Birdlings Flat | |
|---|---|
 Fishing at Birdlings Flat | |
 Rural settlement area within Christchurch City Council boundaries | |
  Birdlings Flat .svg) Birdlings Flat | |
| Coordinates: 43°49′28″S 172°42′21″E / 43.824415°S 172.70575°E | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Canterbury Region |
| District | Christchurch City |
| Ward | Banks Peninsula |
| Community | Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū Banks Peninsula |
| Electorates |
|
| Government | |
| • Territorial Authority | Christchurch City Council |
| • Regional council | Environment Canterbury |
| • Mayor of Christchurch | Phil Mauger |
| • Banks Peninsula MP | Vanessa Weenink |
| • Te Tai Tonga MP | Tākuta Ferris |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.44 km2 (0.17 sq mi) |
| Population (June 2024)[2] | |
| • Total | 220 |
| • Density | 500/km2 (1,300/sq mi) |
Birdlings Flat, originally named Te Mata Hapuku, is a settlement in Canterbury, New Zealand, at the eastern end of Kaitorete Spit and the southern end of Lake Forsyth, where the lake discharges to the sea. It is not far from eastern end of Lake Ellesmere / Te Waihora. The name Birdlings Flat is also commonly used for the nearby pebble beach on the ocean side of Kaitorete Spit.
The beach is well known as a place to find small agates and a variety of other attractive rounded pebbles. Due to strong ocean currents, swimming and surfing is not advised. Hector's dolphins live along the beach in notable numbers,[3][4] and fur seals, whales such as southern right whales,[5] and much more rarely elephant seals cavort and rest there.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Areawas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Aotearoa Data Explorer". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
- ^ "Line-transect survey of Hector's dolphin abundance between Farewell Spit and Motunau" (PDF). www.doc.govt.nz. 2000. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
- ^ "ArcGIS Web Application" (PDF).
- ^ "Whales at Birdlings Flat". YouTube. Retrieved 2 May 2022.