Wangaloa is a small coastal settlement in South Otago,

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 ...

. It is located to the north of the mouths of the

Clutha River The Clutha River (, officially gazetted as Clutha River / ) is the second longest river in New Zealand and the longest in the South Island. It flows south-southeast through Central and South Otago from Lake Wānaka in the Southern Alps to the P ...

the beach area, close to the town of Kaitangata. There is access to Wangaloa Beach from the Kaitangata Golf course. Wangaloa is connected to

Toko Mouth Toko Mouth is a settlement close to the south bank of the mouth of the Tokomairaro River, some south of Dunedin and southeast of Milton in Otago, New Zealand. The settlement comprises some 70 holiday homes, of which a small percentage are ...

, to the north, by a coastal road, and to Kaitangata, to the west, by a road which crests a low range of coastal hills. The name of Wangaloa is from the southern dialect of Māori, and means ''long bay'' (equivalent to ''Whangaroa'' in standard Māori).''Wise's New Zealand guide'' (1969) Dunedin: H. Wise & Co. p. 401 Wangaloa was home to an open cast coal mine which operated as part of the Kaitangata coal field from 1945 to 1989. The area surrounding the former mine is being extensively re-landscaped as a recreational reserve.

References

External links

The Archaeology and European History of the Wangaloa Block (PDF)Kaitangata Golf ClubGeoview.info Wangaloa
Populated places in Otago Clutha District Coal mines in New Zealand Mining communities in New Zealand {{Otago-geo-stub