6-557: Puysegur Point is a headland located in the far southwest of the South Island of New Zealand. It lies within Fiordland National Park on the southern head of Preservation Inlet and is 145 kilometres (90 mi) west-northwest of Invercargill . The name 'Puysegur' was bestowed by Lieutenant Jules Dumont d'Urville or Midshipman Jules de Blosseville during a South Pacific expedition of La Coquille ; probably in honour of
12-546: Is via a track from a beach landing point at Otago Retreat - a narrow waterway between the mainland and Coal Island in Preservation Inlet to the north west of the point. The name Otago Retreat originates from the passage of the schooner Otago that found shelter in this narrow passage during a voyage accompanying the survey ship HMS Acheron on a survey of the South Island around 1850-51. There are buildings remaining at
18-510: The French naval officer Antoine-Hyacinthe-Anne de Chastenet de Puységur (1752–1809). Puysegur Point has been said to be the windiest place in New Zealand, with gales recorded on an average of 48 days a year. The 2009 Dusky Sound earthquake pushed Puysegur Point closer to Australia by 30 centimetres (12 in). Humpback whales pass the point during annual migrations. A lighthouse on the point
24-619: The landing that formerly served the lighthouse. One of the buildings is a Department of Conservation shelter, known as the Landing Shed. Headland A headland , also known as a head , is a coastal landform , a point of land usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends into a body of water . It is a type of promontory . A headland of considerable size often is called a cape . Headlands are characterised by high, breaking waves , rocky shores , intense erosion , and steep sea cliff . Headlands and bays are often found on
30-431: The same coastline. A bay is flanked by land on three sides, whereas a headland is flanked by water on three sides. Headlands and bays form on discordant coastlines, where bands of rock of alternating resistance run perpendicular to the coast. Bays form when weak (less resistant) rocks (such as sands and clays ) are eroded, leaving bands of stronger (more resistant) rocks (such as chalk , limestone , and granite ) forming
36-405: Was first illuminated on 1 March 1879. The original wooden lighthouse was destroyed in an arson attack in 1942. The lighthouse was operated by permanent lighthouse keepers from its establishment in 1879 until it was temporarily shutdown in 1980, with a further period of staffed operation from 1987 until it was fully automated and destaffed in 1989. The main access to Puysegur Point and the lighthouse
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