South Taranaki Bight
What's a Bight?
South Taranaki Bight
A Bight is a curve or recess in a coastline, river or other geographical feature.
The size of the South Taranaki bight depends to a large extent on the source referring to it. Some definitions refer to it stretching from the mouth of the Kaupokonui Stream south of Mount Taranaki to the mouth of the Patea River. Other descriptions consider the entire lower North Island west coast as far as Waikanae on the Kapiti Coast to be part of the bight.
CHART NZ4501
CHART NZ4501 shows the South Taranaki Bight.
The map colours are as follows:
White = deep water.
Light blue = shallow water.
Dark blue = very shallow water.
(Yellow = land!)
Project Reef lies in shallow (light blue) water and is approx 23m deep, 11km offshore of Patea!
You can find more charts and information on bathymetry (the measurement of the depth of water in oceans, seas, or lakes) by checking out LINZ.
Crown copyright ©. All data and other material produced by Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) constitutes Crown copyright administered by LINZ.
NZ Circulation
This image shows surface current systems, oceanic fronts and main water masses including the D'Urville Current [DC], which carries plumes of deep nutrient-rich waters from near Kahurangi Shoals into the South Taranaki Bight & Cook Straight - which has some of the highest zooplankton concentrations in New Zealand coastal waters.
"Zooplankton are animals that live all or part of their life suspended & drifting in the ocean."
Carter, L., Garlick, R. D., Sutton, P., et al., 1998. Ocean Circulation New Zealand. NIWA Chart Miscellaneous Series 76.
