Jackson Bay is a gently curving bay 24 kilometers wide, located on the West Coast

West Coast, New Zealand

The West Coast is one of the administrative regions of New Zealand, located on the west coast of the South Island, and is one of the more remote and most sparsely populated areas of the country. It is made up of three districts: Buller, Grey and Westland...

 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...

's 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...

. It faces the Tasman Sea

Tasman Sea

The Tasman Sea is the large body of water between Australia and New Zealand, approximately across. It extends 2,800 km from north to south. It is a south-western segment of the South Pacific Ocean. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, the first recorded European...

 to the north, and is backed by the Southern Alps

Southern Alps

The Southern Alps is a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the island's western side...

. The westernmost point of the bay is marked by the headland of Jackson Head; in the northeast the end of the bay is less well defined, but the small alluvial fan

Alluvial fan

An alluvial fan is a fan-shaped deposit formed where a fast flowing stream flattens, slows, and spreads typically at the exit of a canyon onto a flatter plain. A convergence of neighboring alluvial fans into a single apron of deposits against a slope is called a bajada, or compound alluvial...

 of the Turnbull

Turnbull River

The Turnbull River is a short river on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. It flows northwest from the Southern Alps for 22 kilometres, entering the Tasman Sea at the northern end of Jackson Bay, 10 kilometres south of Haast. The Turnbull shares its mouth with the Okuru River....

 and Okuru River

Okuru River

The Okuru River is located on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It flows northwest for 45 kilometres from its headwaters in the Southern Alps to the west of the Haast Pass to the Tasman Sea at the northern end of Jackson Bay, 12 kilometres south of Haast.The river shares its mouth...

s might be considered its farthest point. The small Open Bay Islands

Open Bay Islands

The Open Bay Islands are located off the south-west coast of the South Island of New Zealand. The group comprises two main islands Taumaka and Popotai plus several smaller islets and rocks. They lie approximately offshore from the Okuru River mouth, near Haast and are owned by Poutini Ngai...

 lie five kilometres off the coast at this point.

The bay marks a major change in the terrain of the west coast. To the north, narrow fertile plains lie between the mountains and the sea, allowing for moderately intensive farming of livestock. To the south, the coastal plains disappear as the land becomes steeper and more majestically mountainous. Within 60 kilometres, the first of the deep glacial

Glacier

A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...

 valleys that further south become the fjords of Fiordland

Fiordland

Fiordland is a geographic region of New Zealand that is situated on the south-western corner of the South Island, comprising the western-most third of Southland. Most of Fiordland is dominated by the steep sides of the snow-capped Southern Alps, deep lakes and its ocean-flooded, steep western valleys...

 start to become evident, with Lake McKerrow

Lake McKerrow

Lake McKerrow, also known by the Maori name of Whakatipu Waitai, lies at the northern end of Fiordland, in the southwest of New Zealand's South Island. The lake runs from southeast to northwest, is 15 kilometres in length, and covers 28 km²....

 at the foot of the Hollyford Track

Hollyford Track

The Hollyford Track is a tramping track in New Zealand. Located at the northern edge of Fiordland, in the southwestern South Island, it is unusual among Fiordland's major tracks in that it is largely flat and accessible year-round...

.

The bay marks the farthest extent of the West Coast's road network: the small road which meanders along the coast from Haast

Haast

Haast is a German family name. It may refer to:* Bill Haast, founder of the Miami Serpentarium and pioneering snake venom collector* Julius von Haast, a German geologist and explorer of New Zealand; several things in New Zealand are named for him:...

, 32 kilometres to the northeast, terminates at the sleepy fishing village of Jackson Bay, close to Jackson Head. This was the site of the landing of the early settlers of the area, and is close to the mouth of the Arawhata (or Arawata) River

Arawhata River

The Arawhata River is in the West Coast region of the South Island of New Zealand....

. The third river to enter the Tasman along this stretch of coast is the Waiatoto River

Waiatoto River

The Waiatoto River is a river of the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. Formed from several small rivers which are fed by glaciers surrounding Mount Aspiring, it flows north along a valley flanked in the west by the Haast Range before turning northwest to reach the Tasman Sea 20 kilometres...

, which enters the bay 10 kilometres to the east of Jackson Head.

Jackson Bay was named Open Bay by Captain Cook

James Cook

Captain James Cook, FRS, RN was a British explorer, navigator and cartographer who ultimately rose to the rank of captain in the Royal Navy...

; the origins of its current name are obscure. Possible namesake sources include: Port Jackson

Port Jackson

Port Jackson, containing Sydney Harbour, is the natural harbour of Sydney, Australia. It is known for its beauty, and in particular, as the location of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge...

, New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

; James Hayter Jackson, a local whaler; or William Jackson, a sealer said to have been part of a party that was marooned

Marooning

Marooning is the intentional leaving of someone in a remote area, such as an uninhabited island. The word appears in writing in approximately 1709, and is derived from the term maroon, a word for a fugitive slave, which could be a corruption of Spanish cimarrón, meaning a household animal who has...

in the area in 1810 http://folksong.org.nz/davylows/lowstonfyfe.html.