Paterson Inlet / Whaka a Te Wera is a large natural harbour in the eastern coast of

Stewart Island/Rakiura Stewart Island ( mi, Rakiura, ' glowing skies', officially Stewart Island / Rakiura) is New Zealand's third-largest island, located south of the South Island, across the Foveaux Strait. It is a roughly triangular island with a total land ar ...

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 ...

, much of which is unspoilt forest.

History

This region was first inhabited by the

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

, who settled at a locale known as ''The Neck'', which is a long peninsula that extends across the mouth of the inlet from the southern coast. The only town on Stewart Island,

Oban Oban ( ; ' in Scottish Gaelic meaning ''The Little Bay'') is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. Despite its small size, it is the largest town between Helensburgh and Fort William. During the tourist season, th ...

is located on the north coast of the inlet, close to its mouth. In earlier times, the inlet was used as a base for

whaling Whaling is the process of hunting of whales for their usable products such as meat and blubber, which can be turned into a type of oil that became increasingly important in the Industrial Revolution. It was practiced as an organized industry ...

Southern right whale The southern right whale (''Eubalaena australis'') is a baleen whale, one of three species classified as right whales belonging to the genus ''Eubalaena''. Southern right whales inhabit oceans south of the Equator, between the latitudes of 20 ...

s were the main target in this area and over exploited. However, their sightings around the island are increasing recently. Paterson Inlet has three main arms; North Arm and South West Arm lie at the upper reaches of the inlet, 15 kilometres from its mouth. Big Glory Bay, the third arm of the inlet, lies behind The Neck in the southeast of the inlet. The inlet drains the Rakeahua and Freshwater Rivers, the latter of which drains a large swampy valley that covers much of the northern part of the island. Several islands lie in the inlet, notably Ulva Island and Native Island. In June 2004 the

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

announced that Paterson Inlet will become a mātaitai to be known as ''Te Whaka a Te Wera Mātaitai Reserve''.

References

{{coord, 46, 56, 24, S, 168, 05, 27, E, region:NZ-STL_type:waterbody_source:kolossus-dewiki, display=title Ports and harbours of New Zealand Landforms of Stewart Island Articles containing video clips