Kia ora
Welcome to Hawksbury Lagoon Wildlife Refuge / Matainaka
Hawksbury Lagoon is situated within the East Otago town of Waikouaiti on the northern boundary of Dunedin City.
The Hawksbury Lagoon is a designated Wildlife Refuge under the Reserves Act 1977 and is administered by the Department of Conservation (DOC). It is listed as an ‘Area of significance’ within the Dunedin City Council and Otago Regional Council Plans. It is 51 hectares in size with a perimeter of 5km.
There is a small fishing reserve within the lagoon set aside in 1868 by the Native Land Court with an ancillary claim lodged in 1998 as part of the Ngai Tahu Settlement providing legal recognition of the rights to mahinga kai within the lagoon.
Friends of the Hawksbury Lagoon is a group of local residents that came out of the closure of the previous incorporated society, Hawksbury Lagoon Inc. The objectives of this group are to enhance, protect and conserve the habitats of the wildlife and plant life within the environs of the lagoon and to encourage interest and appreciation of the Hawksbury Lagoon by local residents, visitors and special interest groups.
Visit
Access the causeways from
Inverary St
Scotia St North
Stewart St
Please note
The flat gravelled pathways across the lagoon are suitable for prams and wheelchairs but are narrow in parts.
Restrictions
The following legislation applies: Otago Conservation Management Act, Wildlife Act 1953, Hawksbury Lagoon Refuge Order 1974