Tomahawk Lagoon
Encyclopedia
Tomahawk Lagoon is a twin-lobed lagoon
, located at the western end of the Otago Peninsula
within the city limits of Dunedin
, New Zealand
. It lies close to the southeastern edge of the city's main urban area, near the suburb of Ocean Grove
, which lies close to its southern shore. This suburb was also known as Tomahawk until the 1930s The name is not a reference to the weapon, but rather possibly an anglicised form of the Māori
words tomo haka, meaning "dance by a gravesite".
The lagoon, which is connected by a short stream to the Pacific Ocean
, is noted for its bird life. Despite its name, it is never inundated with the sea, but is more of a shallow coastal lake, predominantly under 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) in depth. The top lagoon (inner lobe) is a wildlife reserve. Tomahawk Lagoon is separated from the sea at low tide by Tomahawk Beach, which runs east from the Lagoon's mouth for about 1 kilometre (0.621372736649807 mi). A smaller beach, Smaill's Beach, lies further to the east, beyond which is the outcrop of Maori Head, 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from the lagoon's mouth. A rocky reef and the small Bird Island lie close to the headland. To the west of the lagoon's mouth is the prominent headland of Lawyer's Head
, a major Dunedin landmark.
The outer lobe (the Bottom Lagoon) is the larger, being some 900 metres (2,952.8 ft) in length and 300 metres (984.3 ft) wide at its widest point. It is roughly a parallelogram
in shape, and covers an area of close to 20 hectares (49.4 acre). The Top Lagoon joins the Bottom Lagoon via a short stream in the middle of the latter's eastern shore. It is roughly triangular, being 700 metres (2,296.6 ft) in length and 300 metres (984.3 ft) in width, and covers an area of some 9.6 hectares (23.7 acre). The total area of the lagoon is thus some 30 hectares (74.1 acre).
The total catchment area of the lagoon is 466 hectares (1,151.5 acre). Several small streams flow through the steep valleys which lie to the north and northeast. The largest of these is Lagoon Creek, which flows from near Arthur's Seat for some 1.5 kilometre (0.93205910497471 mi) before feeding the Top Lagoon at its northeastern end. Owing to the pastoral
nature of much of the surrounding land, nutrient runoff into the lake is frequently high, resulting in its often eutrophic nature.
Lagoon
A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...
, located at the western end of the Otago Peninsula
Otago Peninsula
The Otago Peninsula is a long, hilly indented finger of land that forms the easternmost part of Dunedin, New Zealand. Volcanic in origin, it forms one wall of the eroded valley that now forms Otago Harbour. The peninsula lies south-east of Otago Harbour and runs parallel to the mainland for...
within the city limits of Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
, 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 lies close to the southeastern edge of the city's main urban area, near the suburb of Ocean Grove
Ocean Grove, New Zealand
Ocean Grove, also known as Tomahawk, is a suburb in the southeast of the New Zealand city of Dunedin. A semi-rural residential suburb on the Pacific coast at the southwestern end of the Otago Peninsula, Ocean Grove is located southeast of Dunedin city centre.The suburb is isolated from much of the...
, which lies close to its southern shore. This suburb was also known as Tomahawk until the 1930s The name is not a reference to the weapon, but rather possibly an anglicised form of the Māori
Maori language
Māori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
words tomo haka, meaning "dance by a gravesite".
The lagoon, which is connected by a short stream to the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
, is noted for its bird life. Despite its name, it is never inundated with the sea, but is more of a shallow coastal lake, predominantly under 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) in depth. The top lagoon (inner lobe) is a wildlife reserve. Tomahawk Lagoon is separated from the sea at low tide by Tomahawk Beach, which runs east from the Lagoon's mouth for about 1 kilometre (0.621372736649807 mi). A smaller beach, Smaill's Beach, lies further to the east, beyond which is the outcrop of Maori Head, 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from the lagoon's mouth. A rocky reef and the small Bird Island lie close to the headland. To the west of the lagoon's mouth is the prominent headland of Lawyer's Head
Lawyer's Head
Lawyers Head is a prominent landmark on the coast of Otago, New Zealand. Located within the city of Dunedin, this rocky headland juts into the Pacific Ocean at the eastern end of the city's main beach, Saint Kilda Beach...
, a major Dunedin landmark.
The outer lobe (the Bottom Lagoon) is the larger, being some 900 metres (2,952.8 ft) in length and 300 metres (984.3 ft) wide at its widest point. It is roughly a parallelogram
Parallelogram
In Euclidean geometry, a parallelogram is a convex quadrilateral with two pairs of parallel sides. The opposite or facing sides of a parallelogram are of equal length and the opposite angles of a parallelogram are of equal measure...
in shape, and covers an area of close to 20 hectares (49.4 acre). The Top Lagoon joins the Bottom Lagoon via a short stream in the middle of the latter's eastern shore. It is roughly triangular, being 700 metres (2,296.6 ft) in length and 300 metres (984.3 ft) in width, and covers an area of some 9.6 hectares (23.7 acre). The total area of the lagoon is thus some 30 hectares (74.1 acre).
The total catchment area of the lagoon is 466 hectares (1,151.5 acre). Several small streams flow through the steep valleys which lie to the north and northeast. The largest of these is Lagoon Creek, which flows from near Arthur's Seat for some 1.5 kilometre (0.93205910497471 mi) before feeding the Top Lagoon at its northeastern end. Owing to the pastoral
Pastoral
The adjective pastoral refers to the lifestyle of pastoralists, such as shepherds herding livestock around open areas of land according to seasons and the changing availability of water and pasturage. It also refers to a genre in literature, art or music that depicts such shepherd life in an...
nature of much of the surrounding land, nutrient runoff into the lake is frequently high, resulting in its often eutrophic nature.