Puysegur Point
Puysegur Point
Tawhitiwhiti-roro (Māori) | |
|---|---|
| Puysegur Point Lighthouse and foundations of old lighthouse keepers buildings Puysegur Point Lighthouse and foundations of old lighthouse keepers buildings | |
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| Coordinates: Lua error in Module:Coordinates at line 489: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Location | Fiordland, Southland District, New Zealand |
| Offshore water bodies | Tasman Sea, Rakituma / Preservation Inlet |
Puysegur Point is a headland located in the far southwest of the South Island of New Zealand.[1] It lies within Fiordland National Park on the southern head of Preservation Inlet and is 145 kilometres (90 mi) west-northwest of Invercargill. The name 'Puysegur' was bestowed by Lieutenant Jules Dumont d'Urville or Midshipman Jules de Blosseville during a South Pacific expedition of La Coquille; probably in honour of the French naval officer Antoine-Hyacinthe-Anne de Chastenet de Puységur (1752–1809).
Geography
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Puysegur Point has been said to be the windiest place in New Zealand, with gales recorded on an average of 48 days a year.[2] The 2009 Dusky Sound earthquake[3] pushed Puysegur Point closer to Australia by 30 centimetres (12 in).[4]
Biodiversity
[edit | edit source]Humpback whales pass the point during annual migrations.[5]
Lighthouse
[edit | edit source]A lighthouse on the point was first illuminated on 1 March 1879. The original wooden lighthouse was destroyed in an arson attack in 1942.[6] The lighthouse was operated by permanent lighthouse keepers from its establishment in 1879 until it was temporarily shutdown in 1980, with a further period of staffed operation from 1987 until it was fully automated and destaffed in 1989.[7]
The landing
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The main access to Puysegur Point and the lighthouse is via a track from a beach landing point at Otago Retreat — a narrow waterway between the mainland and Coal Island in Preservation Inlet to the north west of the point.[8] The name Otago Retreat originates from the passage of the schooner Otago that found shelter in this narrow passage during a voyage accompanying the survey ship HMS Acheron on a survey of the South Island around 1850–51.[9][10][11] There are buildings remaining at the landing that formerly served the lighthouse. One of the buildings is a Department of Conservation shelter, known as the Landing Shed.[12]
Climate
[edit | edit source]| Climate data for Puysegur Point (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1978–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 24.9 (76.8) |
26.0 (78.8) |
27.5 (81.5) |
23.2 (73.8) |
20.9 (69.6) |
18.1 (64.6) |
18.4 (65.1) |
17.8 (64.0) |
20.3 (68.5) |
22.1 (71.8) |
22.7 (72.9) |
24.7 (76.5) |
27.5 (81.5) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 16.6 (61.9) |
16.6 (61.9) |
15.7 (60.3) |
14.3 (57.7) |
12.7 (54.9) |
11.0 (51.8) |
10.7 (51.3) |
11.1 (52.0) |
12.0 (53.6) |
12.7 (54.9) |
13.7 (56.7) |
15.4 (59.7) |
13.5 (56.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 13.9 (57.0) |
14.1 (57.4) |
13.2 (55.8) |
12.0 (53.6) |
10.5 (50.9) |
8.8 (47.8) |
8.4 (47.1) |
8.7 (47.7) |
9.6 (49.3) |
10.2 (50.4) |
11.1 (52.0) |
12.8 (55.0) |
11.1 (52.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 11.3 (52.3) |
11.6 (52.9) |
10.7 (51.3) |
9.6 (49.3) |
8.3 (46.9) |
6.5 (43.7) |
6.1 (43.0) |
6.3 (43.3) |
7.1 (44.8) |
7.7 (45.9) |
8.6 (47.5) |
10.2 (50.4) |
8.7 (47.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 5.7 (42.3) |
5.2 (41.4) |
4.0 (39.2) |
3.0 (37.4) |
1.8 (35.2) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
−0.3 (31.5) |
0.1 (32.2) |
1.1 (34.0) |
1.7 (35.1) |
1.3 (34.3) |
0.6 (33.1) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 224.9 (8.85) |
203.0 (7.99) |
225.9 (8.89) |
207.0 (8.15) |
240.6 (9.47) |
209.5 (8.25) |
197.1 (7.76) |
211.0 (8.31) |
193.9 (7.63) |
234.8 (9.24) |
235.6 (9.28) |
195.7 (7.70) |
2,579 (101.52) |
| Source: NIWA[13][14][15] | |||||||||||||
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value)., retrieved 24 August 2009
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Dawbin, H. W. (1995) The Migrations of Humpback Whales which Pass the New Zealand Coast. Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand. Volume 84, 1956–57. pp.147–196. Department of Zoology, Victoria University College, Wellington. National Library of New Zealand. Retrieved on 9 July 2014
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External links
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- Puysegur Point lighthouse at Maritime New Zealand
- Puysegur Point - Furthest Frontier II - EP7 video at Youtube