Omaui

Omaui is a small coastal village in Southland Region, New Zealand. It is located approximately 20 km southwest of Invercargill near a small estuary opposite Sandy Point between Invercargill and Bluff.

History

Omaui was originally a Māori kaika (Southern dialect - kainga). Sealers and whalers had already utilised the area as a Foveaux Strait base camp in the early 19th century. The first European to survey the village was Robert Williams who had arrived from Australia to scope the possibility of setting up a timber and flax industry on the South Coast.

Omaui Reserve was originally covered in coastal bush of a similar nature to the remnants that remain in the area. This vegetation was completely cleared in the early days and used initially for grazing. Regeneration growth in the early 1950s was mainly of manuka which was harvested for firewood in the mid 1960s. Over the past 30 years the area has started to regenerate and now has a diversity of species.

References

Omaui tourism - Invercargill City Council

Suburbs and localities in Invercargill, Southland, New Zealand

Major settlements	Invercargill (seat) Bluff Clifton Lorneville Otatara Waikiwi

Invercargill suburbs	Appleby Ascot Avenal Georgetown Gladstone Glengarry Grasmere Hargest Hawthorndale Heidelberg Kew Kingswell Newfield Prestonville Richmond Rockdale Rosedale Strathern Waihopai Waverley Windsor

Localities	Awarua Plains Greenhills Kennington Mill Road Motu Rimu Myross Bush Ocean Beach Omaui Oreti Beach Sandy Point Seaward Bush Taramoa Tisbury Tiwai Point West Plains Waimatua Woodend

Coordinates: 46°31′S 168°15′E / 46.517°S 168.250°E / -46.517; 168.250

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