Shag Point facts for kids

Panorama overlooking Shag Point, on the north side of the mouth of the Shag River

Shag Point, also known by its Māori name Matakaea, is a headland and township in East Otago, New Zealand.

Shag Point is located close to State Highway 1 nine kilometres to the northeast of Palmerston, at the southern end of a long open bay known as Katiki Beach. The point itself is a hilly promontory between Katiki Beach and the mouth of the Shag River. Both the river and point take their name from the shag, a species of cormorant.

A historic Māori site, the Matakaea/Shag Point Occupation Site, is located close to the headland. It is listed as a Category II site by Heritage New Zealand.

Geologically, Shag Point is an exemplar of the Katiki Formation, and the site of the discovery of the plesiosaur Kaiwhekea katiki.