Tautuku Peninsula

File:View from Florence Hill lookout over Tautuku Bay.jpg

View from Florence Hill lookout across Tautuku Bay to the Tautuku Peninsula.

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.

From 1839 to 1846, 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 whales are making slow come back and still can be seen around the peninsula occasionally. New Zealand sea lions and hoiho the yellow-eyed penguins also can be seen on beaches. Other sporadic mammal visitors include leopard seals and so on.

The estuary of Tautuku River, just north of the peninsula, is inhabited by fernbirds. A short walk leads from Outdoor Education Centre next to the Southern Scenic Route through this jointed rush wetland, partly as a boardwalk.

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. The only access is via the mouth of the Fleming River, or along Tautuku Beach. A signposted lookout on the side of the Southern Scenic Route road on Florence Hill offers a scenic view south over Tautuku Bay and the Tautuku Peninsula.

Photo Gallery

• Category:Tautuku Bay on Wikimedia Commons