Te Raekaihau Point is a rugged coastal landform in
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
,
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 ...
, adjacent to
Princess Bay, between
Houghton Bay
Houghton Bay and Valley is one of the southern suburbs of Wellington, New Zealand. It is located between Island Bay and Lyall Bay, on the rocky shores of the Cook Strait. It has two beaches, Houghton Bay and Princess Bay, used by surfers, swi ...
to the west and
Lyall Bay
Lyall Bay is a bay and suburb on the south side of the Rongotai isthmus in Wellington, New Zealand.
The bay is a popular surf beach, featuring a breakwater at the eastern end. It is home to two surf lifesaving clubs and has also been the site of ...
to the east on the south coast. One meaning of the name is "the headland that eats the wind". Te Raekaihau Point proceeds from the Southern Headlands Reserve and remains an undeveloped interface with the
Cook Strait
Cook Strait ( mi, Te Moana-o-Raukawa) separates the North and South Islands of New Zealand. The strait connects the Tasman Sea on the northwest with the South Pacific Ocean on the southeast. It is wide at its narrowest point,McLintock, A H, ...
.
The site was the centre of recent controversy as a non-profit developer had proposed building an educational and tourist aquarium building on the site, which remains undeveloped.
Official LINZ Specification
Te Raekaihau
* District: Wellington
* Description: Marine rock formation
* Lat: -41.3497
* Long: 174.7926
* NZMG Easting: 2660010
* NZMG Northing: 5982778.2
* NZMS 260 sheet: R27
LINZ Geographic Place Names Database Record
Background
The point is geologically new, having been modified during the
1855 Wairarapa earthquake, in which land was uplifted by two to three metres. It can be reached through
Island Bay
Island Bay is a coastal suburb of Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, situated south of the city centre.
Island Bay lies on the bay which shares its name, one of numerous small bays off Cook Strait and west of Lyall Bay. 500m offshore in ...
,
Houghton Bay
Houghton Bay and Valley is one of the southern suburbs of Wellington, New Zealand. It is located between Island Bay and Lyall Bay, on the rocky shores of the Cook Strait. It has two beaches, Houghton Bay and Princess Bay, used by surfers, swi ...
via
Melrose, or
Lyall Bay
Lyall Bay is a bay and suburb on the south side of the Rongotai isthmus in Wellington, New Zealand.
The bay is a popular surf beach, featuring a breakwater at the eastern end. It is home to two surf lifesaving clubs and has also been the site of ...
. The point is used for diving, walking, scenic photography, relaxation, picnics, eco-tourism, nature study, and astronomy. The point is relatively free of
light pollution
Light pollution is the presence of unwanted, inappropriate, or excessive use of artificial Visible spectrum, lighting. In a descriptive sense, the term ''light pollution'' refers to the effects of any poorly implemented lighting, during the day ...
, with little nearby population, no street lighting, and low adjacent population causing
sky glow
Skyglow (or sky glow) is the diffuse luminance of the night sky, apart from discrete light sources such as the Moon and visible individual stars. It is a commonly noticed aspect of light pollution. While usually referring to luminance arising ...
in the southern direction of
Cook Strait
Cook Strait ( mi, Te Moana-o-Raukawa) separates the North and South Islands of New Zealand. The strait connects the Tasman Sea on the northwest with the South Pacific Ocean on the southeast. It is wide at its narrowest point,McLintock, A H, ...
. The lessened light pollution means that
Aurora Australis
An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of br ...
displays are sometimes visible. It is one of the few undeveloped coastal places within Wellington city. Artists such as
Bruce Stewart and
Nick Dryden are inspired by this location.
Marine centre dispute
The Wellington Marine Conservation Trust planned a three-storey educational and tourist complex and aquarium at Te Raekaihau Point, to be known as the ''Aquarium of New Zealand,'' unrelated to the National Aquarium of New Zealand in
Napier, Hawkes Bay. To showcase the "unique marine environment of the Wellington region and New Zealand," the Trust endeavoured to develop the point and surrounding coastal area to service thousands of aquarium customers each week. It aimed to also provide education programmes about conserving the unique coastal features of New Zealand, partner with organisations for marine research and tourism purposes, and provide a base for "long term protection and enjoyment" of Wellington's marine resources and parking for over 100 vehicles . Wellington City Council provided backing for the concept in the form of substantial interest-free loans and grants for resource consent applications.
Widespread opposition from throughout Wellington sprung up. Some believed that the centre would be better sited in a place with an established tourism, parking, and convenience infrastructure. Many Wellington ratepayers believed that the $26 million price tag of the Marine Education Centre would be an excessive amount of spending, that the potential benefits were not worth the risk, and that the Council-supported Centre would not be economically self-sustainable and thus increase Wellington City Council's
public debt
A country's gross government debt (also called public debt, or sovereign debt) is the financial liabilities of the government sector. Changes in government debt over time reflect primarily borrowing due to past government deficits. A deficit oc ...
