Coastline of New Zealand facts for kids
New Zealand has an amazing coastline that stretches for about 15,000 kilometres (9,300 miles). This makes it the 9th longest coastline in the entire world! It borders two big oceans: the Tasman Sea and the mighty Pacific Ocean.
The very northern tip of New Zealand's main islands is called Surville Cliffs. The southernmost point is Slope Point. Sometimes, people mistakenly think Cape Reinga in the north and Bluff in the south are the furthest points. Over time, people have built more things along the coast, like houses and fish farms. This has sometimes led to disagreements about how we should use these special areas.
Exploring New Zealand's Coasts
The coastline of New Zealand is incredibly diverse. You can find calm, sandy beaches perfect for swimming. But there are also wild, rugged areas with tall cliffs, like those in the beautiful Fiordland region.
On the west coast of the North Island, many beaches have a unique black colour. This is because of something called ironsand, which is a type of heavy, dark sand.
In some places, especially on coastal sand dunes, pine trees were planted a long time ago. Forests like Woodhill, Riverhead, and Bottle Lake Forest are examples of these. People also planted a grass called Marram grass to help stop the sand dunes from moving. However, this grass sometimes took over from native New Zealand plants like Pingao.
Coastal Defences
Throughout history, New Zealand has built special defences along its coast. These were called fortifications. They were built at two main times.
The first time was in 1885, during a period known as the "Russian scare." People were worried about a possible attack. The second time was during World War II. Back then, there was a fear that Japan might invade.
Today, some of these old forts have been repaired. You can even visit them to learn about New Zealand's past and how people protected the country.
