Big Bay, also known as Awarua Bay, is a deep indentation in the southwestern coast of

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

, 40 kilometres north of

Milford Sound Milford Sound / Piopiotahi is a fiord in the south west of New Zealand's South Island within Fiordland National Park, Piopiotahi (Milford Sound) Marine Reserve, and the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site. It has been judged the world's top tra ...

and immediately to the north of

Martins Bay Martins Bay is an indentation in the southwest coast of New Zealand's South Island. It lies immediately to the south of Big Bay and some 30 kilometres north of the mouth of Milford Sound at the northern tip of Fiordland. The Hollyford River rea ...

. The bay is eight kilometres in width, and extends eight kilometres into the South Island, making an almost square indentation in the island's coastline. Its northern end is

Awarua Point Awarua Point is located on the southwestern coast of New Zealand's South Island, at the northern end of Big Bay, north of Milford Sound, and north of the mouth of the Hollyford River. Traditionally, Awarua Point is regarded as the end of Fiord ...

. Immediately beyond Long Reef, the rocky point at the southern end, is the mouth of the

Hollyford River The Hollyford River / Whakatipu Kā Tuka is in the southwest of the South Island of New Zealand. It runs for through Fiordland, its sources being close to the Homer Tunnel and in Gertrude Valley in the southern Darran Mountains. At first, t ...

and

. Big Bay has a sandy beach named Three Mile Beach. The Awarua River enters the bay at the northern end of the beach. The mouth of the Awarua River is the western end of the boundary between the West Coast Regional Council area and the

Southland Regional Council The Southland Regional Council is the southernmost regional council in New Zealand, administering the Southland Region, including Stewart Island Stewart Island ( mi, Rakiura, 'Aurora, glowing skies', officially Stewart Island / Rakiura) i ...

area. It was formerly the boundary between

Canterbury Province The Canterbury Province was a province of New Zealand from 1853 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. Its capital was Christchurch. History Canterbury was founded in December 1850 by the Canterbury Association of influential En ...

and

Otago Province The Otago Province was a province of New Zealand until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. The capital of the province was Dunedin. Southland Province split from Otago in 1861, but became part of the province again in 1870. Area an ...

from when they were created in 1853. Three Mile Beach, the Awarua River and

Waiuna Lagoon Waiuna Lagoon is a lake in the Southland Region of New Zealand's South Island, just inland from Big Bay. It is 15 metres above sea level, and is drained by the Awarua River. References Lakes of Fiordland {{Fiordland-geo-stub ...

are within the boundary of

Southland region Southland ( mi, Murihiku) is New Zealand's southernmost region. It consists mainly of the southwestern portion of the South Island and Stewart Island/Rakiura. It includes Southland District, Gore District and the city of Invercargill. The r ...

. Awarua Point is within the boundary of the

West Coast region The West Coast ( mi, Te Tai Poutini, lit=The Coast of Poutini, the Taniwha) is a region of New Zealand on the west coast of the South Island that is administered by the West Coast Regional Council, and is known co-officially as Te Tai Poutini. ...

. The

Dry Awarua River The Dry Awarua River is a river of northern Fiordland, New Zealand. It rises in the McKenzie Range and flows south and then westward into the Waiuna Lagoon. The Lagoon then discharges into the Awarua River, which flows into Big Bay, also known ...

runs from the West Coast region into Waiuna Lagoon in the Southland region.

References

Bays of Southland, New Zealand {{Fiordland