Quarrel at Makereatu

Forest and Bird, Volume 20, Issue 4, 1 November 1989, Page 3

Quarrel at Makereatu

Sue Maturin

At MAKEREATU on the coast south of Dunedin, walls of hexagonal basalt columns rise 40 metres out of the sea. Here, swells from the Antarctic crash on polished column ramparts. It is a place dear to Maori people and many others: ramblers, surfers, artists, anglers and rock climbers are all inspired by the massive formations. They are the finest in New Zealand and equal to the famed Giant's Causeway of Ireland. The area is also known as Blackhead, a term supplied by Blackhead Quarries Ltd which is in the process of taking away the whole headland for cheap road metal and railway ballast. The-company owns the land and rock down to high tide. In the slow process of demolishing the headland, rubble from blasting is falling on to the best formations and into the water. A coalition of friends of Blackhead, including the Otago branch of Forest & Bird, has been protesting at this irresponsible exercise of property "rights". They are asking for protection of the southern cliffs, a halt to shale dumping and the clean up of rubble in an area known as the "Roman Baths’. More than 6000 people have signed a petition, asking the company to protect the geological features now, and not in 40 year’s time as has been promised — when there won't be any features left to protect. The Geological Society has recently placed it on its register of geological sites worth protecting. 9