Farewell spit

• Where is Farewell Spit and Golden Bay located?

  north west of the southern island of New Zealand
• location of Farewell Spit

  deposited in a northern direction with an eastern curve. salt marshes below it. NE of Tasman Sea and W of Cook Strait.
• About Farewell spit


  26km above sea level and another 6km underwater. Dunes are located on the N side, constantly exposed to prevailing winds. S side covered in vegetation. Waves can recede up to 7km, exposing 8sq km of mud flats. Popular for sea birds
• history of Farewell spit

  Began during the last ice age (14,000). Originated from the rivers from the Southern Alps. The sediment mostly consists of granite and schist which forms the bedrock in the area, and is carried by the Tasman sea. The sediment is northwards by the Westland current. There’s an abrupt change in the coasts direction due to Golden Bay and sediment continues into Greater Cook Strait as LSD is stronger. As the spit increases in length, the tidal currents increase in speed, and so the sediment load and erosion rate increase.
• wildlife at Farewell spit?

  halophytic pioneer species (plants that grow in salty water)- cordgrass and glasswort
• human activity at Farewell spit

  light house to prevent shipwrecks

  stock grazing + fires decimated much of the vegetation

  grown by 75% since 1950
• short-term natural changes at Farewell spit


  tidal flats are flooded daily

  episodic growth from sediment and LSD

  storms can increase the erosion rates
• long-term natural changes at Farewell spit

  inlet river channels would never flood even during the increase of sea level as they’re low energy

  increase in sea level would cause a rise in erosion