Harington Point
Harington Point, being often incorrectly spelt Harrington Point, is a settlement at the northeastern end of Otago Peninsula, lying within the boundaries of the city of Dunedin, New Zealand. It was named after Thomas Cudbert Harington, the first secretary of the New Zealand Company.[1]
Geography
[edit]
Harington Point is located between Taiaroa Head and Otakou, close to the entrance of Otago Harbour. The mouth of the harbour is at its narrowest at Harington Point, only some 400 metres (1,300 ft) separating the point from the mudflats at Aramoana on the opposing coast.
Te Rauone beach, historically known for its many sand dunes, which have been restored after they were eroded. Restoration was a collaborative effort and there are new amenities.[2][3]
The settlement can be reached via a 45-minute drive from Dunedin City on sealed roads, and is also serviced 7 days per week by a regular bus service taking 60 minutes from the city center, as well as a school bus.[4] Despite its small size, Harington Point offers accommodation ranging from holiday houses to self-contained motel units.[citation needed]
Wildlife
[edit]
The settlement of Harington Point is the closest residential area to Taiaroa Head, the only mainland Northern royal albatross colony in the world,[5] as well as several other regionally important wildlife colonies. Between Harington Point and Taiaroa Head is Pilot's Beach, where little blue penguins are seen returning to nest at dusk. Over the hills southwest of Harington Point is the Otago Penguin Eco Restoration Alliance (OPERA), a nesting colony of yellow-eyed penguins.[6]
All three offer public tours of the respective wildlife colonies. Wellers Rock wharf, just south of Harington Point, is the base for boat cruises and tours exploring the sea and bird life in the area.[7]
The harbour water was a historic habitat for cetaceans especially southern right whales,[8] but the whales have now become an infrequent sight,[9][10][11][12] following the establishment of the area as a major shore whaling ground[13][14][15] and their migratory patterns destroyed.[16]
Demographics
[edit]Statistics New Zealand describes Otakou and Harington Point as a rural settlement which covers 5.65 km2 (2.18 sq mi),[17] and is part of the much larger Otago Peninsula statistical area.[18]
Historic sites
[edit]Wellers Rock
[edit]
Wellers Rock (officially spelt without a concluding apostrophe), also known as Te Umukuri or Te Umu Kuri, is located between Harington Point and Otakou at 45°47′52″S 170°42′54″E / 45.79778°S 170.71500°E. It is named in honour of the Weller brothers, a family of whalers who formed one of the first permanent European settlements in the southern South Island.[1] The Wellers operated three stations within the Otago Harbour including two along Harington Point (Otakou and Te Rauone Beach), and the Otakou station was among the most significant and the largest shore whaling stations in New Zealand at the time. It began major operation in 1831 yet faced a termination a decade after due to the sharp decline of whale numbers.[13][14][15] An archaeological excavation of part of the site was carried out by the University of Otago in 1991.[19] To this day, whale bones may be found nearby the rock.[20]
In January 2020 Te Runanga o Otakou, the Dunedin City Council, and the Department of Conservation joined forces in a project to protect the site from degradation.[21]
Gun emplacements
[edit]The hills behind Harington Point contain several abandoned World War II gun emplacements, a subterranean communications tunnel and bunker, which were all part of the coastal fortifications of New Zealand.
References
[edit]- 1 2 McLintock, Alexander H. (1966). "Otago Peninsula". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Ministry for Culture and Heritage, New Zealand Government. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
- ↑ "Te Rauone Reserve Redevelopment project". Dunedin City Council. 1 October 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2025.
- ↑ Winders, Kevin; Smith, Des (19 February 2021). "Te Rauone Beach restoration given green light". Port Otago. Retrieved 26 January 2025.
- ↑ Otago Regional Council web site Bus timetables. Accessed 10 February 2014.
- ↑ "Life of the Northern Royal". Royal Albatross Centre. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
- ↑ "Our Story". Otago Peninsula Eco Restoration Alliance (OPERA). Retrieved 26 June 2025.
- ↑ Dunedin Monarch Wildlife Cruises and Tours Accessed 10 February 2014.
- ↑ Black Diamond Images (16 July 2023). "Interpretive Sign - Southern Right Whale & Hector's Dolphin, Aramoana, Otago, South Island, New Zealand". Flickr. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
- ↑ Gibb, John (26 August 2010). "'Spectacular'show by whales". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
- ↑ Fox, Rebecca (28 August 2014). "What a fluke!". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
- ↑ Miller, Tim (30 July 2018). "Southern right whales thrill watchers". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
- ↑ Lewis, John (26 June 2025). "Tourists 'stoked' at whale pod discovery". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
- 1 2 "'Wild Dunedin': Otago animals". Radio New Zealand. 20 April 2019. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
- 1 2 Prickett, Nigel (2002). The Archaeology Of New Zealand Shore Whaling. Department of Conservation – via Internet Archive.
- 1 2 McPhee, Elena (18 August 2018). "Whale numbers are coming right". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
- ↑ Matthews, Philip (17 January 2026). "The whale fishers of Canterbury - a quick buck from cruelty". The Press. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
- ↑ "ArcGIS Web Application". statsnz.maps.arcgis.com. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
- ↑ 2018 Census place summary: Otago Peninsula
- ↑ Campbell, M., (1994) "Excavation of Wellers Rock Try-works, Otakou Whaling Station, Otago Harbour, New Zealand," New Zealand journal of archaeology, 16: 33–53.
- ↑ MacLean, Hamish (5 November 2021). "Whale of a find in Otago Harbour". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
- ↑ Hudson, Daisy (20 January 2020). "Wellers Rock to be protected". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
