Palliser Bay is at the southern end of the

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

of New Zealand, to the southeast of

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 ...

. It runs for 40 kilometres along 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, ...

coast from

Turakirae Head Turakirae Head is a promontory on the southern coast of New Zealand's North Island. It is located at the western end of Palliser Bay, 20 kilometres southeast of Wellington, at the southern end of the Remutaka Range. The head is an excellent ex ...

at the southern end of the

Remutaka Ranges The Remutaka Range (spelled Rimutaka Range before 2017) is the southernmost range of a mountain chain in the lower North Island of New Zealand. The chain continues north into the Tararua, then Ruahine Ranges, running parallel with the east ...

Cape Palliser Cape Palliser is a promontory on the southern coast of New Zealand's North Island and is the southernmost point of the North Island; it is in fact considerably farther south than Nelson or Blenheim in the South Island. It is located at the easte ...

, the North Island's southernmost point. The coastline is exposed to the weather and winds. Inland from the bay is the plain of the

Ruamahanga River The Ruamahanga River runs through the southeastern North Island of New Zealand. The river's headwaters are in the Tararua Range northwest of Masterton. From there it runs firstly south and then southwest for before emptying into the Cook Str ...

, which has its outflow in the bay. This river flows through

Lake Wairarapa Lake Wairarapa is a lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, a ...

, 10 kilometres from the coast. There are several notable geographical features in the area, including the Putangirua Pinnacles,

Kupe's Sail Kupe's Sail ( mi, Ngā Rā-a-Kupe) is a geological formation near the eastern end of Palliser Bay at the southern end of the North Island of New Zealand. It is composed of sedimentary rock which has been thrust up in an earthquake, resulting in ...

and the Whatarangi Bluff, the erosion of which has had dramatic effects on the coastline. Some of these cliffs are made of mudstone and are therefore easily eroded, and sometimes collapse.

References

External links

*
Te Ara
- article on the Palliser Bay area Bays of the Wellington Region Cook Strait {{Wellington-geo-stub