Kaitorete Spit

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Kaitorete Spit is a long finger of land which extends along the coast of Canterbury in the South Island of New Zealand. it runs southwest from Banks Peninsula for 25 kilometres, and separates the shallow Lake Ellesmere from the Canterbury Bight and Pacific Ocean.

The spit is very low-lying and is prone to flooding. A gravel road extends along half of its length from the small settlement of Birdling's Flat at its northern point. It is also at its northern point that the spit is at its widest - some 3.5 kilometres.

The spit is of considerable ecological significance and is home to the majority of the surviving speimens of Shrubby tororaro (Muehlenbeckia astonii) - a nationally endangered endemic plant