In this section you will find information on Significant Marine Areas, Intertidal Ecology, Estuaries, Dunes and Marine Pests.
Hawke’s Bay’s coast has spectacular wildlife, scenery and variety. The regional coastline can be divided into five distinct habitat types:
- Hard shore (rock and siltstone) intertidal platforms: common between Blackhead Point and just south of Cape Kidnapper;
- Exposed, high energy, gravel beaches clustered around Napier;
- Soft shore (sandy) beaches at points along the southern coast and also from Waipatiki north;
- Offshore islands which include Motu-o-Kura (Bare Island), Portland Island, and Karamea (Red) island, and reefs, such as Pania Reef, Black Reef and Town Reef;
- Harbours and estuaries including the Port of Napier, the Ahuriri, Waitangi, Tukituki and Porangahau Estuaries, Maungawhio Lagoon, Whakaki Lagoon and a series of wetlands along the Wairoa coast.
Each of these habitats is home to a different suite of flora and fauna. The estuaries provide nursery habitats for fish and breeding, feeding and nesting grounds for seabirds. Intertidal platforms and offshore reefs are home to a myriad of unique marine life. Our coastal dunes also provide unique habitats, and many rare and endangered bird, insect and reptile species can be found in these. The Regional Coastal Plan lists a number of coastal locations as Significant Areas, while the Department of Conservation manages the Te AngiAngi Marine Reserve.
As well as valuable animals and plants, the coastal and marine environments also support many introduced species, some of which are classified as marine pests.