The town of Motueka is on the floodplain between the Motueka and Moutere rivers. The Motueka River empties into Tasman Bay north of the township in a classic delta/estuary system. Further south, the Moutere River forms a tidal estuary west of Jackett Island and empties into Tasman Bay near the Talley’s factory. Together, the Mouteka and Moutere rivers entering the sea create a five-kilometre-long shingle spit with tidal mudflats on the shore side. The sandspit hosts up to 10,000 shore-loving birds during the summer months, including godwits, banded dotterels, variable oystercatchers, South Island pied oystercatchers (SIPO), kingfishers, white-faced herons, royal spoonbills and the occasional white heron/kotuku. The sandspit is so renowned for its bird life that it has its own page on the Department of Conservation website. Acting as a barrier between the sea and the Motueka shoreline as it does, it catches a lot of driftwood. The photo above shows a small sample of what can be found during a walk along the spit.
You must be logged in to post a comment.