Huriawa, commonly known as Huriawa Peninsula or Karitane Peninsula, is a headland on the coast of

Otago Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government reg ...

, New Zealand. It is located 35 kilometres north of

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

city centre, immediately to the southeast of the settlement of

Karitane The small town of Karitane is located within the limits of the city of Dunedin in New Zealand, 35 kilometres to the north of the city centre. Set in rolling country near the mouth of the Waikouaiti River, the town is a popular holiday retreat ...

. The peninsula is steep and rocky, and stretches east for approximately 1000 metres from the mainland at the mouth of the

Waikouaiti River The Waikouaiti River is found to the north of Dunedin in Otago, New Zealand. It flows to the Pacific Ocean at Karitane, close to the town of Waikouaiti. The Waikouaiti River is the largest in East Otago East Otago is the name given to that p ...

. At its narrowest, the isthmus connecting it with Karitane is only some 90 metres in width. The name ''huriawa'' is a

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

term meaning "turning river"; the Waikouaiti River, which now flows to the sea to the north of the peninsula, formerly entered the sea to the peninsula's south. The southern, ocean coast of the peninsula is lined with sheer cliffs, and includes several rock pinnacles and blowholes. The northern, estuary coast is less rugged, but still steep. The opposite bank of the river is the large sandspit which forms the southern end of

Waikouaiti Waikouaiti is a small town in East Otago, New Zealand, within the city limits of Dunedin. The town is close to the coast and the mouth of the Waikouaiti River. Today, Waikouaiti is a retail trade and servicing centre for the surrounding distri ...

Beach.Hamel, A. (2008) ''Dunedin tracks and trails.'' Dunedin: Silver Peaks Press. p. 6.16 The isthmus is the site of Karitane cemetery, and of a memorial marking the location of the first Christian sermon given in Otago, by Rev.

James Watkin James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

on 17 May 1840. The western end of the peninsula is dotted with a handful of houses and other buildings, the most notable of which is Sir

Truby King Sir Frederic Truby King (1 April 1858 – 10 February 1938), generally known as Truby King, was a New Zealand health reformer and Director of Child Welfare. He is best known as the founder of the Plunket Society. Early life King was born in ...

's historic Kingscliff House. The remaining four fifths of the peninsula is designated as a historic reserve.

Huriawa pā site and reserve

The reserve covers the area previously occupied by Huriawa

pā The word pā (; often spelled pa in English) can refer to any Māori village or defensive settlement, but often refers to hillforts – fortified settlements with palisades and defensive terraces – and also to fortified villages. Pā sites ...

(Te Pa a Te Wera) a major coastal Māori fortification, believed to have been established by Kai Tahu chief Te Wera in the years immediately preceding Captain James Cook's visit to New Zealand in the late 18th century. The six-month siege of the pā by Te Wera's cousin Taoka (presumably in the mid-18th century) is one of most widely recorded pre-colonial events along the Otago coastline.Huriawa Peninsula
" Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka ki Puketeraki (East Otago Taiapure Management Committee). Retrieved 26 February 2018. The pā had the strength given to it by its inaccessible location and also due to the natural spring (Te Punawai a Te Wera) which provided it with its own water supply. The siege was one of a number of battles between the two chiefs which ranged along the coastline from

Timaru Timaru (; mi, Te Tihi-o-Maru) is a port city in the southern Canterbury Region of New Zealand, located southwest of Christchurch and about northeast of Dunedin on the eastern Pacific coast of the South Island. The Timaru urban area is home ...

to the mouth of

Otago Harbour Otago Harbour is the natural harbour of Dunedin, New Zealand, consisting of a long, much-indented stretch of generally navigable water separating the Otago Peninsula from the mainland. They join at its southwest end, from the harbour mouth. ...

. Huriawa Historic Reserve covers and is accessible to the general public. It features a loop track some 2.5 kilometres in length. The title to Huriawa was returned to the Kai Tahu

iwi Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori culture, Māori society. In Māori-language, Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and ...

by the Crown in 1998 as part of the iwi's

Waitangi Tribunal The Waitangi Tribunal (Māori: ''Te Rōpū Whakamana i te Tiriti o Waitangi'') is a New Zealand permanent commission of inquiry established under the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975. It is charged with investigating and making recommendations on cl ...

land claim settlement, and is managed by Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka ki Puketeraki and the New Zealand Department of Conservation.Kiwi Guardians at Huriawa
" New Zealand Department of Conservation – Te Papa Atawhai. Retrieved 26 February 2018.

References

{{coord, 45, 38, 30, S, 170, 40, 0, E, region:NZ-OTA, display=title Rock formations of Otago History of Otago Peninsulas of Otago Māori history Forts in New Zealand

Huriawa pā site and reserve

See also

References