Ōpoutere pā site and wildlife refuge

The site of Ōpoutere pā, with its clearly visible earthworks, can be seen on the headland on the far side of Wharekawa Harbour entrance. The beach in the foreground is the head of the Ōpoutere spit, around which the waters of the harbour turn to reach the open sea. It is a wildlife refuge – a protected breeding site for the threatened New Zealand dotterel (tuturiwhatu) as well as for the variable or black oystercatcher (tōreapango).