Mapoutahi

Te Mapoutahi or simply Mapoutahi is a peninsula on the coast of Otago, New Zealand, between the townships of Waitati and Pūrākaunui, within the limits of Dunedin City. It lies some 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of Dunedin's city centre.

Known also, confusingly, as "Goat Island", the peninsula's narrow isthmus and rugged coastline made it the perfect defensive location for a pā, a fortified settlement. The headland was, indeed, occupied by a Kāti Māmoe pā during the century before the arrival of Europeans in the early 1800s, and was the site of a major massacre in around 1750 when the warrior Taoka attacked the fortifications and killed those within.[1]

The peninsula is now a scenic and historic reserve and is the site of a popular walking track.[2]

The adjacent beach, Mapoutahi Cove, is used by naturists for nude walks and sunbathing.[3] New Zealand has no official nude beaches, as public nudity is legal on any beach where it is "known to occur".[4]

  1. ^ McFarlane, R.K., "The massacre at Mapoutahi pa", New Zealand Railways Magazine, 1 January 1939. Retrieved from NZETC 11 September 2019.
  2. ^ "Mapoutahi Track", New Zealand Department of Conservation. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  3. ^ "Southern Free Beaches". FreeBeaches NZ. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  4. ^ Ceramalus v Police, AP No 76/91 (High Court of New Zealand 5 July 1991).