geo.wikisort.org - Coast

Search / Calendar

Cape Foulwind is a headland on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand, overlooking the Tasman Sea. It is located 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) west of the town of Westport. There is a lighthouse located on a prominent site on the headland. A walkway beginning at the lighthouse carpark traverses the rocky headland to Tauranga Bay and passes close by a colony of New Zealand fur seals. There is limestone quarry in the area, and a cement works operated nearby from 1958 to 2016.

Cape Foulwind
Cape
Looking west across Gibsons Beach to Cape Foulwind
Cape Foulwind
Location of Cape Foulwind
Coordinates: 41°44′57″S 171°27′51″E
Offshore water bodiesTasman Sea
Formed byErosion
GeologyGneiss

In the lee of the cape, eastwards toward the Buller River mouth lies Carters Beach, claimed to be the only safe swimming beach on the West Coast of the South Island.[1]


Toponymy


The headland was named Rocky Cape by Abel Tasman, the first European to sight it, in 1642.[2] However, the present name was given by English explorer James Cook in 1770[3] after his ship Endeavour was blown quite a distance offshore from this point.[2]


Lighthouse


The first lighthouse at Cape Foulwind was illuminated on 1 September 1876. The timber support structure of this first lighthouse did not survive the environmental conditions, and a replacement lighthouse was erected on a concrete tower in 1926. The lighthouse is operated by Maritime New Zealand[4] and is registered as a Category 2 Historic Place.[5]


Walkway


View over Cape Foulwind seal colony
View over Cape Foulwind seal colony

The Cape Foulwind Walkway is a 3.4 kilometres (2.1 mi) (one-way) pathway above rocky headlands between Tauranga Bay and the carpark at the Cape Foulwind Lighthouse. The features of the walkway include views of mountains and coastline, a colony of New Zealand fur seals (kekeno), and the lighthouse..[6] The cliffs of Cape Foulwind and the small offshore islands are roosting and breeding grounds for seabirds including Australasian gannets. sooty shearwaters, fluttering shearwaters and fairy prions. A small rocky islet, Wall Island, offshore from the seal colony at Tauranga Bay, provides important habitat for seabrid colonies and Little penguins (kororā). Hector's dolphin and orca may also be seen occasionally from the walkway.[7]


Cement works


Cement works in 2017, after closure
Cement works in 2017, after closure

In 1924, the Grey River Argus reported that the National Portland Cement Company was to be floated, to mine and process deposits of limestone and marl at Cape Foulwind.[8] A proposal to construct a cement works at Cape Foulwind was announced in 1946.[9] In 1953, it was reported that British interests had purchased a large area of land at Cape Foulwind.[10] However, it was not until 1955 that the British company Tunnel Portland Cement (subsequently Hanson Cement) made a firm commitment to construct a plant.[11] The plant was expected to have a production capability of 120,000 tons per annum, and employ 200 workers. The facility would use 40,000 tonnes of Buller coal annually. The capital required for the plant would be £2,500,000 with only £100,000 to be raised in New Zealand.[12]

The first production from the new plant at Cape Foulwind was in November 1958,[13] and the official opening was held on 15 February 1959.[14]

In 2013, the owner Holcim, announced plans to close the factory, and cease making cement in New Zealand. The Cape Foulwind cement works closed in June 2016 after 58 years of operation, with the loss of 105 jobs.[15][16]


Mineral sands mining


In May 2022, a mining company Westland Mineral Sands, was granted resource consent by a joint hearings panel of the West Coast Regional Council and Buller District Council, for a proposal to mine 500,000 tonnes of mineral sands over seven years, at its property at Okari, to the south of Cape Foulwind.[17] A group of local residents appealed the decision of the hearings panel in the Environment Court, seeking lower limits on noise levels and more restrictions on operating hours.[18][19]

Mining of the mineral sands was forecast to commence in October 2022, with 2 hectares (4.9 acres) to be strip-mined at a time.[20][19]


Railway line


The Cape Foulwind Railway was a branch railway line built in 1886 by the Westport Harbour Board, to transport rocks from their quarry to the breakwaters in the Buller River.[21]




Cape Foulwind living up to its name, with the cement works centre foreground.
Cape Foulwind living up to its name, with the cement works centre foreground.
The lighthouse at Cape Foulwind
The lighthouse at Cape Foulwind
Cape Foulwind: Looking out on the Tasman Sea
Cape Foulwind: Looking out on the Tasman Sea

References


  1. Simon Nathan (12 June 2015). "'West Coast places - Westport'". Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Archived from the original on 2 July 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  2. "West Coast History". Archived from the original on 25 April 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  3. "Cape Foulwind and Tauranga Bay". Archived from the original on 13 May 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  4. "Cape Foulwind". Maritime New Zealand. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  5. "Cape Foulwind Lighthouse". Heritage New Zealand. Archived from the original on 9 March 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  6. "Cape Foulwind Walkway". www.doc.govt.nz. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  7. Turner, Elen (7 November 2021). "Enjoy a walk on the wild side at Cape Foulwind in Westport". NZ Herald. Archived from the original on 17 December 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  8. "Cement company to work Cape Foulwind lime deposits". Grey River Argus. 24 November 1924 via Papers Past.
  9. "Cement manufacture - New project to exploit Cape Foulwind clay". Wanganui Chronicle. 31 January 1946. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022 via Papers Past.
  10. "Colombo Plan assistance - £250,000 Grant for cement works protest by Westport Borough Council". The Press. 10 April 1953. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022 via Papers Past.
  11. "New cement works - Cape Foulwind scheme - Sponsorship by British firm". The Press. 11 November 1955. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022 via Papers Past.
  12. "Cement works at Westport - Plant Expected In August -Production a year later". The Press. 28 December 1955. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022 via Papers Past.
  13. "Cape Foulwind Cement - Production started at works". The Press. 22 November 1958. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022 via Papers Past.
  14. "New cement works opened - Ceremony at Cape Foulwind". The Press. 16 February 1959 via Papers Past.
  15. Scanlon, Lee (29 June 2016). "'It will be a tough old day tomorrow'". NZ Herald. Archived from the original on 19 May 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  16. Naish, Joanne (28 December 2020). "Plan to decide future of cement plant land with spectacular West Coast views". Stuff. Archived from the original on 7 July 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  17. McMahon, Brendon (11 May 2022). "Controversial mine proposal gets green light". Stuff. Archived from the original on 15 July 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  18. McMahon, Brendon (2 June 2022). "Cape Foulwind residents lodge appeal against controversial sand mine". Stuff. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  19. Naish, Joanne (15 July 2022). "'Not just dirty miners': 100-year plan to mine sand for minerals on the West Coast". Stuff. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  20. Mills, Laura (16 September 2022). "'Rare earth' mine opening". Otago Daily Times Online News. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  21. Churchman, Geoffrey B; Hurst, Tony (2001). The Railways of New Zealand: A Journey through History (2 ed.). Transpress New Zealand. p. 192. ISBN 0-908876-20-3.





Текст в блоке "Читать" взят с сайта "Википедия" и доступен по лицензии Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike; в отдельных случаях могут действовать дополнительные условия.

Другой контент может иметь иную лицензию. Перед использованием материалов сайта WikiSort.org внимательно изучите правила лицензирования конкретных элементов наполнения сайта.

2019-2024
WikiSort.org - проект по пересортировке и дополнению контента Википедии