Blueskin Bay
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Blueskin Bay is an estuary in coastal Otago, about 25km north of Dunedin. The name also unofficially describes the rural district which includes the northern slopes of Mount Cargill, the southern slopes of the Kilmog, and the townships of Doctors Point, Waitati, Evansdale, Warrington, and Seacliff.
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[edit] Place names
Originally called Waiputi,[1] "Blueskin Bay" historically referred to a wider stretch of coast from Heyward Point to Seacliff, including Purakaunui[1]. Blueskin Bay is named after Te Hikututu and his nephew Kahuti, local Maori personalities, whom Pakeha settlers nicknamed "Blueskin" for the large amount of Tā moko (traditional Maori tattooing) on their bodies. The name had been used as the nickname of a notorious 1700s London criminal, Joseph "Blueskin" Blake[1].
[edit] The estuary
The Waitati River and Careys Creek enter Blueskin Bay at its southwest and northwest corners. A long sand spit from the northern headland closes the bay to a small channel to the Pacific Ocean at the southeast corner. Rabbit Island lies just inside this entrance.
[edit] Shellfish
Blueskin Bay is a popular gathering site for clams, locally known as "cockles". Along with families collecting the shellfish for personal consumption, Southern Clams Ltd gathers clams commercially for export[1].
