Shag Point / Matakaea

Panorama overlooking the area, on the north side of the mouth of the Shag River

Shag Point / Matakaea^[1] is a headland and township in East Otago, New Zealand.

It is located close to State Highway 1 nine kilometres to the northeast of Palmerston, at the southern end of a long open bay known as Katiki Beach. The point itself is a hilly promontory between Katiki Beach and the mouth of the Shag River. Both the river and point take their English name from the shag, a species of cormorant.

A historic Māori site, the Matakaea/Shag Point Occupation Site, is located close to the headland. It is listed as a Category II site by Heritage New Zealand.^[2]

Geologically, the area is an exemplar of the Katiki Formation, and the site of the discovery of the plesiosaur Kaiwhekea katiki.

References[]

Coordinates: 45°27′40″S 170°48′50″E / 45.46111°S 170.81389°E / -45.46111; 170.81389

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