Predator Free NZ Trust. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
28. Gee, Samantha (29 September 2021). "Mission to make Farewell Spit predator free". RNZ. from the original on 6 December 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
29. Newport, J. N. W. (November 1971). "Farewell Spit Lighthouse". Nelson Historical Society Journal. 2 (5). Retrieved 21 April 2022 – via Victoria University of Wellington.
30. . Maritime New Zealand. Archived from the original on 8 February 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
31. "The stranding and loss of the Queen Bee, on Cape Farewell Sandspit. August 1877". RootsWeb. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
32. "Wreck of the Queen Bee". Evening Post. 8 August 1877 – via Papers Past.
33. "Today in History – 18 September: The Port Kembla sinks off Farewell Spit". Nelson Provincial Museum. 18 September 2020. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
34. Petyt, C (1999), pages 40–53
35. "Wreck of the schooner Deese on Cape Farewell Spit". Marlborough Press. 8 August 1866 – via Papers Past.
36. "Shipping". Lyttelton Times. 9 October 1866 – via Papers Past.
37. "Inquiry into the wreck of the barque Juno on Farewell Spit". Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle. 1 November 1866 – via Papers Past.
38. "S.S. Ruapehu Ashore at Farewell Spit". Press. 4 January 1897 – via Papers Past.
39. "West Coast salvage operation removes shipwreck contaminants". RNZ. 27 October 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
40. Gooch, Carly (29 April 2022). "Rescue after boat runs aground at Farewell Spit". Stuff. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
41. Hutching, Gerard (12 June 2006). "Whales – Strandings: whales and dolphins". Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
42. "Untitled". Nelson Evening Mail. 17 June 1867. Retrieved 21 April 2022 – via Papers Past.
43. "School of blackfish". New Zealand Herald. 22 March 1911. Retrieved 21 April 2022 – via Papers Past.
44. "Whales safely back out at sea". The Dominion. 17 January 1995. p. 3.
45. "Whales floated out to sea". The Dominion. 15 February 1996. p. 1.
46. "Rare strandings". The Dominion. 25 February 1997. p. 1.
47. "Whales refloated". The Dominion. 31 December 1998. p. 1.
48. Sparrow, Brandon (1 May 2002). "Pilot whales taken to 'graveyard'". Nelson Mail. p. 1.
49. Sparrow, Brandon (20 September 2002). "Stranded rare whale helped back to sea". Nelson Mail. p. 1.
50. Chalmers, Anna (21 December 2005). "Frantic efforts to save whales". Dominion Post. p. 1.
51. Scanlon, Sean (2 January 2006). "DOC staff braced for more whale strandings". The Press. p. 1.
52. Murdoch, Helen (17 January 2006). "Whales beach at spit". The Press. p. 4.
53. "Stranded whale pic tells moving story". Stuff. 31 October 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
54. "Golden Bay whale stranding". Stuff. 25 January 2012. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
55. . 3 News NZ. 15 November 2012. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
56. "Whale re-float attempt". RNZ. 15 January 2014. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
57. . The Huffington Post. 13 February 2015. Archived from the original on 14 February 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
58. Hindmarsh, Nina; Bartlett, Hannah; Gamble, Warren (10 February 2017). "Mass whale stranding at Farewell Spit". Stuff. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
59. MacManus, Joel; Sivignon, Cherie (5 December 2020). "Dead 17-metre, 30 tonne beached whale near Farewell Spit to be refloated, towed out at high tide". Stuff. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
60. Hindmarsh, Nina; Bohny, Skara (22 February 2021). "Human chain of 150 volunteers guide 40 stranded pilot whales back to sea". Stuff. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
61. Harris, Sophie (17 March 2022). "Mass whale stranding at Farewell Spit, reports of 'a number' of deaths". Stuff. Retrieved 21 April 2022.

Sources

• Petyt, Chris (1999). Farewell Spit : a changing landscape : history and natural history. Takaka, New Zealand: Terracotta Books. ISBN 0473055392.
• Schuckard, Rob; Melville, David S. (2013). Shorebirds of Farewell Spit, Golden Bay and Tasman Bay (PDF). The Ornithological Society of New Zealand. Retrieved 19 April 2022 – via Nelson Public Library.
• Butler, D.J. (November 2008). Tasman District Biodiversity Overview – Indigenous terrestrial vertebrates and invertebrates (PDF). Tasman District Council. ISBN 978-1-877445-06-4. Retrieved 20 April 2022.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Farewell Spit.

• Map of Farewell Spit at Ramsar.org
• Farewell Spit and Puponga Farm Park at the Department of Conservation
• Farewell Spit Nature Reserve and Puponga Farm Management Plan (1990) at the Department of Conservation
• Farewell Spit Tours concession holder website
• Onetahua Restoration pest-free project website

40°31′S 172°52′E / 40.517°S 172.867°E / -40.517; 172.867