- Jackson Bay
Jackson Bay is a gently curving bay 24 kilometres wide, located on the West Coast of
New Zealand 'sSouth Island . It faces theTasman Sea to the north, and is backed by theSouthern Alps . 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 smallalluvial fan of the Turnbull andOkuru River s might be considered its furthest point. The smallOpen Bay Islands 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 valleys that further south become the fjords of
Fiordland start to become evident, withLake McKerrow at the foot of theHollyford Track .The bay marks the furthest extent of the West Coast's road network: the small road which meanders along the coast from
Haast , 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. The third river to enter the Tasman along this stretch of coast is theWaiatoto River , which enters the bay 10 kilometres to the east of Jackson Head.Jackson Bay was named Open Bay by Captain Cook; the origins of its current name are obscure. Possible namesake sources include:
Port Jackson ,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 in the area in1810 [http://folksong.org.nz/davylows/lowstonfyfe.html] .References
*cite book | first=A. W. | last=Reed | title=The Reed Dictionary of New Zealand Place Names | publisher=Reed Books | location=Auckland | year=2002 | id=ISBN 0-7900-0761-4
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