Omaui
Encyclopedia
Omaui is a small coastal village in Southland Region
, New Zealand
. It is located approximately 20 km southwest of Invercargill
near a small estuary opposite Sandy Point between Invercargill and Bluff
.
(Southern dialect - kainga). Sealers and whalers had already utilised the area as a Foveaux Strait
base camp in the early 19th century. The first European to survey the village was Robert Williams who had arrived from Australia to scope the possibility of setting up a timber and flax
industry on the South Coast.
Omaui Reserve was originally covered in coastal bush of a similar nature to the remnants that remain in the area. This vegetation was completely cleared in the early days and used initially for grazing. Regeneration growth in the early 1950s was mainly of manuka
which was harvested for firewood in the mid 1960s. Over the past 30 years the area has started to regenerate and now has a diversity of species.
Southland Region
Southland is New Zealand's southernmost region and is also a district within that region. It consists mainly of the southwestern portion of the South Island and Stewart Island / Rakiura...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. It is located approximately 20 km southwest of Invercargill
Invercargill
Invercargill is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. It lies in the heart of the wide expanse of the Southland Plains on the Oreti or New River some 18 km north of Bluff,...
near a small estuary opposite Sandy Point between Invercargill and Bluff
Bluff, New Zealand
Bluff is a town and seaport in the Southland region, on the southern coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is the southern-most town in New Zealand and, despite Slope Point being further to the south, is colloquially used to refer to the southern extremity of the country...
.
History
Omaui was originally a Māori kaikaKaika
Kaika may refer to:*Emperor Kaika of Japan*Kaika, Tibet, village in Tibet*Kaika, Estonia, village in Antsla Parish, Võru County, Estonia...
(Southern dialect - kainga). Sealers and whalers had already utilised the area as a Foveaux Strait
Foveaux Strait
Foveaux Strait separates Stewart Island/Rakiura, New Zealand's third largest island, from the South Island. Three large bays, Te Waewae Bay, Oreti Beach and Toetoes Bay, sweep along the strait's northern coast, which also hosts Bluff township and harbour. Across the strait lie the Solander...
base camp in the early 19th century. The first European to survey the village was Robert Williams who had arrived from Australia to scope the possibility of setting up a timber and flax
Flax
Flax is a member of the genus Linum in the family Linaceae. It is native to the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean to India and was probably first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent...
industry on the South Coast.
Omaui Reserve was originally covered in coastal bush of a similar nature to the remnants that remain in the area. This vegetation was completely cleared in the early days and used initially for grazing. Regeneration growth in the early 1950s was mainly of manuka
Manuka
Manuka can refer to:*The flowering plant Leptospermum scoparium *Manuka, Canberra, an area in the Australian Capital Territory, named after the plant*Manuka Oval, a stadium in the above territory...
which was harvested for firewood in the mid 1960s. Over the past 30 years the area has started to regenerate and now has a diversity of species.