Pōhatu Marine Reserve

This is Pōhatu Marine Reserve, also known as Flea Bay. It's a 215-hectare marine reserve that was officially set up in 1999, and the Department of Conservation manages it.

The name Pōhatu is the traditional one for the bay, meaning 'place of stones' or 'struck by a stone'. European settlers called it Flea Bay, probably because of fleas in the sand from their cattle and pigs, which made camping difficult. But the family who farmed here in the 1840s, Israel and Martha Rhodes, thought it should be 'Flee Bay,' like a refuge for boats, and an old survey chart even called it Boat Shelter Cove. So, it's officially Pōhatu / Flea Bay now.

The reserve covers the whole bay, stretching along the coast from Damons Bay to Strong Bay. You can see how the high cliffs here protect the bay from most winds and swells, except when it's southerly. The water is clear, and a southerly current brings in nutrients. You might spot Hector's dolphins, dusky dolphins, or New Zealand fur seals feeding in these waters. Down by the shore, the kelp-covered reefs are home to pāua, mussels, kina, and crabs, and there are fish like blue cod and tarakihi too.

At the head of the bay, on private land, little blue penguins and yellow-eyed penguins nest. The Helps family, who own the land, manage this penguin colony, which is the biggest on Banks Peninsula. They even got an NZ Order of Merit for their conservation work, including fighting for this marine reserve to stop fishing nets from being set across the penguin runs.

Getting here, it's a no-take zone, so no fishing or removing anything, not even rocks or driftwood. Though, members of the Ōnuku runanga are allowed to take pāua. The best time to visit is at low tide, and you can get here by foot, kayak, boat, or four-wheel drive. Just remember, no dogs are allowed.