Pōhatu Marine Reserve

Okay, so I'm here at Pōhatu Marine Reserve, also known as Flea Bay, and it's a really interesting spot. It's a huge marine reserve, about 215 hectares, stretching between Ounu-hau Point and Redcliffe Point on Banks Peninsula. It was officially set up in 1999, and the Department of Conservation looks after it.

The name itself has a cool story. Pōhatu is the traditional name, meaning 'place of stones' or 'struck by a stone.' But then you have Flea Bay, which apparently came from early European settlers. Their cattle and pigs might have brought fleas into the sand, making it tough to sleep! Though, I also heard that the Rhodes family, who farmed here in the 1840s, thought it should be "Flee Bay," as in a place for boats to escape to, which makes sense because an old survey chart called it Boat Shelter Cove. So, officially, it’s Pōhatu / Flea Bay.

The geography here is pretty dramatic – high cliffs, rocky reefs, and sandy beaches. Those cliffs, some hundreds of meters high, actually protect the bay from most winds and swells, except when it's coming from the south. The water's clear, and there's a southerly current that brings in lots of nutrients. I've heard you can spot Hector's dolphins, dusky dolphins, and even New Zealand fur seals feeding around here.

Down in the intertidal zone, there are kelp-covered reefs full of pāua, mussels, kina, and crabs. And apparently, there are lots of fish like blue cod, blue moki, and tarakihi.

One of the most special things here is the penguin colony. The beach at the head of the bay is private land, and the Helps family manages the largest little blue penguin and yellow-eyed penguin colony on Banks Peninsula. They do a lot of predator control and population assessments, and they even received an NZ Order of Merit for their conservation work. They actually fought for this marine reserve to be created, partly to stop recreational fishers from setting nets across the penguin runs.

Getting here can be a bit of an adventure – it's about 15 kilometers from Akaroa via a steep, unsealed road. You can also hike in as it's one of the stops on the Banks Peninsula Track. Just remember, no dogs are allowed, and it's a strict no-take zone, so no fishing or taking anything, not even rocks or driftwood. Though, members of Ōnuku runanga are allowed to take pāua; that was granted after a survey showed it wouldn't harm the reserve. It’s a really unique and protected place, definitely worth the journey!