Marlborough Sounds
The Marlborough Sounds (te reo Māori: Te Tauihu-o-te-Waka) are an extensive network of sea-drowned valleys at the northern end of the South Island of New Zealand. The Marlborough Sounds were created by a combination of land subsidence and rising sea levels.[1] According to Māori mythology, the sounds are the prows of the many sunken waka of Aoraki.[2]
Overview
Covering some 4,000 km2 (1,500 sq mi) of sounds, islands, and peninsulas, the Marlborough Sounds lie at the South Island's north-easternmost point, between Tasman Bay in the west and Cloudy Bay in the south-east. The almost fractal coastline has 1/10 of the length of New Zealand's coasts.[3]
The steep, wooded hills and small quiet bays of the sounds are sparsely populated, as access is difficult. Many of the small settlements and isolated houses are only accessible by boat. The main large port is
The main sounds, other than Queen Charlotte Sound, are
The Sounds are home to the entire breeding population of the rare and
History
Pre-modern era
The sounds were extensively travelled and partly inhabited by Māori groups before the coming of the Europeans, using the sounds as shelter from bad weather and partaking of the rich food sources. Māori were also known to carry their canoes over some stretches of land on portage paths.[2] However, as in most areas of the South Island, populations were smaller than in the North Island.
European history of the area is considered to start with
Ferries and marine farms
The Marlborough Sounds are connected to Cook Strait at the north-east extreme. At this point, the North Island is at its closest to the South Island, and the inter-island road, rail, and passenger ferry service between Picton and Wellington travels through the sounds.
Marine farming, especially of
However, as damage increasingly became visible, and protests continued, the fast ferries (which only operated for the summer season) were eventually restricted to a lower speed of 18 knots in the sounds (officially for safety reasons), reducing their time advantage over the conventional ferries.[6] They have since been discontinued.
In July/August 2007, the 'Guardians of the Sounds' environmentalist group planned a 100-ship flotilla protest against
Dangerous waters
The main channels of the Marlborough Sounds have calm water and are popular for
The most notable shipwreck in the sounds is that of the Russian cruise liner
References
- ^ Rocky coasts (from the Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand)
- ^ a b c d e Marlborough Sounds Archived 2008-10-15 at the Wayback Machine (from the Department of Conservation website. Accessed 2008-05-16.)
- ^ BirdLife International. (2012). Important Bird Areas factsheets: Duffers Reef. Sentinel Rock. Trio Islands. White Rocks. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 2012-02-03.
- ^ History of the NZMFA New Zealand Seafood Industry Council
- ^ Fast Ferries Archived 2007-07-18 at the Wayback Machine (from the Guardians of the Sounds action group website)
- ^ Booker, Jarrod (7 July 2007). "100-strong flotilla to stage protest on scallop fishing". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 20 October 2011.