Kātiki is a small settlement in
North Otago
North Otago in New Zealand covers the area of Otago between Shag Point and the Waitaki River, and extends inland to the west as far as the village of Omarama (which has experienced rapid growth as a developing centre for astronomy and for glid ...
, New Zealand. It lies between the townships of
Palmerston Palmerston may refer to:
People
* Christie Palmerston (c. 1851–1897), Australian explorer
* Several prominent people have borne the title of Viscount Palmerston
** Henry Temple, 1st Viscount Palmerston (c. 1673–1757), Irish nobleman and ...
and
Hampden on
State Highway 1
The following highways are numbered 1.
For roads numbered A1, see list of A1 roads.
For roads numbered B1, see list of B1 roads.
For roads numbered M1, see List of M1 roads.
For roads numbered N1, see list of N1 roads.
For roads numbere ...
at the northern end of
Kātiki Beach, close to the
Moeraki Peninsula. The tip of the peninsula, Kātiki Point, is the site of
Kātiki Point Lighthouse. The scenic reserve of
Trotter's Gorge is located just inland of Kātiki.
There is uncertainty about the origin of the name, though it could have originally been ''Ka tiki'' ("The carved figures"). The settlement was called ''Kartigi'' until 1927, this former name stressing the local
Southern Māori pronunciation. The town no longer has any signage but for a small bridge sign 'Katiki bridge'. Further north along the coast from the lighthouse are two small settlements called the Katiki Kaiks ("kaik" is the Southern Māori version of the term ''kainga'', meaning village). The houses at the kaiks are very basic and predominantly
cribs (holiday homes). Property is difficult to attain there as it cannot be purchased, only leased.
Kātiki lighthouse is home to
yellow-eyed penguins (''hoiho''), one of the rarest species of penguin in the world. Its visitors can almost be guaranteed to see
fur seals
Fur seals are any of nine species of pinnipeds belonging to the subfamily Arctocephalinae in the family '' Otariidae''. They are much more closely related to sea lions than true seals, and share with them external ears (pinnae), relatively lon ...
on their visit to the viewing huts. The area is also a local fishing spot, especially for
blue cod.
References
*Matheson, S (2018) ''Otago's Towns''. Wellington: Matheson.
*Reed, A. W. (1975) ''Place names of New Zealand''. Wellington: A.H. & A.W. Reed.
*''Wise's New Zealand Guide'' (1969). Dunedin: H. Wise and Co. Ltd.
{{Waitaki District, New Zealand
Populated places in Otago