Wellington Harbour - Geography

Geography

Wellington Harbour is an arm of Cook Strait, covering 70 km², with a two-km wide entrance at its southern end between Pencarrow Head and the Miramar Peninsula.

The harbour is of tectonic origin, and a major earthquake fault, the Wellington Fault, lies along its western shore. At the northern end of the harbour is the narrow triangular plain of the Hutt River, which largely follows the line of the earthquake fault to the north-east. The city of Lower Hutt is on this plain.

The central city suburbs spread around the hills overlooking the west and south-west of Wellington Harbour and its two large bays: Lambton Harbour and Evans Bay. Lambton Harbour is surrounded by the reclaimed land of Wellington's central business district and contains the majority of the city's port facilities. Evans Bay is an inlet between Mt Victoria and the Miramar Peninsula on the flight path to low-lying Wellington Airport. Another smaller bay, popular for its beach and cafes, is Oriental Bay.

To the east of the harbour are several small bays, most of which are populated by small coastal communities. The largest of these suburban settlements is Eastbourne, located east of the northern tip of the Miramar Peninsula.

Three small islands are in the harbour. To the south, close to Eastbourne, is Makaro/Ward Island. Further north, close to the centre of the harbour, is the larger Matiu/Somes Island, to the north of which is the tiny Mokopuna Island.

The entrance to the harbour can be dangerous, especially since Cook Strait to the south is notoriously rough. Close to the harbour entrance lies Barrett Reef, its rocks breaking the water's surface at low tide. It was here in 1968 that the inter-island passenger ferry Wahine grounded during a storm, with the loss of 53 lives.