. Local
amateur astronomer
Amateur astronomy is a hobby where participants enjoy observing or imaging celestial objects in the sky using the unaided eye, binoculars, or telescopes. Even though scientific research may not be their primary goal, some amateur astronomers m ...
s in the Wellington region, who find the Point favourable for watching for
aurorae
An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in polar regions of Earth, high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display ...
, were also concerned that the existence of the centre, including a proposed late-night cafe, fast food restaurant, and lighted parking lot, might compromise the relatively unpolluted
night skies
''Night Skies'' is an unproduced science fiction horror film that was in development in the late 1970s. Steven Spielberg conceived the idea after ''Close Encounters of the Third Kind''. Instead, material developed at the time was used in ''Polt ...
of the area. Residents were also concerned about loss of access to the point.
The groups Save The Point Inc and GADOT (Group Against Development on Te Rae Kai Hau Point Incorporated) formed to fight the development,
The initial hearing for resource consent for the centre failed to reach a conclusion, after a strongly fought opposition by community members, and the process was restarted with new submissions being sought. In the second round of submissions, approximately 10,000 submissions were received, with about half being in favour of the plan and half against. This time, organisers of the Marine Education Centre project were actively engaged in the collection of thousands of submissions, using
push poll techniques and a large number of paid campaign workers.
In September 2007, the Environment Court ruled against the developers, with the conclusion that Te Raekaihau Point was most important as a wild and undeveloped aspect of the landscape. The ruling, which declared that a tourist aquarium development "would compromise the area's open space values and result in significant adverse effects on the landscape," may prove extremely important in that it will help protect other natural spaces along New Zealand's coast and interior.
Developers of the $20–30 million centre have reportedly depleted their funds, including those donated by pro-development businessmen such as
Infratil
Infratil Limited is a New Zealand-based infrastructure investment company. It owns renewable energy, digital infrastructure, airports, and healthcare assets with operations in New Zealand, Australia, Asia, the US and Europe. Infratil was founded ...
chairman
Lloyd Morrison
Hugh Richmond Lloyd Morrison (18 September 1957 – 10 February 2012) was a Wellington, New Zealand-based investment banker and entrepreneur. He founded H.R.L. Morrison & Co in 1988, and Morrison & Co launched the infrastructure company In ...
and former mayor
Mark Blumsky
Mark Herbert Blumsky (born 29 August 1957) is a former New Zealand politician and diplomat. He was Mayor of Wellington from 1995 to 2001, and a Member of Parliament for the National Party from 2005 to 2008. Blumsky was New Zealand's High Comm ...
. Rongotai MP Annette King, who backed the proposal, said another site would have to be considered.
The not-for-profit organisations opposing the development also ran up considerable costs, and continue to run fundraising events.
Te Rae Kai Hau Point Fundraising events involving family fun and entertainment have been highly successful, with thousands of people participating this year alone. Summer Lovin music festival was one such event, as part of the
Island Bay
Island Bay is a coastal suburb of Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, situated south of the city centre.
Island Bay lies on the bay which shares its name, one of numerous small bays off Cook Strait and west of Lyall Bay. 500m offshore in ...
festival.
Many kiwi musicians have donated performances and music, many have written and performed songs about the South Coast at various events around Wellington. Olmecha Supreme have led the way, headlining many of the events, the next being the Sonic Arts Block Party at Aro basketball courts on May 5. Hannah Howes, DJ Melodic, Illmofigga, Psychedelic Jelly fish and the Boombox, Los Incas, and the poet Michael Dunningham also performed on 18 February, at Shorland Park.
Gallery
Image:TeRaekaihauPoint.jpg, Te Raekaihau Point of View
Image:AuroraAustralisFrame18PaulM.jpg, Aurora Australis from Wellington South Coast
External links
Save The Pointis the primary organisation that opposes any building on the South Coast that contravenes the current 'Open Space' classification.
GADOTGroup Against Development on Te Rae Kai Hau Point Incorporated, is a secondary organisation that opposes any development of the area.
Rakiura Musicis active in fundraising and awareness campaigning, especially opposed to any light pollution.
WASWellington Astronomical Society opposes light pollution, and whose submission was instrumental in gaining an 'advisory' attached to the consent.
The Wellington Marine Conservation Trust backed by the
Wellington City Council
Wellington City Council is a territorial authority in New Zealand, governing the country's capital city Wellington, and ''de facto'' second-largest city (if the commonly considered parts of Wellington, the Upper Hutt, Porirua, Lower Hutt and ...
, proposed to build a Marine Centre at Te Raekaihau Point.
{{Coord, 41.3497, S, 174.7926, E, display=title
Headlands of the Wellington Region
Wellington City