Clifford Bay, New Zealand
Encyclopedia
Clifford Bay is a bay in the northeast of the South Island
of New Zealand
, in the Marlborough Region. It lies between Cloudy Bay
to the northwest, and Cape Campbell
, the easternmost point of the South Island
. The bay's most notable feature is the solar salt
extraction works at Lake Grassmere, close to the southern end of the bay.
Since the 1920s, there have been various proposals for an inter-island port and ferry terminal to replace Picton
. However, such plans never proceeded beyond an investigation stage, often due to the capital costs. In May 2011, plans were announced to revisit the development of a port at Clifford Bay, using a mix of private and public funding.
Such a port would reduce both sailing time across the Cook Strait from Wellington
and the surface distance to Christchurch
. It would also allow fast ferries to operate at higher speeds than they can in the ecologically sensitive Marlborough Sounds
and remove the steep grades on the railway line that lead out of Picton.
While a new port at Clifford Bay would have an impact on the economy of Picton, there are positive options to focus Picton as a tourist centre, and the gateway to the Marlborough Sounds.
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, in the Marlborough Region. It lies between Cloudy Bay
Cloudy Bay
Cloudy Bay is located at the northeast of New Zealand's South Island, to the south of the Marlborough Sounds. The area lends its name to one of the best known New World white wines although the grapes used in production of that wine are grown in the Marlborough wine region further inland.The bay...
to the northwest, and Cape Campbell
Cape Campbell
Cape Campbell , Te Karaka in Māori language, is located in Marlborough, New Zealand, on the northeastern coast of the South Island. It lies at the southern end of Clifford Bay, 15 km northeast of Ward, and 42 km southeast of Blenheim....
, the easternmost point of the South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
. The bay's most notable feature is the solar salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
extraction works at Lake Grassmere, close to the southern end of the bay.
Since the 1920s, there have been various proposals for an inter-island port and ferry terminal to replace Picton
Picton, New Zealand
Picton is a town in the Marlborough region of New Zealand. It is close to the head of Queen Charlotte Sound near the north-east corner of the South Island. The population was 2928 in the 2006 Census, a decrease of 72 from 2001...
. However, such plans never proceeded beyond an investigation stage, often due to the capital costs. In May 2011, plans were announced to revisit the development of a port at Clifford Bay, using a mix of private and public funding.
Such a port would reduce both sailing time across the Cook Strait from Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
and the surface distance to Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
. It would also allow fast ferries to operate at higher speeds than they can in the ecologically sensitive Marlborough Sounds
Marlborough Sounds
The Marlborough Sounds are an extensive network of sea-drowned valleys created by a combination of land subsidence and rising sea levels at the north of the South Island of New Zealand...
and remove the steep grades on the railway line that lead out of Picton.
While a new port at Clifford Bay would have an impact on the economy of Picton, there are positive options to focus Picton as a tourist centre, and the gateway to the Marlborough Sounds.